, Author at The Lost Books of The Bible • Page 5 of 42

Ezekiel the Tragedian

Ezekiel the Tragedian exists only in three longer quotations Eusebius’ Preparation for the Gospel 9.28-29, Clement of Alexandria’s Miscellanies 1.23.155.1-5, Epiphanius’ Medicine Box (Panarion) 64.29.6-30.1, and Pseudo-Eustanthius’ Commentary on the six days of the Creation (Commentarius in Hexaemeron) PG 18, 729. Since only the first two are readily available on-line, well I guess you just have to suck it up at this point, but here they are. AH

Eusebius Preparation for the Gospel (Praeparatio Evangelica) Ch. 28

‘WITH regard to Moses being exposed by his mother in the marsh, and taken up and reared by the king’s daughter, Ezekiel the tragic poet gives an account, taking up the narrative from the beginning when Jacob and his family came into Egypt to Joseph. And he tells it as follows, bringing Moses forward as the speaker: 30

“When Jacob from the land of Canaan down
To Egypt came, with threescore souls and ten,
He there begat a multitudinous race,
Who much endured and long, by wicked men
And tyrant’s hand to this our day crushed down.
For when he saw our people had waxed strong,
The king with subtle craft our fathers ruled,
And some in making bricks ho sore oppressed,
And some in raising heavy stones to build
His lofty towers, for their despite contrived.
Next he commands that all the Hebrew race
Cast every man-child in the Nile’s deep flood.
And I have often heard my mother tell,
How at that time she hid me for three months:
Fearing detection then, she wrapped me close
In rough attire, and laid me secretly
‘Mid the thick rushes by the river’s bank.
My sister Miriam close at hand kept watch,
Till Pharaoh’s daughter with her maids came down
To bathe her shining limbs in the cool stream.
She saw the babe, and straightway took it up,
And knew its Hebrew birth. My sister then
Ran up, and to the princess thus she spake:
‘Wilt thou I find as nurse for this fair child
Some Hebrew wife?’ The princess bade her speed,
And to her mother quick she told the tale,
Who came with speed, and took me in her arms.
Then spake the Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Take this child
To nurse, good dame, and I will pay thy wage.’
‘Moses’ the name she gave, to mark the fact
That from the river’s brink she drew me forth.”

‘To this farther on in the tragedy Ezekiel adds more on the following points, bringing Moses forward as speaking:

“So when my time of infancy was past,
My mother led me to the princess’ home,
But first she told me all the tale, my birth
And kindred, and God’s gifts of old.
The princess then through all my boyhood’s years,
As I had been a son of her own womb,
In royal state and learning nurtured me.
But when the circle of the days was full,
I left the palace, urged to lofty deeds
By my own soul, and by the king’s device.
Then the first day I saw two men at strife,
Egyptian one, and one of Hebrew race.
And when I saw that we were quite alone,
None else in sight, I to the rescue came,
Avenged my kinsman, and the Egyptian slew,
And buried in the sand, that none might see
What we had ventured, and lay bare the deed.
But on the morrow’s dawn again I saw
Two of our kin in deadly strife, and cried,
‘Why smitest thou thy weaker brother thus?’
But he replied, ‘And who made thee a judge,
Or ruler here? Me also wouldest thou slay,
As that man yestermorn?’ Then to myself
In fear I said, ‘How came that deed abroad?’
All this was quickly carried to the king.
And Pharaoh sought to take away my life.
His plot I learned, and from his hands escaped,
And now to other lands am wandering forth.”

‘Then, concerning the daughters of Raguel he adds this:

“But here, behold! some seven fair maids I see.”

‘And on his asking them what maidens they were, Zipporah replies:

“The land, O stranger, bears the common name
Of Libya, but by various tribes is held
Of dark-skinned Aethiops: yet the land is ruled
By one sole monarch, and sole chief in war.
This city has for ruler and for judge
A priest, the father of myself and these.”

‘He then describes the giving drink to the cattle, and adds the account of his marriage with Zipporah, bringing forward Chum and Zipporah as speaking in alternate verses:

“Ch. ‘Yet this thou need’st must tell me, Zipporah.’
Z. ‘My father gave me for this stranger’s wife.'”

Eus. PrEv ch. 29

‘DEMETRIUS described the slaying of the Egyptian, and the quarrel with him who gave information about the deceased man, in the same way as the writer of the Sacred Book. He says, however, that Moses fled into Midian, and there married Zipporah the daughter of Jothor, who was, as far as one may conjecture from the names, one of the descendants of Keturah, of the stock of Abraham, from Jexan who was the son of Abraham by Keturah: and from Jexan was born Dadan, and from Dadan Raguel, and from Raguel, Jothor, and Hobab: and from Jothor Zipporah, whom Moses married.’The generations also agree; for Moses was seventh from Abraham, and Zipporah sixth. For Isaac, from whom Moses descended, was already married when Abraham at the age of a hundred and forty married Keturah, and begat by her a second son Isaar. Now he begat Isaac when he was a hundred years old; so that Isaar, from whom Zipporah derived her descent, was born forty-two years later than Isaac.

‘There is therefore no inconsistency in Moses and Zipporah having lived at the same time. And they dwelt in the city Madiam, which was called from one of the sons of Abraham. For it says that Abraham sent his sons towards the East to find a dwelling-place: for this reason also Aaron and Miriam said at Hazeroth that Moses had married an Aethiopian woman.

‘Ezekiel also speaks of this in the Exodus, adding to the tradition the dream that was seen by Moses and interpreted by his father-in-law. And Moses himself talks with his father-in-law in alternate verses, as follows: 31

“Methought upon Mount Sinai’s brow I saw
A mighty throne that reached to heaven’s high vault,
Whereon there sat a man of noblest mien
Wearing a royal crown; whose left hand held
A mighty sceptre; and his right to me
Made sign, and I stood forth before the throne.
He gave me then the sceptre and the crown,
And bade me sit upon the royal throne,
From which himself removed. Thence I looked forth
Upon the earth’s wide circle, and beneath
The earth itself, and high above the heaven.
Then at my feet, behold! a thousand stars
Began to fall, and I their number told,
As they passed by me like an armed host:
And I in terror started up from sleep.”

‘Then his father-in-law thus interprets the dream:

“This sign from God bodes good to thee, my friend.
Would I might live to see thy lot fulfilled!
A mighty throne shalt thou set up, and be
Thyself the leader and the judge of men!
And as o’er all the peopled earth thine eye
Looked forth, and underneath the earth, and high
Above God’s heaven; so shall thy mind survey
All things in time, past, present, and to come.”

‘With regard to the burning bush, and the mission of Moses to Pharaoh, he again brings Moses forward as holding converse alternately with God. Moses speaks thus:

“Ha! see! What sign is this from yonder bush?
A marvel such as no man might believe.
A sudden mighty fire flames round the bush,
And yet its growth remains all green and fresh.
What then? I will go forward, and behold
This wondrous sign, that passes man’s belief.”

‘Then God speaks to him:

“Stay, Moses, faithful servant, draw not nigh,
Ere thou hast loosed thy shoes from off thy feet:
The place thou standest on is holy ground;
And from this bush God’s word shines forth for thee.
Fear not, My son, but hearken to My words.
Of mortal birth, thou canst not see My face;
Yet mayest thou hear the words I came to speak.
Thy fathers’ God, the God of Abraham,
Of Isaac, and of Jacob, I am God.
I do remember all My gifts to them,
And come to save My people Israel;
For I have seen their sorrows and their toils.
Go then, and signify thou in My name,
First to the Hebrews gathered by themselves,
Then to the king of Egypt, this My will,
That thou lead forth My people from the land.”

‘Then lower down Moses himself speaks some lines in answer:

“I am not eloquent, O Lord, but slow
Of speech my tongue, and weak my stammering voice
To utter words of mine before the king?”

‘Then God in answer to this says to him:

“Thy brother Aaron I will send with speed: First tell thou him all I have told to thee; And he before the king, and thou with Me Alone shalt speak, he what he hears from thee.”

‘With regard to the rod, and the other wonders thus he speaks in alternate verse:

“God. ‘Say, what is that thou holdest in thine hand? ‘
M. ‘A rod, wherewith to smite or beasts or men.’
God. ‘Cast it upon the ground, and flee in haste;
For a fierce serpent will affright thine eye.’
N. ‘Lo! there I cast it. Save me, gracious Lord!
How huge, how fierce! In pity spare Thou me.
I shudder at the sight in every limb.’
God. ‘Fear not: stretch forth thy hand, and seize the tail.
Again ’twill be a rod. Now thrust thy hand
Into thy bosom: take it out again.
See, at My word, ’tis leprous, white as snow.
Now thrust it in again, ’tis as before.’ “

To this, after some words that he has interposed, he adds the following:’Now this is what Ezekiel says in The Exodus, when he brings forward God speaking of the signs, as follows:

“With this thy rod thou shalt work all these plagues.
The river first shall flow all red with blood,
And every spring, and stream, and stagnant pool.
Then frogs and lice shall swarm o’er all the land.
Next ashes from the furnace sprinkled round
In ulcers sore shall burst on man and beast.
And swarms of flies shall come, and sore afflict
The bodies of the Egyptians. After that
On those hard hearts the pestilence and death
Shall fall. And heaven’s wrath let loose on high
Shall pour down fire and hail and deadly storm
On man, and beast, and all the fruits of earth.
Then shall be darkness over all the land
For three whole days, and locusts shall devour
All food, all fruits, and every blade of grass.
Moreover I will slay each first-born child,
And crush this evil nation’s wanton pride.
Yet none of these My plagues shall touch the king,
Until he see his first-born son lie dead:
Then will he send you forth in fear and haste.
This also speak to all the Hebrew race:
‘This month shall be the first month of your year,
Wherein I bring you to that other land,
As to the fathers of your race I sware.’
Also command the people, in this month,
At evening ere the moon’s full orb appear,
To sacrifice the Passover to God,
And strike the side-posts of the door with blood:
So shall My messenger of death pass by.
But the flesh eat ye roast with fire at night.
Then will the king drive forth your gathered host
In haste; but ere ye go, I will give grace
To this My people in the Egyptians’ eyes,
So that each woman from her neighbour’s store
All needful vessels freely shall receive,
Silver and gold, and raiment meet for man,
To make requital for their evil deeds.
And when ye shall have reached your promised land,
Take heed that, from the morn whereon ye fled
From Egypt and marched onward seven whole days,
From that same morn so many days each year
Ye eat unleavened bread, and serve your God,
Offering the first-born of all living things,
All males that open first the mother’s womb.”

‘And again concerning this same feast he says that the poet has spoken with more careful elaboration:

“And when the tenth day of this month is come,
Let every Hebrew for his household choose
Unblemished lambs and calves, and keep them up
Until the fourteenth day; and then at eve
Offer the solemn sacrifice, and eat
The flesh and inward parts all roast with fire.
Thus shall ye eat it, with your loins girt up,
And shoes upon your feet, a staff withal
Held ready in your hand; for in great haste
The king will bid them drive you from his land.
Let each man’s eating for the lamb make count;
And when the victim has been duly slain,
Take a full bunch of hyssop in your hand,
Dipped in the sacred blood, and therewith strike
The posts and upper lintel of the door;
That death may pass o’er every Hebrew’s house.
Keep ever thus this feast unto the Lord,
Eating for seven days unleavened bread,
And in your houses let no leaven be found.
For ye shall be delivered, and the Lord
Shall lead you forth from Egypt in this month,
Henceforth to be tho first month of your year.”

Again, after some other passages he further says:’Ezekiel also, in the drama which is entitled The Exodus, brings forward a Messenger describing both the condition of the Hebrews and the destruction of the Egyptians, as follows:

“For when king Pharaoh from his house set forth
With all this crowd of countless men-at-arms,
With horsemen, and with four-horsed chariots,
In serried ranks in front and on each flank,
The embattled host was dreadful to behold.
The centre footmen held in phalanx deep
With spaces for the chariots to drive through.
And on the right wing and the left were set
The best of all the Egyptian chivalry.
The numbers of our army which I asked,
Were thousand thousands brave well-armed men.
The Hebrews, when o’ertaken by our host,
Lay some in groups hard by the Red Sea shore
Worn out with toil, and others with their wives
To feed their tender infants were intent:
Cumbered with flocks and herds and household goods.
The men themselves with hands not armed for fight,
At sight of us, set up a doleful cry,
And all, with hands uplift to heaven, invoked
Their fathers’ God. Great was their multitude;
But on our side all jubilant our camp
Behind them close we pitched, where by the sea
There lies a city, Baal-zephon hight.
And as the sun was near his western couch,
We waited, longing for the fight at dawn,
Trusting our mighty host and deadly arms.
But now the signs of heaven’s own wrath began,
A dread and wondrous sight. For suddenly
A pillar of cloud rose high above the earth
Midway between the Hebrew camp and ours:
And then their leader Moses took his rod
Of power divine, which late on Egypt wrought
So many baneful signs and prodigies.
Therewith he struck the waves, and the deep sea
Was cleft asunder; and with eager steps
Their host rushed swiftly o’er that briny path.
We then upon their track without delay
Trod the same path, and marching forward met
The darkness of the night; when suddenly,
As if fast bound in chains, our chariot wheels
Refused to turn; and from the sky a flame
As of a mighty fire before us shone.
Their God, methinks, was there to succour them:
For they no sooner reached the farther shore,
Than close at hand we heard the mighty roar
Of surging waves; and one in terror cried:
‘Flee from the vengeful hand of the Most High,
For it is He that helps our enemies,
And works for our destruction.’ Then the sea
Surged o’er our path, and overwhelmed our host.”

And again soon after:’Thence they went forward three days, as Demetrius himself says, and the Holy Scripture agrees with him: but as he found there no sweet water, but bitter, at God’s command he cast the wood of a certain tree into the fountain, and the water became sweet. And thence they came to Elim, and found there twelve springs of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees. As to these, and the bird which appeared there, Ezekiel in The Exodus introduces some one who speaks to Moses concerning the palm-trees and the twelve springs thus:

”See, my lord Moses, what a spot is found
Fanned by sweet airs from yonder shady grove.
For as thyself mayest see, there lies the stream,
And thence at night the fiery pillar shed
Its welcome guiding light. A meadow there
Beside the stream in grateful shadow lies
And a deep glen in rich abundance pours
From out a single rock twelve sparkling springs.
There tall and strong, and laden all with fruit,
Stand palms threescore and ten; and plenteous grass
Well watered gives sweet pasture to our flocks.”

‘Then lower down he gives a full description of the bird that appeared:

“Another living thing we saw, more strange
And marvellous than man e’er saw before.
The noblest eagle scarce was half as large:
His outspread wings with varying colours shone;
The breast was bright with purple, and the legs
With crimson glowed, and on the shapely neck
The golden plumage shone in graceful curves:
The head was like a gentle nestling’s formed:
Bright shone the yellow circlet of the eye
On all around, and wondrous sweet the voice.
The king he seemed of all the winged tribe,
As soon was proved; for birds of every kind
Hovered in fear behind his stately form:
While like a bull, proud leader of the herd,
Foremost he marched with swift and haughty step.”

And after a few words he adds that:’Some one asked how the Israelites got weapons, as they came out unarmed. For they said that after they had gone out a three days’ journey, and offered sacrifice, they would return again. It appears therefore that these who had not been overwhelmed in the sea made use of the others’ arms.’

Clement of Alexandria Miscellanies (Stromata) 1.23.155f

The ante-nicene fathers

And respecting the education of Moses, we shall find a harmonious account in Ezekiel,21052105 [Eusebius, Prזp Evang., ix. 4.] the composer of Jewish tragedies in the drama entitled The Exodus. He thus writes in the person of Moses:—

“For, seeing our race abundantly increase,
His treacherous snares King Pharaoh ’gainst us laid,
And cruelly in brick-kilns some of us,
And some, in toilsome works of building, plagued.
And towns and towers by toil of ill-starred men
He raised. Then to the Hebrew race proclaimed,
That each male child should in deep-flowing Nile
Be drowned. My mother bore and hid me then
Three months (so afterwards she told). Then took,
And me adorned with fair array, and placed
On the deep sedgy marsh by Nilus bank,
While Miriam, my sister, watched afar.
Then, with her maids, the daughter of the king,
To bathe her beauty in the cleansing stream, 336
Came near, straight saw, and took and raised me up;
And knew me for a Hebrew. Miriam
My sister to the princess ran, and said,
‘Is it thy pleasure, that I haste and find
A nurse for thee to rear this child
Among the Hebrew women?’ The princess
Gave assent. The maiden to her mother sped,
And told, who quick appeared. My own
Dear mother took me in her arms. Then said
The daughter of the king: ‘Nurse me this child,
And I will give thee wages.’And my name
Moses she called, because she drew and saved
Me from the waters on the river’s bank.
And when the days of childhood had flown by,
My mother brought me to the palace where
The princess dwelt, after disclosing all
About my ancestry, and God’s great gifts.
In boyhood’s years I royal nurture had,
And in all princely exercise was trained,
As if the princess’s very son. But when
The circling days had run their course,
I left the royal palace.”

Then, after relating the combat between the Hebrew and the Egyptian, and the burying of the Egyptian in the sand, he says of the other contest:—

“Why strike one feebler than thyself?
And he rejoined: Who made thee judge o’er us,
Or ruler? Wilt thou slay me, as thou didst
Him yesterday? And I in terror said,
How is this known?”

Eldad and Modad

Eldad and Modad (sometimes read as ‘Modat’ or ‘Medad’) is the title for a now lost work who’s only surviving fragments are in quotations from it given in Hermas’ Vision 2.3.4 and in the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan. The similarity of these two quotes is such that they may reference the same passage (E. G. Martin in Charlesworth’s OTP). Other passages in early Christian and Jewish literature refer to, but do not quote the work.

“The LORD is near to them who return unto Him,” as it is written in Eldad and Modad, who prophesied to the people in the wilderness. [Hermas Vision 2.3.4]

The Lord is near to those in distress. [Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Num. 11.26]

Pseudo-Jonathan also tells us that the work addressed an eschatological attack on Jerusalem, war with Gog and Magog, and the triumph of the royal Messiah (Martin).

The Apocalypse of Elijah

CHAPTER I

1. The word of YHWH came to me saying, “Son of man, say to his people, ‘why do you add sin to your sins and anger the Lord God who created you ?'”

2. Don’t love the world or the things which are in the world, for the boasting of the world and its destruction belong to the devil.

3. Remember that the Lord of glory, Who created everything, had mercy upon you so that He might save us from the captivity of this age.

4. For many times the devil desired not to let the sun rise above the earth and not to let the earth yield fruit, since he desires to consume men like a fire which rages in stubble, and he desires to swallow them like water.

5. Therefore, on account of this, the God of glory had mercy upon us, and He sent His Son to the world so that He might save us from the captivity.

6. He did not inform an angel or an archangel or any principality when He was about to come to us, but ?He changed Himself to be like a man when He was about to come to us so that He might save use [from flesh].

7. Therefore become sons to Him since He is a father to you.

8. Remember that He has prepared thrones and crowns for you in heaven, saying, “Everyone who will obey Me will receive thrones and crowns among those who are Mine.”

9. The Lord said, “I will write My name upon their forehead and I will seal their right hand, and they will not hunger or thirst.

10. Neither will the son of lawlessness prevail over them, nor will the thrones hinder them, but they will walk with the angels up to My city.”

11. Now as for the sinners, they will be shamed and they will not pass by the thrones, but the thrones of death will seize them and rule over them because the angels will not agree with them.

12. They have alienated themselves from His dwellings.

13. Hear, O wise men of the land, concerning the deceivers who will multiply in the last times so that they will set down for themselves doctrines which do not belong to God, setting aside the Law of God, those who have made their belly their God, saying, “The fast does not exist, nor did God create it,” making themselves strangers to the covenant of God and robbing themselves of the glorious promises.

14. Now these are not ever correctly established in the firm faith. Therefore don’t let those people lead you astray.

15. Remember that from the time when He created the heavens, the Lord created the fast for a benefit to men on account of the passions and desires which fight against you so that the evil will not inflame you.

16. “But it is a pure fast which I have created,” said the Lord.

17. The one who fasts continually will not sin although jealousy and strife are within him.

18. Let the pure one fast, but whenever the one who fasts is not pure he has angered the Lord and also the angels.

19. And he has grieved his soul, gathering up wrath for himself for the day of wrath.

20. But a pure fast is what I created, with a pure heart and pure hands.

21. It releases sin. It heals diseases. It casts out demons.

22. It is effective up to the throne of God for an ointment and for a release from sin by means of a pure prayer.

23. Who among you , if he is honored in his craft, will go forth to the field without a tool in his hand? Or who will go forth to the battle to fight without a breastplate on?

24. If he is found, will he not be killed because he despised the service of the king?

25. Likewise no one is able to enter the holy place if he is double minded.

26. The one who is double minded in his prayer is darkness to himself. And even the angels do not trust him.

27. Therefore be single-minded in the Lord at all times so that you might know every moment.

CHAPTER II

Furthermore, concerning the kings of Assyria and the dissolution of the heaven and the earth and the things beneath the earth.

2. “now therefore will not be overcome” says the Lord, “nor will they fear in the battle.”

3. When they see [a king] who rises in the north, [who will be called] “the king of [Assyria” and] “the king of injustice,” [he will increase] his battles and his disturbances against Egypt.

4. The land will groan together because your children will be seized.

5. Many will desire death in those days, but death will flee from them.

6. And a king who will be called “the king of peace” will rise up in the west.

7. He will run upon the sea like a roaring lion.

8. He will kill the king of injustice, and he will take vengeance on Egypt with battles and much bloodshed.

9. It will come to pass in those days that he will command a p[eace] and a [vain] gift in Egypt.

10. [He will give] peace to these who are holy, [saying], “The name of [God] is one.”

11. [He will] give honors to the s[aints and] an exalting to the places of the saints.

12. He will give vain gifts to the house of God.

13. He will wander around in the cities of Egypt with guile, without their knowing.

14. He will take count of the holy places. He will weigh the idols of the heathen. He will take count of their wealth. He will establish priests for them.

15. He will command that the wise men and the great ones of the people be seized, and they will be brought to the metropolis which is by the sea, saying, “There is but one language.”

16. But when you hear, “Peace and joy exist,” I will…

17. Now I will tell you his signs so that you might know him. 18.For he has two sons: one on his right and one on his left.

19. The one on his right will receive a demonic face, (and) he will fight against the name of God.

20. Now four kings will descend from that king.

21. In his thirtieth year he will come up to Memphis, (and) he will build a temple in Memphis.

22. On that day his own son will rise up against him and kill him.

23. The whole land will be disturbed.

24. On that day he will issue an order over the whole land so that the priests of the land and all of the saints will be seized, saying, “You will repay doubly every gift and all of the good things which my father gave to you.”

25. He will shut up the holy places. He will take their houses. He will take their sons prisoner.

26. He will order and sacrifices and abominations and bitter evils will be done in the land.

27. He will appear before the sun and the moon.

28. On that day the priests of the land will tear their clothes.

29. Woe to you , O rulers of Egypt, in those days because your day has passed.

30. The violence (being done to) the poor will turn against you, and your children will be seized as plunder.

31. In those days the cities of Egypt will groan for the voice of the one who sells and the one who buys will not be heard. The markets of the cities of Egypt will become dusty.

32. Those who are in Egypt will weep together. They will desire death, (but) death will flee and leave them.

33. In those days, they will run up to the rocks and leap off, saying, “Fall upon us.” And still they will not die.

34. A double affliction will multiply upon the whole land.

35. In those days, the king will command, and all the nursing women will be seized and brought to him bound. They will suckle serpents. And their blood will be drawn from their breasts, and it will be applied as poison to the arrows.

36. On account of their distress of the cities, he will command again, and all the young lads from twelve years and under will be seized and presented in order to teach them to shoot arrows.

37. The midwife who is upon the earth will grieve. The woman who has given birth will lift her eyes to heaven, saying, “Why did I sit upon the birthstool, to bring forth a son to the earth?”

38. The barren woman and the virgin will rejoice, saying, “It is our time to rejoice, because we have no child upon the earth, but our children are in heaven.”

39. In those days, three kings will arise among the Persians, and they will take captive the Jews who are in Egypt. They will bring them to Jerusalem, and the will inhabit it and dwell there.

40. Then when you hear that there is security in Jerusalem, tear you garments, O priests of the land, because the son of perdition will soon come.

41. In those days, the lawless one will appear in the holy places —

42. In (those) days the kings of the Persians will hasten and they will stand to fight with the kings of Assyria. Four kings will fight with three.

43. They will spend three years in that place until they carry off the wealth of the temple which is in that place.

44. In those days, blood will flow from Kos to Memphis. The river of Egypt will become blood, and they will not be able to drink from it for three days.

45. Woe to Egypt and those who are in it.

46. In those days, a king will arise in the city which is called “the city of the sun,” and the whole land will be disturbed. flee to Memphis (with the Persians).

47. In the sixth year, the Persian kings will plot an ambush in Memphis. They will kill the Assyrian king.

48. The Persians will take vengeance on the land, and they will command to kill all the heathen and the lawless ones. They will command to build the temples of the saints.

49. They will give double gifts to the house of God. They will say, “The name of God is one.”

50. The whole land will hail the Persians.

51. Even the remnant, who did not die under the afflictions, will say, “The Lord has sent us a righteous king so that the land will not become a desert”

52. He will command that no royal matter be presented for three years and six months. The land will be full of good in an abundant well-being.

53. Those who are alive will go to those who are dead, saying, “Rise up and be with us in this rest.”

CHAPTER III

1. In the fourth year of that king, the son of lawlessness will appear, saying, “I am the Christ,” although he is not. Don’t believe him!

2. When the Christ comes, He will come in the manner of a covey of doves with the crown of doves surrounding Him. He will walk upon the heaven’s vaults with the sign of the cross leading Him.

3. The whole world will behold Him like the sun which shines from the eastern horizon to the western.

4. This is how He will come, with all his angels surrounding Him.

5. But the son of lawlessness will begin to stand again in the holy places.

6. He will say to the sun, “Fall,” and it will fall. He will say, “Shine,” and it will do it. He will say, “Darken,” and it will do it.

7. He will say to the moon, “Become bloody,” and it will do it.

8. He will go forth with them from the sky. He will walk upon the sea and the rivers as upon dry land.

9. He will cause the lame to walk. He will cause the deaf to hear. He will cause the dumb to speak. He will cause the blind to see.

10. The lepers he will cleanse. The ill he will heal. The demons he will cast out.

11. He will multiply his signs and his wonders in the presence of everyone.

12. He will do the works which the Christ did, except for raising the dead alone.

13. In this you will know that he is the son of lawlessness, because he is unable to give life.

14. For behold I will tell you his signs so that you might know him.

15. He is a …of a skinny-legged young lad, having a tuft of gray hair at the front of his bald head. His eyebrows will reach to his ears. There is a leprous bare spot on the front of his hands.

16. He will transform himself in the presence of those who see him. He will become a young child. He will become old.

17. He will transform himself in every sign. But the signs of his head will not be able to change.

18. Therin you will know that he is the son of lawlessness.

CHAPTER IV

1. The virgin, whose name is Tabitha, will hear that the shameless one has revealed himself in the holy places. And she will put on her garment of fine linen.

2. And she will pursue him up to Judea, scolding him up to Jerusalem, saying, “O shameless one, O son of lawlessness, O you who have been hostile to all the saints.

3. Then the shameless one will be angry at the virgin. He will pursue her up to the regions of the sunset. He will suck her blood in the evening.

4. And he will cast her upon the temple, and she will become a healing for the people.

5. She will rise up at dawn. And she will live and scold him, saying, “o shameless one, you have no power against my soul or my body, because I live in the Lord always.

6. And also my blood which you have cast upon the temple has become a healing for the people.”

7. Then when Elijah and Enoch hear that the shameless one has revealed himself in the holy place, they will come down and fight with him saying,

8. Are you indeed not ashamed? When you attach yourself to the saints, because you are always estranged.

9. you have been hostile to those who belong to heaven. you have acted against those belonging to the earth.

10. You have been hostile to the thrones. you have acted against the angels. you are always a stranger.

11. you have fallen from heaven like the morning stars. you were changed, and your tribe became dark for you.

12. But you are not ashamed, when you stand firmly against God you are a devil.

13.The shameless one will hear and he will be angry, and he will fight with them in the market place of the great city. And he will spend seven days fighting with them.

14. And they will spend three and one half days in the market place dead, while all the people see them.

15. But on the fourth day they will rise up and they will scold him saying. “O shameless one, O son of lawlessness. Are you indeed not ashamed of yourself since you are leading astray the people of God for whom you did not suffer? Do you not know that we live in the Lord?”

16. As the words were spoken, they prevailed over him, saying, “Furthermore, we will lay down before the flesh for the spirit, and we will kill you since you are unable to speak on that day because we are always strong in the Lord. But you are always hostile to God.

17. The shameless one will hear, and he will be angry and fight them.

18. And the whole city will surround them.

19. On that day they will shout up to heaven as they shine while all the people and all the world see them.

20. The son of lawlessness will not prevail over them. He will be angry at the land, and he will seek to sin against the people.

21. He will pursue all of the saints. They and the priests of the land will be brought back bound.

22. He will kill them and destroy them…them. And their eyes will be removed with iron spikes.

23. He will remove their skin from their heads. He will remove their nails one by one. He will command that vinegar and lime be put in their nose.

24. Now those who are unable to bear up under the tortures of that king will take gold and flee over the fords to the desert places. They will lie down as one who sleeps.

25. The Lord will receive their spirits and their souls to Himself.

26. Their flesh will petrify. No wild animals will eat them until the last day of the great judgment.

27. And they will rise up and find a place of rest. but they will not be in the kingdom of the Christ as those who have endured because the Lord said, “I will grant to them that they sit on my right hand.”

28. They will receive favor over others, and they will triumph over the son of lawlessness. And they will witness the dissolution of heaven and earth.

29. They will receive the thrones of glory and the crowns.

30. The sixty righteous ones who are prepared for this hour will hear.

31. And they will gird on the breastplate of YHWH, and they will run to Jerusalem and fight with the shameless one, saying, “All powers which the prophets have done from the beginning you have done. But you were unable to raise the dead because you have no power to give life. Therein we have known that you are the son of lawlessness.”

32. He will hear, and he will be angry and command to kindle altars,

33. And the righteous ones will be bound. They will be lifted up and burned.

CHAPTER V

And on that day the heart of many will harden and they will flee from him, saying, “This is not the Christ. The Christ does not kill the righteous. He does not pursue men so that he might seek them, but He persuades them with signs and wonders.”

2. On that day the Christ will pity those who are His own. And He will send from heaven his sixty-four thousand angels, each of whom has six wings.

3. The sound will move heaven and earth when they give praise and glorify.

4. Now those upon whose forehead the name of Christ is written and upon whose hand is the seal both the small and the great, will be taken up upon their wings and lifted up before his wrath.

5. Then Gabriel and Uriel will become a pillar of light leading them into the holy land.

6. It will be granted to them to eat from the tree of life. They will wear white garments…and angels will watch over them. They will not thirst, nor will the son of lawlessness be able to prevail over them.

7. And on that day the earth will be disturbed, and the sun will darken, and peace will be removed from the earth.

8. The birds will fall on the earth, dead.

9. The earth will be dry. The waters of the sea will dry up.

10. The sinners will groan upon the earth saying, “What have you done to us, O son of lawlessness, saying I am the Christ, when you are the devil?

11. You are unable to save yourself so that you might save us. You produced signs in our presence until you alienated us from the Christ who created us. Woe to us because we listened to you.

12. Lo now we will die in a famine. Where indeed is now the trace of a righteous one and we will worship him, or where indeed is the one who will teach us and we will appeal to him.

13. Now indeed we will be wrathfully destroyed because we disobeyed YHWH.

14. We went to the deep places of the sea, and we did not find water. We dug in the rivers and papyrus reeds, and we did not find water.”

15. Then on that day, the shameless one will speak, saying, “Woe to me because my time has passed by for me while I was saying that my time would not pass by for me.

16. My years became months and my days have passed away as dust passes away. Now therefore I will perish together with you.

17. Now therefore run forth to the desert. Seize the robbers and kill them.

18. Bring up the saints. For because of them, the earth yields fruit. for because of them the sun shines upon the earth. For because of them the dew will come upon the earth.”

19. The sinners will weep saying, “You made us hostile to YHWH. If you are able, rise up and pursue them.”

20. Then he will take his fiery wings and fly out after the saints. He will fight with them again.

21. The angels will hear and come down. They will fight with him a battle of many swords.

22. It will come to pass on that day that the Lord will hear and command the heaven and the earth with great wrath. And they will send for fire.

23. And the fire will prevail over the earth seventy-two cubits. It will consume the sinners and the devils like stubble.

24. A true judgment will occur.

25. On that day, the mountains and the earth will utter speech. The byways will speak with one another, saying, “Have you heard today the voice of a man who walks who has not come to the judgment of the Son of YHWH.”

26. The sins of each one will stand against him in the place where they were committed, whether those of the day or of the night.

27. Those who belong to the righteous and … will see the sinners and those who persecuted them and those who handed them over to death in their torments.

28. Then the sinners [ in torment ] will see the place of the righteous.

29. And thus grace will occur. In those days, that which the righteous will ask for many times will be given to them.

30. On that day, YHWH will judge the heaven and the earth. He will judge those who transgressed in heaven, and those who did so on earth.

31. He will judge the shepherds of the people. He will ask about the flock of sheep, and they will be given to Him, without any deadly guile existing in them.

32. After these things, Elijah and Enoch will come down. They will lay down the flesh of the world, and they will receive their spiritual flesh. They will pursue the son of lawlessness and kill him since he is not able to speak.

33. On that day, he will dissolve in their presence like ice which was dissolved by a fire. He will perish like a serpent which has no breath in it.

34. They will say to him, “Your time has passed by for you. Now therefore you wand those who believe you will perish.”

35. They will be cast into the bottom of the abyss and it will be closed for them.

36. On that day, the Christ, the King and all His saints will come forth from heaven.

37. He will burn the earth. He will spend a thousand years upon it.

38. Because the sinners prevailed over it, He will create a new heaven and a new earth. No deadly devil will exist in them.

39. He will rule with His saints, ascending and descending, while they are always with the angels and they are with the Christ for a thousand years.

Third Baruch

From The Apocrypha and Pseudeipgrapha of the Old Testament by R. H. Charles, vol. II , Oxford Press

Prologue. 1 A narrative and revelation of Baruch, concerning those ineffable things which he saw by command of God. Bless Thou, O Lord. 2 A revelation of Baruch, who stood upon the river Gel weeping over the captivity of 3 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.

1 1 Verily I Baruch was weeping in my mind and sorrowing on account of the people, and that 2 Nebuchadnezzar the king was permitted by God to destroy His city, saying: Lord, why didst Thou set on fire Thy vineyard, and lay it waste? Why didst Thou do this? And why, Lord, didst Thou not requite us with another chastisement, but didst deliver us to nations such as these, so that they 3 reproach us and say, Where is their God? And behold as I was weeping and saying such things, I saw an angel of the Lord coming and saying to me: Understand, O man, greatly beloved, and trouble not thyself so greatly concerning the salvation of Jerusalem, for thus saith the Lord God, 4 the Almighty. For He sent me before thee, to make known and to show to thee all (the things) 5, 6 of God. For thy prayer was heard before Him, and entered into the ears of the Lord God. And when he had said these things to me, I was silent. And the angel said to me: Cease to provoke 7 God, and I will show thee other mysteries, greater than these. And I Baruch said, As the Lord God liveth, if thou wilt show me, and I hear a word of thine, I will not continue to speak any longer. 8 God shall add to my judgement in the day of judgement, if I speak hereafter. And the angel of the powers said to me, Come, and I will show thee the mysteries of God.

The First Heaven 2 1 And he took me and led me where the firmament has been set fast, and where there was a river 2 which no one can cross, nor any strange breeze of all those which God created. And he took me and led me to the first heaven, and showed me a door of great size. And he said to me, Let us enter 3 through it, and we entered as though borne on wings, a distance of about thirty days journey. And he showed me within the heaven a plain; and there were men dwelling thereon, with the faces of 4 oxen, and the horns of stags, and the feet of goats, and the haunches of lambs. And I Baruch asked the angel, Make known to me, I pray thee, what is the thickness of the heaven in which we journeyed, 5 or what is its extent, or what is the plain, in order that I may also tell the sons of men? And the angel whose name is Phanuel said to me: This door which thou seest is the door of heaven, and as great as is the distance from earth to heaven, so great also is its thickness; and again as great as is the distance (from North to South, so great) is the length of the plain which thou didst see. And again the angel of the powers said to me, Come, and I will show thee greater mysteries. But 6, 7 I said, I pray thee show me what are these men. And he said to me, These are they who built the tower of strife against God, and the Lord banished them.

The Second Heaven. 3 1 And the angel of the Lord took me and led me to a second heaven. And he showed me there 2 also a door like the first and said, Let us. enter through it. And we entered, being borne on wings 3 a distance of about sixty days’ journey. And he showed me there also a plain, and it was full of 4 men, whose appearance was like that of dogs, and whose feet were like those of stags. And I asked 5 the angel: I pray thee, Lord, say to me who are these. And he said, These are they who gave counsel to build the tower, for they whom thou seest drove forth multitudes of both men and women to make bricks; among whom, a woman making bricks was not allowed to be released in the hour of child-birth, but brought forth while she was making bricks, and carried her child in her apron, and 6 continued to make bricks. And the Lord appeared to them and confused their speech, when they 7 had built the tower to the height of four hundred and sixty-three cubits. And they took a gimlet, and sought to pierce the heaven, saying, Let us see (whether) the heaven is made of clay, or of 8 brass, or of iron. When God saw this He did not permit them, but smote them with blindness and confusion of speech, and rendered them as thou seest.

The Third Heaven. 4 1 And I Baruch said, Behold, Lord, Thou didst show me great and wonder ful things; and now 2 show me all things for the sake of the Lord. And the angel said to me, Come, let us proceed. (And I proceeded) with the angel from that place about one hundred and eighty-five days’ 3 journey. And he showed me a plain and a serpent, which appeared to be two hundred plethra 4 in length. And he showed me Hades, and its appearance was dark and abominable. And I said, 5 Who is this dragon, and who is this monster around him? And the angel said, The dragon is he 6 who eats the bodies of those who spend their life wickedly, and he is nourished by them. And this is Hades, which itself also closely resembles him, in that it also drinks about a cubit from 7 the sea, which does not sink at all. Baruch said, And how does this happens? And the angel said, Hearken, the Lord God made three hundred and sixty rivers, of which the chief of 8 all are Alphias, Abyrus, and the Gericus; and because of these the sea does not sink. And I said, I pray thee show me which is the tree which led Adam astray. And the angel said to me, It is the vine, which the angel Sammael planted, whereat the Lord God was angry, and He cursed him and his plant, while also on this account He did not permit Adam to touch it, and therefore 9 the devil being envious deceived him through his vine. [And I Baruch said, Since also the vine has been the cause of such great evil, and is under judgement of the curse of God, and was the 10 destruction of the first created, how is it now so useful? And the angel said, Thou askest aright. When God caused the deluge upon earth, and destroyed all flesh, and four hundred and nine thousand giants, and the water rose fifteen cubits above the highest mountains, then the water entered into paradise and destroyed every flower; but it removed wholly without the bounds the shoot 11 of the vine and cast it outside. And when the earth appeared out of the water, and Noah came out 12 of the ark, he began to plant of the plants which he found. But he found also the shoot of the vine; and he took it, and was reasoning in himself, What then is it ? And I came and spake to 13 him the things concerning it. And he said, Shall I plant it, or what shall I do ? Since Adam was destroyed because of it, let me not also meet with the anger of God because of it. And saying 14 these things he prayed that God would reveal to him what he should do concerning it. And when he had completed the prayer which Lasted forty days, and having besought many things and wept, 15 he said: Lord, I entreat thee to reveal to me what I shall do concerning this plant. But God sent his angel Sarasael, and said to him, Arise, Noah, and plant the shoot of the vine, for thus saith the Lord: Its bitterness shall be changed into sweetness, and its curse shall become a blessing, and that which is produced from it shall become the blood of God; and as through it the human race obtained condemnation, so again through Jesus Christ the Immanuel will they receive in Him the 16 upward calling, and the entry into paradise]. Know therefore, O Baruch, that as Adam through this very tree obtained condemnation, and was divested of the glory of God, so also the men who now drink insatiably the wine which is begotten of it, transgress worse than Adam, and are far from the 17 glory of God, and are surrendering themselves to the eternal fire. For (no) good comes through it. For those who drink it to surfeit do these things: neither does a brother pity his brother, nor a father his son, nor children their parents, but from the drinking of wine come all evils, such as murders, adulteries, fornications, perjuries, thefts, and such like. And nothing good is established by it. 5 1, 2 And I Baruch said to the angel, Let me ask thee one thing, Lord. Since thou didst say to me 3 that the dragon drinks one cubit out of the sea, say to me also, how great is his belly? And the angel said, His belly is Hades; and as far as a plummet is thrown (by) three hundred men, so great is his belly. Come, then, that I may show thee also greater works than these. 6 1 And he took me and led me where the sun goes forth; and he showed me a chariot and four, under which burnt a fire, and in the chariot was sitting a man, wearing a crown of fire, (and) the chariot (was) drawn by forty angels. And behold a bird circling before the sun, about nine 3 cubits away. And I said to the angel, What is this bird? And he said to me, This is the 4, 5 guardian of the earth. And I said, Lord, how is he the guardian of the earth? Teach me. And the angel said to me, This bird flies alongside of the sun, and expanding his wings receives its fiery 6 rays. For if he were not receiving them, the human race would not be preserved, nor any other 7 living creature. But God appointed this bird thereto. And he expanded his wings, and I saw on his right wing very large letters, as large as the space of a threshing-floor, the size of about four 8 thousand modii; and the letters were of gold. And the angel said to me, Read them. And I read, 9 and they ran thus: Neither earth nor heaven bring me forth, but wings of fire bring me forth. And 10 I said, Lord, what is this bird, and what is his name? And the angel said to me, His name is called 11 Phoenix. (And I said), And what does he eat ? And he said to me, The manna of heaven and 12 the dew of earth. And I said, Does the bird excrete? And he said to me, He excretes a worm, and the excrement of the worm is cinnamon, which kings and princes use. But wait and thou shalt 13 see the glory of God. And while he was conversing with me, there was as a thunder-clap, and the place was shaken on which we were standing. And I asked the angel, My Lord, what is this sound? And the angel said to me, Even now the angels are opening the three hundred and sixty-five gates 14 of heaven, and the light is being separated from the darkness. And a voice came which said, Light 15 giver, give to the world radiance. And when I heard the noise of the bird, I said, Lord, what is this 16 noise? And he said, This is the bird who awakens from slumber the cocks upon earth. For as men do through the mouth, so also does the cock signify to those in the world, in his own speech. For the sun is made ready by the angels, and the cock crows. 7 1, 2 And I said, And where does the sun begin its labours, after the cock crows? And the angel said to me, Listen, Baruch: All things whatsoever I showed thee are in the first and second heaven, and in the third heaven the sun passes through and gives light to the world. But wait, and thou 3 shall see the glory of God. And while I was conversing with him, I saw the bird, and he appeared 4 in front, and grew less and less, and at length returned to his full size. And behind him I saw the shining sun, and the angels which draw it, and a crown upon its head, the sight of which we were 5 not able to gaze upon; and behold. And as soon as the sun shone, the Phoenix also stretched out his wings. But I, when I beheld such great glory, was brought low with great fear, and I fled and 6 hid in the wings of the angel. And the angel said to me, Fear not, Baruch, but wait and thou shalt also see their setting. 8 1 And he took me and led me towards the west; and when the time of the setting came, I saw again the bird coming before it, and as soon as he came I saw the angels, and they lifted the crown 2, 3 from its head. But the bird stood exhausted and with wings contracted. And beholding these things, I said, Lord, wherefore did they lift the crown from the head of the sun, and wherefore is 4 the bird so exhausted? And the angel said to me, The crown of the sun, when it has run through the day four angels take it, and bear it up to heaven, and renew it, because it and its rays have been defiled upon earth; moreover it is so renewed each day. And I Baruch said, Lord, and wherefore 5 are its beams defiled upon earth? And the angel said to me, Because it beholds the lawlessness and unrighteousness of men, namely fornications, adulteries, thefts, extortions, idolatries, drunkenness, murders, strife, jealousies, evil-speakings, murmurings, whisperings, divinations, and such like, which are not well-pleasing to God. On account of these things is it defiled, and therefore is it renewed. 6 But thou askest concerning the bird, how it is exhausted. Because by restraining the rays of the 7 sun through the fire and burning heat of the whole day, it is exhausted thereby. For, as we said before, unless his wings were screening the rays of the sun, no living, creature would be preserved. 9 1 And they having retired, the night also fell, and at the same time came the chariot of the 2 moon, along with the stars. And I Baruch said, Lord, show me it also, I beseech of thee, how 3 it goes forth, where it departs, and in what form it moves along. And the angel said, wait and thou shalt see it also shortly. And on the morrow I also saw it in the form of a woman, and sitting on a wheeled chariot. And there were before it oxen and lambs in the chariot, and a multitude of 4 angels in like manner. And I said, Lord, what are the oxen and the lambs? And he said to me, 5 They also are angels. And again I asked, Why is it that it at one time increases, but at another 6 time decreases? And (he said to me), Listen, O Baruch: This which thou seest had been written 7 by God beautiful as no other. And at the transgression of the first Adam, it was near to Sammael when he took the serpent as a garment. And it did not hide itself but increased, and God was 8 angry with it, and afflicted it, and shortened its days. And I said, And how does it not also shine always, but only in the night? And the angel said, Listen: as in the presence of a king, the courtiers cannot speak freely, so the moon and the stars cannot shine in the presence of the sun; for the stars are always suspended, but they are screened by the sun, and the moon, although it is uninjured, is consumed by the heat of the sun.

The Fourth Heaven 10 1 And when I had learnt all these things from the archangel, he took and led me into a fourth 2, 3 heaven. And I saw a monotonous plain, and in the middle of it a pool of water. And there were in it multitudes of birds of all kinds, but not like those here on earth. But I saw a crane as great as 4 great oxen; and all the birds were great beyond those in the world. And I asked the angel, What 5 is the plain, and what the pool, and what the multitudes of birds around it ? And the angel said, Listen, Baruch: The plain which contains in it the pool and other wonders is the place where the 6 souls of the righteous come, when they hold converse, living together in choirs. But the water is 7 that which the clouds receive, and rain upon the earth, and the fruits increase. And I said again to the angel of the Lord, But (what) are these birds? And he said to me, They are those which 8 continually sing praise to the Lord. And I said, Lord, and how do men say that the water which 9 descends in rain is from the sea? And the angel said, The water which descends in rain -this also is from the sea, and from the waters upon earth; but that which stimulates the fruits is (only) from 10 the latter source. Know therefore henceforth that from this source is what is called the dew of heaven.

The Fifth Heaven. 11 1, 2 And the angel took me and led me thence to a fifth heaven, And the gate was closed. And I said, Lord, is not this gate-way open that we may enter ? And the angel said to me, We cannot enter until Michael comes, who holds the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; but wait and thou shalt see 3 the gIory of God. And there was a great sound, as thunder. And I said, Lord, what is this sound? 4 And he said to me, Even now Michael, the commander of the angels, comes down to receive the 5 prayers of men. And behold a voice came, Let the gates be opened. And they opened them, and 6 there was a roar as of thunder. And Michael came, and the angel who was with me came face to 7 face with him and said, Hail, my commander, and that of all our order. And the commander Michael said, Hail thou also, our brother, and the interpreter of the revelations to those who pass through life 8 virtuously. And having saluted one another thus, they stood still. And I saw the commander Michael, holding an exceedingly great vessel; its depth was as great as the distance from heaven to 9 earth, and its breadth as great as the distance from north to south. And I said, Lord, what is that which Michael the archangel is holding? And he said to me, This is where the merits of the righteous enter, and such good works as they do, which are escorted before the heavenly God. 12 1 And as I was conversing with them, behold angels came bearing baskets full of flowers. And 2 they gave them to Michael. And I asked the angel, Lord, who are these, and what are the things 3 brought hither from beside them? And he said to me, These are angels (who) are over the 4, 5 righteous. And the archangel took the baskets, and cast them into the vessel. And the angel 6 said to me, These flowers are the merits of the righteous. And I saw other angels bearing baskets which were (neither) empty nor full. And they began to lament, and did not venture to draw near, 7 because they had not the prizes complete. And Michael cried and said, Come hither, also, ye 8 angels, bring what ye have brought. And Michael was exceedingly grieved, and the angel who was with me, because they did not fill the vessel. 13 1 And then came in like manner other angels weeping and bewailing, and saying with fear, Behold how we are overclouded, O Lord, for we were delivered to evil men, and we wish to depart from 2 them. And Michael said, Ye cannot depart from them, in order that .the enemy may not prevail to 3 the end; but say to me what ye ask. And they said, We pray thee, Michael our commander, transfer us from them, for we cannot abide with wicked and foolish men, for there is nothing good 4 in them, but every kind of unrighteousness and greed. For we do not behold them entering [into Church at all, nor among spiritual fathers, nor into any good work. But where there is murder,] there also are they in the midst, and where are fornications, adulteries, thefts, slanders, perjuries, jealousies, drunkenness, strife, envy, murmurings, whispering, idolatry, divination, and such like, 5 then are they workers of such works, and of others worse. Wherefore we entreat that we may depart from them. And Michael said to the angels, Wait till I learn from the Lord what shall come to pass. 14 1 And in that very hour Michael departed, and the doors were closed. And there was a sound as 2 thunder. And I asked the angel, What is the sound? And he said to me, Michael is even now presenting the merits of men to God. 15 1, 2 And in that very hour Michael descended, and the gate was opened; and he brought oil. And as for the angels which brought the baskets which were full, he filled them with oil, saying, Take it away, reward our friends an hundredfold, and those who have laboriously wrought good works. 3 For those who sowed virtuously, also reap virtuously. And he said also to those bringing the half-empty baskets, Come hither ye also; take away the reward according as ye brought, and 4 deliver it to the sons of men. [Then he said also to those who brought the full and to those who brought the half-empty baskets: Go and bless our friends, and say to them that thus saith the Lord, Ye are faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; enter into the joy of your Lord.] 16 1 And turning he said also to those who brought nothing: Thus saith the Lord, Be not sad of a 2 countenance, and weep not, nor let the sons of men alone. But since they angered me in their works, go and make them envious and angry and provoked against a people that is no people, a 3 people that has no understanding. Further, besides these, send forth the caterpillar and the unwinged locust, and the mildew, and the common locust (and) hail with lightnings and anger, and 4 punish them severely with the sword and with death, and their children with demons. For they did not hearken to my voice, nor did they observe my commandments, nor do them, but were despisers of my commandments, and insolent towards the priests who proclaimed my words to them. 17 1, 2 And while he yet spake, the door was closed, and we withdrew. And the angel took me and 3 restored me to the place where I was at the beginning. And having come to myself, I gave glory 4 to God, who counted me worthy of such honor. Wherefore do ye also, brethren, who obtained such a revelation, yourselves also glorify God, so that He also may glorify you, now and ever, and to all eternity. Amen

Second Baruch

From The Apocrypha and Pseudeipgrapha of the Old Testament by R. H. Charles, vol. II , Oxford Press

1 1 And it came to pass in the twenty-fifth year of Jeconiah, king of Judah, that the word of the Lord. 2 came to Baruch, the son of Neriah, and said to him: ‘Hast thou seen all that this people are doing to Me, that the evils which these two tribes which remained have done are greater than (those of) 3 the ten tribes which were carried away captive? For the former tribes were forced by their kings to commit sin, but these two of themselves have been forcing and compelling their kings to commit 4 sin. For this reason, behold I bring evil upon this city, and upon its inhabitants, and it shall be removed from before Me for a time, and I will scatter this people among the Gentiles that they may do good to the Gentiles. And My people shall be chastened, and the time shall come when they will seek for the prosperity of their times.

2 1 For I have said these things to thee that thou mayst bid Jeremiah, and all those that are like you, to retire from this city. 2 For your works are to this city as a firm pillar, And your prayers as a strong wall.’

3 1 And I said: ‘O Lord, my Lord, have I come into the world for this purpose that I might see the 2 evils of my mother? Not (so) my Lord. If I have found grace in Thy sight, first take my spirit 3 that I may go to my fathers and not behold the destruction of my mother. For two things vehemently constrain me: for I cannot resist Thee, and my soul, moreover, cannot behold the evils 4, 5 of my mother. But one thing I will say in Thy presence, O Lord. What, therefore, will there be after these things? for if Thou destroyest Thy city, and deliverest up Thy land to those that hate 6 us, how shall the name of Israel be again remembered? Or how shall one speak of Thy praises? 7 or to whom shall that which is in Thy law be explained? Or shall the world return to its nature (of), 8 aforetime and the age revert to primeval silence? And shall the multitude of souls be taken away, 9 and the nature of man not again be named? And where is all that which Thou didst say to Moses regarding us?’

4 1 And the Lord said unto me: ‘This city shall be delivered up for a time, And the people shall be chastened during a time, And the world will not be given over to oblivion. 2 [Dost thou think that this is that city of which I said: “On the palms of My hands have I graven 3 thee”? This building now built in your midst is not that which is revealed with Me, that which was prepared beforehand here from the time when I took counsel to make Paradise, and showed it to Adam before he sinned, but when he transgressed the commandment it was removed from him, as 4 also Paradise. And after these things I showed it to My servant Abraham by night among the portions of the victims. And again also I showed it to Moses on Mount Sinai when I showed to him 6 the likeness of the tabernacle and all its vessels. And now, behold, it is preserved with Me, as also 7 Paradise. Go. therefore, and do as I command thee.’]

5 1 And I answered and said: So then I am destined to grieve for Zion, For Thine enemies will come to this place and pollute Thy sanctuary, And lead Thine inheritance into captivity, And make themselves masters of those whom Thou hast loved. And they will depart again to the place of their idols, And will boast before them: And what wilt Thou do for Thy great name?’ 2 And the Lord said unto me: My name and My glory are unto all eternity; And My judgement shall maintain its right in its own time. 3 And thou shalt see with thine eyes That the enemy will not overthrow Zion, Nor shall they burn Jerusalem, But be the ministers of the Judge for the time. 4 But do thou go and do whatsoever I have said unto thee.’ 5 And I went and took Jeremiah, and Adu, and Seriah, and Jabish, and Gedaliah, and all the honourable men of the people, and I led them to the valley of Cedron, and I narrated to them all 6, 7 that had been said to me. And they lifted up their voice, and they all wept. And we sat there and fasted until the evening.

6 1 And it came to pass on the morrow that, lo! the army of the Chaldees surrounded the city, and at the time of the evening, I, Baruch, left the people, and I went forth and stood by the 2 oak. And I was grieving over Zion, and lamenting over the captivity which had come upon 3 the people. And lo! suddenly a strong spirit raised me, and bore me aloft over the wall of 4 Jerusalem. And I beheld, and lo! four angels standing at the four corners of the city, each of 5 them holding a torch of fire in his hands. And another angel began to descend from heaven, 6 and said unto them: ‘Hold your lamps, and do not light them till I tell you. For I am first sent to speak a word to the earth, and to place in it what the Lord the Most High has commanded me And I saw him descend into the Holy of holies, and take from thence the veil, and the holy ark, and the mercy-seat, and the two tables, and the holy raiment of the priests, and the altar of incense, and the forty-eight precious stones, wherewith the priest was adorned and all the holy 8 vessels of the tabernacle. And he spake to the earth with a loud voice: ‘Earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the mighty God, And receive what I commit to thee, And guard them until the last times, So that, when thou art ordered, thou mayst restore them, So that strangers may not get possession of them. 9 For the time comes when Jerusalem also will be delivered for a time, Until it is said, that it is again restored for ever.’ 10 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up.

7 1 And after these things I heard that angel saying unto those angels who held the lamps: Destroy, therefore, and overthrow its wall to its foundations, lest the enemy should boast and say: “We have overthrown the wall of Zion, And we have burnt the place of the mighty God.” 2 And ye have seized the place where I had been standing before.

8 1 Now the angels did as he had commanded them, and when they had broken up the corners of the walls, a voice was heard from the interior of the temple, after the wall had fallen, saying: 2 ‘Enter, ye enemies, And come, ye adversaries; For he who kept the house has forsaken (it).’ 3, 4 And I, Baruch, departed. And it came to pass after these things that the army of the Chaldees 5 entered and seized the house, and all that was around it. And they led the people away captive, and slew some of them, and bound Zedekiah the king, and sent him to the king of Babylon.

9 1 And I, Baruch, came, and Jeremiah, whose heart was found pure from sins, who had not been 2 captured in the seizure of the city. And we rent our garments, we wept, and mourned, and fasted seven days.

10 1, 2 And it came to pass after seven days, that the word of God came to me, and said unto me: ‘Tell 3 Jeremiah to go and support the captivity of the people unto Babylon, But do thou remain here amid the desolation of Zion, and I will show to thee after these days’ what will befall at the end of 4, 5 days.’ And I said to Jeremiah as the Lord commanded me. And he, indeed, departed with the people, but I, Baruch, returned and sat before the gates of the temple, and I lamented with the following lamentation over Zion and said: 6 ‘Blessed is he who was not born, Or he, who having been born, has died. 7 But as for us who live, woe unto us, Because we see the afflictions of Zion, And what has befallen Jerusalem. 8 I will call the Sirens from the sea, And ye Lilin, come ye from the desert, And ye Shedim and dragons from the forests: Awake and gird up your loins unto mourning, And take up with me the dirges, And make lamentation with me. 9 Ye husbandmen, sow not again; And, O earth, wherefore givest thou thy harvest fruits? Keep within thee the sweets of thy sustenance. 10 And thou, vine, why further dost thou give thy wine; For an offering will not again be made therefrom in Zion. Nor will the first-fruits again be offered. 11 And do ye, O heavens, withhold your dew, And open not the treasuries of rain: 12 And do thou, O sun, withhold the light of thy rays. And do thou, O moon, extinguish the multitude of thy light; For why should light rise again Where the light of Zion is darkened? 13 And you, ye bridegrooms, enter not in, And let not the brides adorn themselves with garlands And, ye women, pray not that ye may bear. 14 For the barren shall above all rejoice, And those who have no sons shall be glad, And those who have sons shall have anguish. 15 For why should they bear in pain, Only to bury in grief? 16 Or why, again, should mankind have sons? Or why should the seed of their kind again be named, Where this mother is desolate, And her sons are led into captivity? 17 From this time forward speak not of beauty, And discourse not of gracefulness. 18 Moreover, ye priests, take ye the keys of the sanctuary And cast them into the height of heaven, And give them to the Lord and say: “Guard Thy house Thyself. For lo! we are found false stewards.” 19 And you, ye virgins; who weave fine linen And silk with gold of Ophir, Take with haste all (these) things And cast (them) into the fire, That it may bear them to Him who made them, And the flame send them to Him who created them, Lest the enemy get possession of them.’

11 1 Moreover, I, Baruch, say this against thee, Babylon: If thou hadst prospered, And Zion had dwelt in her glory, Yet the grief to us had been great That thou shouldst be equal to Zion. 2 But now, lo! the grief is infinite, And the lamentation measureless, For lo! thou art prospered And Zion desolate. 3 Who will be judge regarding these things? Or to whom shall we complain regarding that which has befallen us? O Lord, how hast Thou borne (it)? 4 Our fathers went to rest without grief And lo! the righteous sleep in the earth in tranquillity; 5 For they knew not this anguish, Nor yet had they heard of that which had befallen us. 6 Would that thou hadst ears, O earth, And that thou hadst a heart, O dust. That ye might go and announce in Sheol, And say to the dead: 7 “Blessed are ye more than we who live.”

12 1 But I will say this as I think. And I will speak against thee, O land, which art prospering. 2 The noonday does not always burn. Nor do the rays of the sun constantly give light. 3 Do not expect [and hope] that thou wilt always be prosperous and rejoicing. And be not greatly up-lifted and boastful. 4 For assuredly in its own season shall the (divine) wrath awake against thee. Which now in long-suffering is held in as it were by reins. 5 And when I had said these things, I fasted seven days.

13 1 And it came to pass after these things, that I, Baruch, was standing upon Mount Zion, and lo! a voice came from the height and said 2 unto me: ‘Stand upon thy feet, Baruch, and hear the word of the mighty God.’ 3 Because thou hast been astonied at what has befallen Zion, thou shalt therefore be assuredly 4 preserved to the consummation of the times, that thou mayst be for a testimony. So that, if ever 5 those prosperous cities say: ‘Why hath the mighty God brought upon us this retribution?’ Say thou, to them, thou and those like thee who shall have seen this evil: ‘(This is the evil) and retribution which is coming upon you and upon your people in its (destined) time that the nations 6, 7 may be thoroughly smitten. And then they shall be in anguish. And if they say at that time: 8 For how long? Thou wilt say to them: Ye who have drunk the strained wine, Drink ye also of its dregs, The judgement of the Lofty One Who has no respect of persons.” 9 On this account he had aforetime no mercy on His own sons, But afflicted them as His enemies, because they sinned, 10 Then therefore were they chastened That they might be sanctified. 11 But now, ye peoples and nations, ye are guilty Because ye have always trodden down the earth, And used the creation unrighteously. 12 For I have always benefitted you. And ye have always been ungrateful for the beneficence

14 1 And I answered and said: ‘Lo! Thou hast shown me the method of the times, and that which shall be alter these things, and Thou hast said unto me, that the retribution, which has been spoken of by Thee, shall come upon 2 the nations. And now I know that those who have sinned are many, and they have lived in prosperity, and departed from the world, but that few nations will be left in those times, to whom those words shall be said which Thou didst 3 say. For what advantage is there in this, or what (evil), worse than what we have seen befall us, are we to expect to see? 4, 5 But again I will speak in Thy presence: What have they profited who had knowledge before Thee, and have not walked in vanity as the rest of the nations, and have not said to the dead: “Give 6 us life,” but always feared Thee, and have not left Thy ways? And lo! they have been carried off, 7 nor on their account hast Thou had mercy on Zion. And if others did evil, it was due to Zion, that on account of the works of those who wrought good works she should be forgiven, and 8 should not be overwhelmed on account of the works of those who wrought unrighteousness. But who, O Lord, my Lord, will comprehend Thy judgement, Or who will search out the profoundness of Thy way? Or who will think out the weight of Thy path? 9 Or who will be able to think out Thy incomprehensible counsel? Or who of those that are born has ever found The beginning or end of Thy wisdom? 10, 11 For we have all been made like a breath. For as the breath ascends involuntarily, and again dies, so it is with the nature of men, who depart not according to their own will, and know not 12 what will befall them in the end. For the righteous justly hope for the end, and without fear depart from this habitation, because they have with Thee a store of works preserved in treasuries. 13 On this account also these without fear leave this world, and trusting with joy they hope to 14 receive the world which Thou hast promised them. But as for us — woe to us, who also are 15 now shamefully entreated, and at that time look forward (only) to evils. But Thou knowest accurately what Thou hast done by means of Thy servants; for we are not able to understand 16 that which is good as Thou art, our Creator. But again I will speak in Thy presence, O LORD, 17 my Lord. When of old there was no world with its inhabitants, Thou didst devise and speak 18 with a word, and forthwith the works of creation stood before Thee. And Thou didst say that Thou wouldst make for Thy world man as the administrator of Thy works, that it might be known that he was by no means made on account of the world, but the world on account of him. 19 And now I see that as for the world which was made on account of us, lo! it abides, but we, on account of whom it was made, depart.’

15 1 And the Lord answered and said unto me: ‘Thou art rightly astonied regarding the departure of 2 man, but thou hast not judged well regarding the evils which befall those who sin. And as regards 3 what thou hast said, that the righteous are carried off and the impious are prospered, And as 4 regards what thou hast said “Man knows not Thy judgement” — On this account hear, and I will 5 speak to thee, and hearken, and I will cause thee to hear My words. Man would not rightly have understood My judgement, unless he had accepted the law, and I had instructed him in understanding. 6 But now, because he transgressed wittingly, yea, just on this ground that he wot (thereof), he shall be tormented. 7 And as regards what thou didst say touching the righteous, that on account of them has this 8 world come, so also again shall that, which is to come, come on their account. For this world is to them a strife and a labour with much trouble; and that accordingly which is to come, a crown with great glory.’

16 1 And I answered and said: ‘O LORD, my Lord, lo! the years of this time are few and evil, and who is able in his little time to acquire that which is measureless?’

17 1 And the Lord answered and said unto me: ‘With the Most High account is not taken of much time 2 nor of a few years. For what did it profit Adam that he lived nine hundred and thirty years, 3 and transgressed that which he was commanded? Therefore the multitude of time that he lived 4 did not profit him, but brought death and cut off the years of those who were born from him. Or wherein did Moses suffer loss in that he lived only one hundred and twenty years, and, inasmuch as he was subject to Him who formed him, brought the law to the seed of Jacob, and lighted a lamp for the nation of Israel?’

18 1 And I answered and said: ‘He that lighted has taken from the light, and there are but few that 2 have imitated him. But those many whom he has lighted have taken from the darkness of Adam and have not rejoiced in the light of the lamp.’

19 1 And He answered and said unto me: ‘Wherefore at that time he appointed for them a covenant and said: “Behold I have placed before you life and death,” And he called heaven and earth to witness against them. 2 For he knew that his time was but short, But that heaven and earth endure always. 3 But after his death they sinned and transgressed, Though they knew that they had the law reproving (them), And the light in which nothing could err, Also the spheres which testify, and Me. 4 Now regarding everything that is, it is I that judge, but do not thou take counsel in thy soul 5 regarding these things, nor afflict thyself because of those which have been. For now it is the consummation of time that should be considered, whether of business, or of prosperity, or of shame, 6 and not the beginning thereof. Because if a man be prospered in his beginnings and shamefully 7 entreated in his old age, he forgets all the prosperity that he had. And again, if a man is shamefully entreated in his beginnings, and at his end is prospered, he remembereth not again his evil 8 entreatment. And again hearken: though each one were prospered all that time all the time from the day on which death was decreed against those who transgress, and in his end was destroyed, in vain would have been everything.’

20 1 Therefore, behold! the days come, And the times shall hasten more than the former, And the seasons shall speed on more than those that are past, And the years shall pass more quickly than the present (years). 2 Therefore have I now taken away Zion, That I may the more speedily visit the world in its season. 3 Now therefore hold fast in thy heart everything that I command thee, And seal it in the recesses of thy mind. 4 And then I will show thee the judgement of My might, And My ways which are unsearchable. 5 Go therefore and sanctify thyself seven days, and eat no bread, nor drink water, nor speak to 6 anyone. And afterwards come to that place and I will reveal Myself to thee, and speak true things with thee, and I will give thee commandment regarding the method of the times; for they are coming and tarry not.’

21 1 And I went thence and sat in the valley of Cedron in a cave of the earth, and I sanctified my soul there, and I eat no bread, yet I was not hungry, and I drank no water, yet I thirsted not, and 2 I was there till the seventh day, as He had commanded me. And afterwards I came to that place 3 where He had spoken with me. And it came to pass at sunset that my soul took much thought, 4 and I began to speak in the presence of the Mighty One, and said: ‘O Thou that hast made the earth, hear me, that hast fixed the firmament by the word, and hast made firm the height of the heaven by the spirit, that hast called from the beginning of the world that which did not yet exist, and 5 they obey Thee. Thou that hast commanded the air by Thy nod, and hast seen those things which 6 are to be as those things which Thou art doing. Thou that rulest with great thought the hosts that stand before Thee: also the countless holy beings, which Thou didst make from the beginning, of 7 flame and fire, which stand around Thy throne Thou rulest with indignation. To Thee only 8 does this belong that Thou shouldst do forth with whatsoever Thou dost wish. Who causest the drops of rain to rain by number upon the earth, and alone knowest the consummation of the times 9 before they come; have respect unto my prayer. For Thou alone art able to sustain all who are, and those who have passed away, and those who are to be, those who sin, and those who are 10 righteous [as living (and) being past finding out]. For Thou alone dost live immortal and past 11 finding out, and knowest the number of mankind. And if in time many have sinned, yet others not a few have been righteous. 12 Thou knowest where Thou preservest the end of those who have sinned, or the consummation of 13 those who have been righteous. For if there were this life only, which belongs to all men, nothing could be more bitter than this, 14 For of what profit is strength that turns to sickness, Or fullness of food that turns to famine, Or beauty that turns to ugliness. 15, 16 For the nature of man is always changeable. For what we were formerly now we no longer are, 17 and what we now are we shall not afterwards remain. For if a consummation had not been prepared 18 for all, in vain would have been their beginning. But regarding everything that comes from Thee, do Thou inform me, and regarding everything about which I ask Thee, do Thou enlighten me. 19 How long will that which is corruptible remain, and how long will the time of mortals be prospered, and until what time will those who transgress in the world be polluted with much 20 wickedness? Command therefore in mercy and accomplish all that Thou saidst Thou wouldst 21 bring, that Thy might may be made known to those who think that Thy long-suffering is weakness. And show to those who know not, that everything that has befallen us and our city until now has been according to the long-suffering of Thy power, because on account of Thy name Thou hast called 22, 23 us a beloved people. Bring to an end therefore henceforth mortality. And reprove accordingly the angel of death, and let Thy glory appear, and let the might of Thy beauty be known, and let Sheol be sealed so that from this time forward it may not receive the dead, and let the treasuries of 24 souls restore those which are enclosed in them. For there have been many years like those that are desolate from the days of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and of all those who are like them, who 25 sleep in the earth, on whose account Thou didst say that Thou hadst created the world. And now 26 quickly show Thy glory, and do not defer what has been promised by Thee.’ And (when) I had completed the words of this prayer I was greatly weakened.

22 1 And it came to pass after these things that lo! the heavens were opened, and I saw, and 2 power was given to me, and a voice was heard from on high, and it said unto me: ‘Baruch, Baruch, 3 why art thou troubled? He who travels by a road but does not complete it, or who departs by sea 4 but does not arrive at the port, can he be comforted? Or he who promises to give a present to 5 another, but does not fulfill it, is it not robbery? Or he who sows the earth, but does not reap its 6 fruit in its season, does he not lose everything? Or he who plants a plant unless it grows till the 7 time suitable to it, does he who planted it expect to receive fruit from it? Or a woman who has 8 conceived, if she bring forth untimely, does she not assuredly slay her infant? Or he who builds a house, if he does not roof it and complete it, can it be called a house? Tell Me that first.’

23 1, And I answered and said: ‘Not so, O LORD, my Lord.’ And He answered and said unto me: Why therefore art thou troubled about that which thou knowest not, and why art thou ill at ease 3 about things in which thou art ignorant? For as thou hast not forgotten the people who now are 4 and those who have passed away, so I remember those who are appointed to come. Because when Adam sinned and death was decreed against those who should be born, then the multitude of those who should be born was numbered, and for that number a place was prepared where the living might 5 dwell and the dead might be guarded. Before therefore the number aforesaid is fulfilled, the creature will not live again [for My spirit is the creator of life], and Sheol will receive the dead. 6, 7 And again it is given to thee to hear what things are to come after these times. For truly My redemption has drawn nigh, and is not far distant as aforetime.

24 1 For behold! the days come and the books shall be opened in which are written the sins of all those who have sinned, and again also the treasuries in which the righteousness of all those who have 2 been righteous in creation is gathered. For it shall come to pass at that time that thou shalt see -and the many that are with thee -the long-suffering of the Most High, which has been throughout all generations, who has been long-suffering towards all who are born, (alike) those 3 who sin and (those who) are righteous.’ And I answered and said: ‘But, behold! O Lord, no one knows the number of those things which have passed nor yet of those things which are to come. 4 For I know indeed that which has befallen us, but what will happen to our enemies I know not, and when Thou wilt visit Thy works.’

25 1 And He answered and said unto me: ‘Thou too shalt be preserved till that time till that 2 sign which the Most High will work for the inhabitants of the earth in the end of days. This 3 therefore shall be the sign. When a stupor shall seize the inhabitants of the earth, and they 4 shall fall into many tribulations, and again when they shall fall into great torments. And it will come to pass when they say in their thoughts by reason of their much tribulation: “The Mighty One doth no longer remember the earth” yea, it will come to pass when they abandon hope, that the time will then awake.’

26 1 And I answered and said: ‘Will that tribulation which is to be continue a long time, and will that necessity embrace many years?’

27 1 And He answered and said unto me: ‘Into twelve parts is that time divided, and each one of 2 them is reserved for that which is appointed for it. In the first part there shall be the beginning 3, 4 of commotions. And in the second part (there shall be) slayings of the great ones. And in 5, 6 the third part the fall of many by death. And in the fourth part the sending of the sword. And 7 in the fifth part famine and the withholding of rain. And in the sixth part earthquakes and 8, 9 terrors. [Wanting .] And in the eighth part a multitude of spectres and attacks of the Shedim. 10, 11, 12 And in the ninth part the fall of fire. And in the tenth part rapine and much oppression, And in 13 the eleventh part wickedness and unchastity. And in the twelfth part confusion from the mingling 14 together of all those things aforesaid. For these parts of that time are reserved, and shall be 15 mingled one with another and minister one to another. For some shall leave out some of their own, and receive (in its stead) from others, and some complete their own and that of others, so that those may not understand who are upon the earth in those days that this is the consummation of the times.

28 1,2 ‘Nevertheless, whosoever understandeth shall then be wise. For the measure and reckoning of 3 that time are two parts a week of seven weeks.’ And I answered and said: ‘It is good for a man to 4 come and behold, but it is better that he should not come lest he fall. [But I will say this also: 5 Will he who is incorruptible despise those things which are corruptible, and whatever befalls in the case of those things which are corruptible, so that he might look only to those things which are not 6 corruptible?] But if, O Lord, those things shall assuredly come to pass which Thou hast foretold 7 to me, so do Thou show this also unto me if indeed I have found grace in Thy sight. Is it in one place or in one of the parts of the earth that those things are come to pass, or will the whole earth experience (them)?’

29 1 And He answered and said unto me: ‘Whatever will then befall (will befall) the whole earth; 2 therefore all who live will experience (them). For at that time I will protect only those who are 3 found in those self-same days in this land. And it shall come to pass when all is accomplished that 4 was to come to pass in those parts, that the Messiah shall then begin to be revealed. And Behemoth shall be revealed from his place and Leviathan shall ascend from the sea, those two great monsters which I created on the fifth day of creation, and shall have kept until that time; and then they shall 5 be for food for all that are left. The earth also shall yield its fruit ten thousandfold and on each (?) vine there shall be a thousand branches, and each branch shall produce a thousand clusters, and each 6 cluster produce a thousand grapes, and each grape produce a cor of wine. And those who have 7 hungered shall rejoice: moreover, also, they shall behold marvels every day. For winds shall go forth from before Me to bring every morning the fragrance of aromatic fruits, and at the close of the 8 day clouds distilling the dew of health. And it shall come to pass at that self-same time that the treasury of manna shall again descend from on high, and they will eat of it in those years, because these are they who have come to the consummation of time.

30 1 And it shall come to pass after these things, when the time of the advent of the Messiah is fulfilled, that He shall return in glory. 2 Then all who have fallen asleep in hope of Him shall rise again. And it shall come to pass at that time that the treasuries will be opened in which is preserved the number of the souls of the righteous, and they shall come forth, and a multitude of souls shall be seen together in one 3 assemblage of one thought, and the first shall rejoice and the last shall not be grieved. For they know that the time has come of which it is said, that it is the consummation of the times. 4 But the souls of the wicked, when they behold all these things, shall then waste away the more. 5 For they shall know that their torment has come and their perdition has arrived.’

31 1 And it came to pass after these things: that I went to the people and said unto them: ‘Assemble 2 unto me all your elders and I will speak words unto them.’ And they all assembled in the valley 3 of the Cedron. And I answered and said unto them: Hear, O Israel, and I will speak to thee, And give ear, O seed of Jacob, and I will instruct thee. 4 Forget not Zion, But hold in remembrance the anguish of Jerusalem. 5 For lo! the days come, When everything that is shall become the prey of corruption And be as though it had not been.

32 1 ‘But as for you, if ye prepare your hearts, so as to sow in them the fruits of the law, it shall protect 2 you in that time in which the Mighty One is to shake the whole creation. [Because after a 3 little time the building of Zion will be shaken in order that it may be built again. But that building will not remain, but will again after a time be rooted out, and will remain desolate until 4, 5 the time And afterwards it must be renewed in glory, and perfected for evermore.] Therefore we should not be distressed so much over the evil which has now come as over that which is 6 still to be. For there will be a greater trial than these two tribulations when the Mighty One will 7 renew His creation. And now do not draw near to me for a few days, nor seek me till I come to 8 you.’ And it came to pass when I had spoken to them all these words, that I, Baruch, went my way, 9 and when the people saw me setting out, they lifted up their voice and lamented and said: ‘Whither departest thou from us, Baruch, and forsakest us as a father who forsakes his orphan children, and

departs from them?

33 1 ‘Are these the commands which thy companion, Jeremiah the prophet, commanded thee, and 2 said unto thee: “Look to this people till I go and make ready the rest of the brethren in Babylon, 3 against whom has gone forth the sentence that they should be led into captivity”? And now if thou also forsakest us, it were good for us all to die before thee, and then that thou shouldst withdraw from us.’

34 And I answered and said unto the people: ‘Far be it from me to forsake you or to withdraw from you, but I will only go unto the Holy of Holies to inquire of the Mighty One concerning you and concerning Zion, if in some respect I should receive more illumination: and after these things I will return to you.’

35 1 And I, Baruch, went to the holy place, and sat down upon the ruins and wept, and said: 2 ‘O that mine eyes were springs, And mine eyelids a fount of tears. 3 For how shall I lament for Zion, And how shall I mourn for Jerusalem? 4 Because in that place where I am now prostrate, Of old the high priest offered holy sacrifices, And placed thereon an incense of fragrant odours. 5 But now our glorying has been made into dust, And the desire of our soul into sand.’

36 1, 2 And when I had said these things I fell asleep there, and I saw a vision in the night. And lo! a forest of trees planted on the plain, and lofty and rugged rocky mountains surrounded it, and that 3 forest occupied much space. And lo! over against it arose a vine, and from under it there went forth 4 a fountain peacefully. Now that fountain came to the forest and was (stirred) into great waves, and those waves submerged that forest, and suddenly they rooted out the greater part of that forest, and 5 overthrew all the mountains which were round about it. And the height of the forest began to be made low, and the top of the mountains was made low and that fountain prevailed greatly, so that it 6 left nothing of that great forest save one cedar only. Also when it had cast it down and had destroyed and rooted out the greater par t of that forest, so that nothing was left of it, nor could its place be recognized, then that vine began to come with the fountain in peace and great tranquillity, and it came to a place which was not far from that cedar, and they brought the cedar which had 7 been cast down to it. And I beheld and lo! that vine opened its mouth and spake and said to that cedar: ‘Art thou not that cedar which was left of the forest of wickedness, and by whose means 8 wickedness persisted, and was wrought all those years, and goodness never. And thou didst keep conquering that which was not thine, and to that which was thine thou didst never show compassion, and thou didst keep extending thy power over those who were far from thee, and those who drew nigh thee thou didst hold fast in the toils of thy wickedness, and thou didst uplift thyself always as 9, 10 one that could not be rooted out! But now thy time has sped and thine hour is come. Do thou also therefore depart O cedar, after the forest. which departed before thee, and become dust with it. 11 and let your ashes be mingled together, And now recline in anguish and rest in torment till thy last time come, in which thou wilt come again, and be tormented still more.’

37 And after these things I saw that cedar burning, and the vine glowing, itself and all around it, the plain full of unfading flowers. And I indeed awoke and arose.

38 1 And I prayed and said: ‘O LORD, my Lord, Thou dost always enlighten those who are led by 2, 3 understanding. Thy law is life, and Thy wisdom is right guidance. Make known to me therefore 4 the interpretation of this vision. For Thou knowest that my soul hath always walked in Thy law, and from my (earliest) days I departed not from Thy wisdom.’

39 1 And He answered and said unto me: ‘Baruch, this is the interpretation of the vision which thou 2 hast seen. As thou hast seen the great forest which lofty and rugged mountains surrounded, this is 3 the word. Behold! the days come, and this kingdom will be destroyed which once destroyed Zion, 4 and it will be subjected to that which comes after it. Moreover, that also again after a time will be destroyed, and another, a third, will arise, and that also will have dominion for its time, and will be 5 destroyed. And after these things a fourth kingdom will arise, whose power will be harsh and evil far beyond those which were before it, and it will rule many times as the forests on the plain, and it 6 will hold fast for times, and will exalt itself more than the cedars of Lebanon. And by it the truth will be hidden, and all those who are polluted with iniquity will flee to it, as evil beasts flee and 7 creep into the forest. And it will come to pass when the time of its consummation that it should fall has approached, then the principate of My Messiah will be revealed, which is like the fountain 8 and the vine, and when it is revealed it will root out the multitude of its host. And as touching that which thou hast seen, the lofty cedar, which was left of that forest, and the fact, that the vine spoke those words with it which thou didst hear, this is the word.

40 1 The last leader of that time will be left alive, when the multitude of his hosts will be put to the sword, and he will be bound, and they will take him up to Mount Zion, and My Messiah will convict 2 him of all his impieties, and will gather and set before him all the works of his hosts. And afterwards he will put him to death, and protect the rest of My people which shall be found in the place which 3 I have chosen. And his principate will stand for ever, until the world of corruption is at an end, 4 and until the times aforesaid are fulfilled. This is thy vision, and this is its interpretation.’

41 1 And I answered and said: ‘For whom and for how many shall these things be? or who will be 2 worthy to live at that time? For I will. speak before thee everything that I think, and I will ask of 3 Thee regarding those things which I meditate. For lo! I see many of Thy people who have with 4 drawn from Thy covenant, and cast from them the yoke of Thy law. But others again I have seen 5 who have forsaken their vanity, and fled for refuge beneath Thy wings. What therefore will be to 6 them? or how will the last time receive them? Or perhaps the time of these will assuredly be weighed, and as the beam inclines will they be judged accordingly?’

42 1, 2 And He answered and said unto me: ‘These things also will I show unto thee. As for what thou didst say — “To whom will these things be, and how many (will they be)?”- to those who have believed there shall be the good which was spoken of aforetime, and to those who despise there shall 3 be the contrary of these things. And as for what thou didst say regarding those who have drawn 4 near and those who have withdrawn this is the word. As for those who were before subject, and afterwards withdrew and mingled themselves with the seed of mingled peoples, the time of these was 5 the former, and was accounted as something exalted. And as for those who before knew not but afterwards knew life, and mingled (only) with the seed of the people which had separated itself the 6 time of these (is) the latter, and is accounted as something exalted. And time shall succeed to time and season to season, and one shall receive from another, and then with a view to the consummation shall everything be compared according to the measure of the times and the hours of the seasons. 7, 8 For corruption shall take those that belong to it, and life those that belong to it. And the dust shall be called, and there shall be said to it: “Give back that which is not thine, and raise up all that thou hast kept until its time.”

43 1 ‘But, do thou, Baruch, direct thy heart to that which has been said to thee, And understand those things which have been shown to thee; For there are many eternal consolations for thee. 2 For thou shalt depart from this place, And thou shalt pass from the regions which are now seen by thee, And thou shalt forget whatever is corruptible, And shalt not again recall those things which happen among mortals. 3 Go therefore and command thy people, and come to this place, and afterwards fast seven days, and then I will come to thee and speak with thee.’

44 1 And I, Baruch, went from thence, and came to my people, and I called my first-born son and [the Gedaliahs] my friends, and seven of the elders of the people, and I said unto them: Behold, I go unto my fathers According to the way of all the earth. 3 But withdraw ye not from the way of the law, But guard and admonish the people which remain; ‘Lest they withdraw from the commandments of the Mighty One, 4 For ye see that He whom we serve is just, And our Creator is no respecter of persons. 5 And see ye what hath befallen Zion, And what hath happened to Jerusalem. 6 For the judgement of the Mighty One shall (thereby) be made known, And His ways, which, though past finding out, are right. 7 For if ye endure and persevere in His fear, And do not forget His law, The times shall change over you for good. And ye shall see the consolation of Zion. 8, 9 Because whatever is now is nothing, But that which shall be is very great. For everything that is corruptible shall pass away, And everything that dies shall depart, And all the present time shall be forgotten, Nor shall there be any remembrance of the present time, which is defiled with evils. 10 For that which runs now runs unto vanity, And that which prospers shall quickly fall and be humiliated. 11 For that which is to be shall be the object of desire, And for that which comes afterwards shall we hope; For it is a time that passes not away, 12 And the hour comes which abides for ever. And the new world (comes) which does not turn to corruption those who depart to its blessedness, And has no mercy on those who depart to torment, And leads not to perdition those who live in it. 13 For these are they who shall inherit that time which has been spoken of, And theirs is the inheritance of the promised time. 14 These are they who have acquired for themselves treasures of wisdom, And with them are found stores of understanding, And from mercy have they not withdrawn, And the truth of the law have they preserved. 15 For to them shall be given the world to come, But the dwelling of the rest who are many shall be in the fire.’

45 2 ‘Do ye therefore so far as ye are able instruct the people, for that labour is ours. For if ye teach them, ye will quicken them.’

46 1 And my son and the elders of the people answered and said unto me: ‘Has the Mighty One humiliated us to such a degree As to take thee from us quickly? 2 And truly we shall be in darkness, And there shall be no light to the people who are left 3 For where again shall we seek the law, Or who will distinguish for us between death and life?’ 4 And I said unto them: ‘The throne of the Mighty One I cannot resist; Nevertheless, there shall not be wanting to Israel a wise man Nor a son of the law to the race of Jacob. 5 But only prepare ye your hearts, that ye may obey the law, And be subject to those who in fear are wise and understanding; And prepare your souls that ye may not depart from them. 6 For if ye do these things, Good tidings shall come unto you. [Which I before told you of; nor shall ye fall into the torment, of which I testified to you before.’ 7 But with regard to the word that I was to be taken I did not make (it) known to them or to my son.]

47 1 And when I had gone forth and dismissed them, I went thence and said unto them: ‘Behold! 2 I go to Hebron: for thither the Mighty One hath sent me.’ And I came to that place where the word had been spoken unto me, and I sat there, and fasted seven days.

48 1 And it came to pass after the seventh day, that I prayed before the Mighty One and said 2 ‘O my Lord, Thou summonest the advent of the times, And they stand before Thee; Thou causest the power of the ages to pass away, And they do not resist Thee; Thou arrangest the method of the seasons, And they obey Thee. 3 Thou alone knowest the duration of the generations, And Thou revealest not Thy mysteries to many. 4 Thou makest known the multitude of the fire, And Thou weighest the lightness of the wind. 5 Thou explorest the limit of the heights, And Thou scrutinizest the depths of the darkness. 6 Thou carest for the number which pass away that they may be preserved And Thou preparest an abode for those that are to be. 7 Thou rememberest the beginning which Thou hast made, And the destruction that is to be Thou forgettest not. 8 With nods of fear and indignation Thou commandest the flames, And they change into spirits, And with a word Thou quickenest that which was not, And with mighty power Thou holdest that which has not yet come. 9 Thou instructest created things in the understanding of Thee, And Thou makest wise the spheres so as to minister in their orders. 10 Armies innumerable stand before Thee And minister in their orders quietly at Thy nod. 11 Hear Thy servant And give ear to my petition. 12 For in a little time are we born, And in a little time do we return. 13 But with Thee hours are as a time, And days as generations. 14 Be not therefore wroth with man; for he is nothing 15 And take not account of our works; For what are we? For lo! by Thy gift do we come into the world, And we depart not of our own will. 16 For we said not to our parents, “Beget us,” Nor did we send to Sheol and say, “Receive us.” 17 What therefore is our strength that we should bear Thy wrath Or what are we that we should endure Thy judgement? 18 Protect us in Thy compassions, And in Thy mercy help us. 19 Behold the little ones that are subject unto Thee, And save all that draw nigh unto Thee: And destroy not the hope of our people, And cut not short ‘the times of our aid. 20 For this is the nation which Thou hast chosen, And these are the people, to whom Thou findest no equal. 21 But I will speak now before Thee, And I will say as my heart thinketh. 22 ‘In Thee do we trust, for lo! Thy law is with us, And we know that we shall not fall so long as we keep Thy statutes. 23 [To all time are we blessed at all events in this that we have not mingled with the Gentiles.] 24 For we are all one celebrated people, Who have received one law from One: And the law which is amongst us will aid us, And the surpassing wisdom which is in us will help us.’ 25, 26 And when I had prayed and said these things, I was greatly weakened. And He answered and said unto me: Thou hast prayed simply, O Baruch, And all thy words have been heard. 27 But My judgement exacts its own And My law exacts its rights.’ 28 For from thy words I will answer thee, And from thy prayer I will speak to thee. 29 For this is as follows: he that is corrupted is not at all; he has both wrought iniquity so far as he 30 could do anything, and has not remembered My goodness, nor accepted My long-suffering. Therefore 31 thou shalt surely be taken up, as I before told thee. For that time shall arise which brings affliction; for it shall come and pass by with quick vehemence, and it shall be turbulent coming in 32 the heat of indignation. And it shall come to pass in those days that all the inhabitants of the earth shall be moved one against another, because they know not that My judgement has drawn nigh. 33 For there shall not be found many wise at that time, And the intelligent shall be but a few: Moreover, even those who know shall most of all be silent. 34 And there shall be many rumours and tidings not a few, And the doings of phantasmata shall be manifest, And promises not a few be recounted. Some of them (shall prove) idle, And some of them shall be confirmed. 35 And honour shall be turned into shame, And strength humiliated into contempt, And probity destroyed, And beauty shall become ugliness. 36 And many shall say to many at that time: “Where hath the multitude of intelligence hidden itself, And whither hath the multitude of wisdom removed itself?” 37 And whilst they are meditating these things, Then envy shall arise in those who had not thought aught of themselves (?) And passion shall seize him that is peaceful, And many shall be stirred up in anger to injure many, And they shall rouse up armies in order to shed blood, And in the end they shall perish together with them. 38 And it shall come to pass at the self-same time, That a change of times shall manifestly appear to every man, Because in all those times they polluted themselves And they practised oppression, And walked every man in his own works, And remembered not the law of the Mighty One. 39 Therefore a fire shall consume their thoughts, And in flame shall the meditations of their reins be tried; For the Judge shall come and will not tarry. 40 Because each of the inhabitants of the earth knew when he was transgressing. But My Law they knew not by reason of their pride. 41 But many shall then assuredly weep, Yea, over the living more than over the dead.’ 42 And I answered and said: ‘O Adam, what hast thou done to all those who are born from thee? And what will be said to the first Eve who hearkened to the serpent? 43 For all this multitude are going to corruption, Nor is there any numbering of those whom the fire devours. 44, 45 But again I will speak in Thy presence. Thou, O LORD, my Lord, knowest what is in Thy 46 creature. For Thou didst of old command the dust to produce Adam, and Thou knowest the number of those who are born from him, and how far they have sinned before Thee, who have 47 existed and not confessed Thee as their Creator. And as regards all these their end shall convict them, and Thy law which they have transgressed shall requite them on Thy day.’ 48 [‘But now let us dismiss the wicked and inquire about the righteous. 49 And I will recount their blessedness And not be silent in celebrating their glory, which is reserved for them. 50 For assuredly as in a little time in this transitory world in which ye live, ye have endured much labour, So in that world to which there is no end, ye shall receive great light.’]

49 1 Nevertheless, I will again ask from Thee, O Mighty One, yea, I will ask mercy from Him who made all things. 2 “In what shape will those live who live in Thy day? Or how will the splendour of those who (are) after that time continue? 3 Will they then resume this form of the present, And put on these entrammelling members, Which are now involved in evils, And in which evils are consummated, Or wilt Thou perchance change these things which have been in the world

As also the world?” ‘

50 1 And He answered and said unto me: ‘Hear, Baruch, this word, And write in the remembrance of thy heart all that thou shalt learn. 2 For the earth shall then assuredly restore the dead, [Which it now receives, in order to preserve them]. It shall make no change in their form, But as it has received, so shall it restore them, And as I delivered them unto it, so also shall it raise them. 3 For then it will be necessary to show to the living that the dead have come to life again, and that 4 those who had departed have returned (again). And it shall come to pass, when they have severally recognized those whom they now know, then judgement shall grow strong, and those things which before were spoken of shall come.

51 1 And it shall come to pass, when that appointed day has gone by. that then shall the aspect of those 2 who are condemned be afterwards changed, and the glory of those who are justified. For the aspect of those who now act wickedly shall become worse than it is, as they shall suffer torment. 3 Also (as for) the glory of those who have now been justified in My law, who have had understanding in their life, and who have planted in their heart the root of wisdom, then their splendour shall be glorified in changes, and the form of their face shall be turned into the light of their beauty, that they may be able to acquire and receive the world which does not die, which is then promised to 4 them. For over this above all shall those who come then lament, that they rejected My law, and stopped 5 their ears that they might not hear wisdom or receive understanding. When therefore they see those, over whom they are now exalted, (but) who shall then be exalted and glorified more than they, they shall respectively be transformed, the latter into the splendour of angels, and the former shall yet 6 more waste away in wonder at the visions and in the beholding of the forms. For they shall first behold and afterwards depart to be tormented. 7 But those who have been saved by their works. And to whom the law has been now a hope, And understanding an expectation, And wisdom a confidence, Shall wonders appear in their time. 8 For they shall behold the world which is now invisible to them, And they shall behold the time which is now hidden from them: 9 And time shall no longer age them. 10 For in the heights of that world shall they dwell, And they shall be made like unto the angels, And be made equal to the stars, And they shall be changed into every form they desire, From beauty into loveliness, And from light into the splendour of glory. 11 For there shall be spread before them the extents of Paradise, and there shall be shown to them the beauty of the majesty of the living creatures which are beneath the throne, and all the armies of the angels, who [are now held fast by My word, lest they should appear, and] are held fast by a 12 command, that they may stand in their places till their advent comes. Moreover, there shall then be 13 excellency in the righteous surpassing that in the angels. For the first shall receive the last, those whom they were expecting, and the last those of whom they used to hear that they had passed away. 14 For they have been delivered from this world of tribulation, And laid down the burden of anguish. 15 For what then have men lost their life, And for what have those who were on the earth exchanged their soul? 16 For then they chose (not) for themselves this time, Which, beyond the reach of anguish, could not pass away: But they chose for themselves that time, Whose issues are full of lamentations and evils, And they denied the world which ages not those who come to it, And they rejected the time of glory, So that they shall not come to the honour of which I told thee before.’

52 1 And I answered and said: How can we forget those for whom woe is then reserved? 2 And why therefore do we again mourn for those who die? Or why do we weep for those who depart to Sheol? 3 Let lamentations be reserved for the beginning of that coming torment, And let tears be laid up for the advent of the destruction of that time. 4 [But even in the face of these things will I speaks 5 And as for the righteous, what will they do now? 6 Rejoice ye in the suffering which ye now suffer: For why do ye look for the decline of your enemies? 7 Make ready your soul for that which is reserved for you, And prepare your souls for the reward which is laid up for you.’]

53 1 And when I had said these things I fell asleep there, and I saw a vision, and lo! a cloud was ascending from a very great sea, and I kept gazing upon it, and lo! it was full of waters white and black, and there were many colours in those self-same waters, and as it were the likeness of great 2 lightning was seen at its summit. And I saw the cloud passing swiftly in quick courses, and it 3 covered all the earth. And it came to pass after these things that cloud began to pour 4 upon the earth the waters that were in it. And I saw that there was not one and the same likeness 5 in the waters which descended from it. For in the first beginning they were black and many for a time, and afterwards I saw that the waters became bright, but they were not many, and after these things again I saw black (waters), and after these things again bright, and again 6 black and again bright how this was done twelve times, but the black were always more numerous 7 than the bright. And it came to pass at the end of the cloud, that lo! it rained black waters, and they were darker than had been all those waters that were before, and fire was mingled 8 with them, and where those waters descended, they wrought devastation and destruction. And after these things I saw how that lightning which I had seen on the summit of the cloud, seized 9 hold of it and hurled it to the earth. Now that lightning shone exceedingly, so as to illuminate the whole earth, and it healed those regions where the last waters had descended and wrought 10, 11 devastation. And it took hold of the whole earth, and had dominion over it. And I saw after these things, and lo! twelve rivers were ascending from the sea, and they began to surround 12 that lightning and to become subject to it. And by reason of my fear I awoke.

54 1 And I besought the Mighty One, and said: Thou alone, O Lord, knowest of aforetime the deep things of the world, And the things which befall in their times Thou bringest about by Thy word, And against the works of the inhabitants of the earth Thou dost hasten the beginnings of the times, And the end of the seasons Thou alone knowest. 2 (Thou) for whom nothing is too hard, But who dost everything easily by a nod: 3 (Thou) to whom the depths come as the heights, And whose word the beginnings of the ages serve: 4 (Thou) who revealest to those who fear Thee what is prepared for them, That thenceforth they may be comforted. 5 Thou showest great acts to those who know not; Thou breakest up the enclosure of those who are ignorant, And lightest up what is dark, And revealest what is hidden to the pure, [Who in faith have submitted themselves to Thee and Thy law.] 6 Thou hast shown to Thy servant this vision; Reveal to me also its interpretation. 7 For I know that as regards those things wherein I besought Thee, I have received a response, And as regards what I besought, Thou didst reveal to me with what voice I should praise Thee, And from what members I should cause praises and hallelujahs to ascend to Thee. 8 For if my members were mouths, And the hairs of my head voices, Even so I could not give Thee the meed of praise, Nor laud thee as is befitting, Nor could I recount Thy praise, Nor tell the glory of Thy beauty. 9 For what am I amongst men, Or why am I reckoned amongst those who are more excellent than I, That I have heard all these marvelous things from the Most High, And numberless promises from Him who created me? 10 Blessed be my mother among those that bear, And praised among women be she that bare me. 11 For I will not be silent in praising the Mighty One, And with the voice of praise I will recount His marvellous deeds. 12 For who doeth like unto Thy marvellous deeds, O God, Or who comprehendeth Thy deep thought of life. 13 For with Thy counsel Thou dost govern all the creatures which Thy right hand has created, And Thou hast established every fountain of light beside Thee, And the treasures of wisdom beneath Thy throne hast Thou prepared. 14 And justly do they perish who have not loved Thy law, And the torment of judgement shall await those who have not submitted themselves to Thy power. 15 For though Adam first sinned And brought untimely death upon all, Yet of those who were born from him Each one of them has prepared for his own soul torment to come, And again each one of them has chosen for himself glories to come. 16 [For assuredly he who believeth will receive reward. 17 But now, as for you, ye wicked that now are, turn ye to destruction, because ye shall speedily be visited, in that formerly ye rejected the understanding of the Most High. 18 For His works have not taught you, Nor has the skill of His creation which is at all times persuaded you.] 19 Adam is therefore not the cause, save only of his own soul, But each of us has been the Adam of his own soul. 20 But do Thou, O Lord, expound to me regarding those things which Thou hast revealed to me, And inform me regarding that which I besought Thee. 21 For at the consummation of the world vengeance shall be taken upon those who have done wickedness according to their wickedness, And Thou wilt glorify the faithful according to their faithfulness. 22 For those who are amongst Thine own Thou rulest, And those who sin Thou blottest out from amongst Thine own.’

55 1 And it came to pass when I had finished speaking the words of this prayer, that I sat there under 2 a tree, that I might rest in the shade of the branches. And I wondered and was astonied, and pondered in my thoughts regarding the multitude of goodness which sinners who are upon the earth have rejected, and regarding the great torment which they have despised, though they knew that 3 they should be tormented because of the sin they had committed. And when I was pondering on these things and the like, lo! the angel Ramiel who presides over true visions was sent to me, and he said unto me: 4 ‘Why does thy heart trouble thee, Baruch, and why does thy thought disturb thee? 5 For if owing to the report which thou hast only heard of judgement thou art so moved, What (wilt thou be) when thou shalt see it manifestly with thine eyes? 6 And if with the expectation wherewith thou dost expect the day of the Mighty One thou art so overcome, What (wilt thou be) when thou shalt come to its advent? 7 And, if at the word of the announcement of the torment of those who have done foolishly thou art so wholly distraught, How much more when the event will reveal marvellous things? And if thou hast heard tidings of the good and evil things which are then coming and art grieved, What (wilt thou be) when thou shalt behold what the majesty will reveal, Which shall convict these and cause those to rejoice.’

56 1 Nevertheless, because thou hast besought the Most High to reveal to thee the interpretation 2 of the vision which thou hast seen, I have been sent to tell thee. And the Mighty One hath assuredly made known to thee the methods of the times that have passed, and of those that are destined to pass in His world from the beginning of its creation even unto its consummation, 3 of those things which (are) deceit and of those which (are) in truth. For as thou didst see a great cloud which ascended from the sea, and went and covered the earth, this is the duration of the world which the Mighty One made when he took counsel to make the world. 4 And it came to pass when the word had gone forth from His presence, that the duration of the world had come into being in a small degree, and was established according to the multitude of 5 the intelligence of Him who sent it. And as thou didst previously see on the summit of the cloud black waters which descended previously on the earth, this is the transgression wherewith Adam the first man transgressed. 6 For [since] when he transgressed Untimely death came into being, Grief was named And anguish was prepared, And pain was created, And trouble consummated, And disease began to be established, And Sheol kept demanding that it should be renewed in blood, And the begetting of children was brought about, And the passion of parents produced, And the greatness of humanity was humiliated, And goodness languished. 7, 8 What therefore can be blacker or darker than these things? This is the beginning of the black 9 waters which thou hast seen. And from these black (waters) again were black derived, and the 10 darkness of darkness was produced. For he became a danger to his own soul: even to the angels 11, 12 became he a danger. For, moreover, at that time when he was created, they enjoyed liberty. And 13 some of them descended, and mingled with the women. And then those who did so were tormented 14 in chains. But the rest of the multitude of the angels, of which there is (no) number, restrained 15 themselves. And those who dwelt on the earth perished together (with them) through the waters 16 of the deluge. These are the black first waters.

57 1 And after these (waters) thou didst see bright waters: this is the fount of Abraham, also his 2 generations and advent of his son, and of his son’s son, and of those like them. Because at that time the unwritten law was named amongst them, And the works of the commandments were then fulfilled, And belief in the coming judgement was then generated, And hope of the world that was to be renewed was then built up, And the promise of the life that should come hereafter was implanted. 3 These are the bright waters, which thou hast seen.

58 1 And the black third waters which thou hast seen, these are the mingling of all sins, which the nations afterwards wrought after the death of those righteous men, and the wickedness of the land of 2 Egypt, wherein they did wickedly in the service wherewith they made their sons to serve. Nevertheless, these also perished at last.

59 1 And the bright fourth waters which thou hast seen are the advent of Moses and Aaron and 2 Miriam and Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb and of all those like them. For at that time the lamp of the eternal law shone on all those who sat in darkness, which announced to them that believe the 3 promise of their reward, and to them that deny, the torment of fire which is reserved for them. But also the heavens at that time were shaken from their place, and those who were under the throne of 4 the Mighty One were perturbed, when He was taking Moses unto Himself For He showed him many admonitions together with the principles of the law and the consummation of’ the times, as also to thee, and likewise the pattern of Zion and its measures, in the pattern of which the 5 sanctuary of the present time was to be made. But then also He showed to him the measures of the fire, also the depths of the abyss, and the weight of the winds, and the number of the drops of 6 rain: And the suppression of anger, and the multitude of long-suffering, and the truth of judgement: 7, 8 And the root of wisdom, and the riches of understanding, and the fount of knowledge: And the height of the air, and the greatness of Paradise, and the consummation of the ages, and the beginning 9 of the day of judgement: And the number of the offerings, and the earths which have not yet come: 10 And the mouth of Gehenna, and the station of vengeance, and the place of faith, and the region of 11 hope: And the likeness of future torment, and the multitude of innumerable angels, and the flaming hosts, and the splendour of the lightning and the voice of the thunders, and the orders of the chiefs of the angels, and the treasuries of light, and the changes of the times, and the investigations of the 12 law. These are the bright fourth waters which thou hast seen.

60 1 ‘And the black fifth waters which thou hast seen raining are the works which the Amorites wrought, and the spells of their incantations which they wrought, and the wickedness of their 2 mysteries, and the mingling of their pollution. But even Israel was then polluted by sins in the days of the judges, though they saw many sip which were from Him who made them.

61 1 ‘And the bright sixth waters which thou didst see, this is the time in which David and Solomon were born. 2 And there was at that time the building of Zion, And the dedication of the sanctuary, And the shedding of much blood of the nations that sinned then, And many offerings which were offered then in the dedication of the sanctuary. 3 And peace and tranquillity existed at that time, 4 And wisdom was heard in the assembly: And the riches of understanding were magnified in the congregations, 5 And the holy festivals were fulfilled in blessedness and in much joy. 6 And the judgement of the rulers was then seen to be without guile, And the righteousness of the precepts of the Mighty One was accomplished with truth. 7 And the land [which] was then beloved by the Lord, And because its inhabitants sinned not, it was glorified beyond all lands, And the city Zion ruled then over all lands and regions. 8 These are the bright waters which thou hast seen.

62 1 ‘And the black seventh waters which thou bast seen, this is the perversion (brought about) by the 2 counsel of Jeroboam, who took counsel to make two calves of gold: And all the iniquities which 3 kings who were after him iniquitously wrought. And the curse of Jezebel and the worship of idols 4 which Israel practised at that time. And the withholding of rain, and the famines which occurred 5 until women eat the fruit of their wombs. And the time of their captivity which came upon the nine 6 tribes and a half, because they were in many sins. And Salmanasar king of Assyria came and led 7 them away captive. But regarding the Gentiles it were tedious to tell how they always wrought 8 impiety and wickedness, and never wrought righteousness. These are the black seventh waters which thou hast seen.

63 1 ‘And the bright eighth waters which thou hast seen, this is the rectitude and uprightness of 2 Hezekiah king of Judah and the grace (of God) which came upon him. For when Sennacherib was stirred up in order that he might perish, and his wrath troubled him in order that he might thereby 3 perish, for the multitude also of the nations which were with him . When, moreover, Hezekiah the king heard those things which the king of Assyria was devising, (i.e.) to come and seize him and destroy his people, the two and a half tribes which remained: nay, more he wished to overthrow Zion also: then Hezekiah trusted in his works, and had hope in his righteousness, and spake with 4 the Mighty One and said: “Behold, for lo! Sennacherib is prepared to destroy us, and he will be boastful and uplifted when he has destroyed Zion.” 5 And the Mighty One heard him, for Hezekiah was wise, And He had respect unto his prayer, because he was righteous. 6, 7 And thereupon the Mighty One commanded Ramiel His angel who speaks with thee. And I went forth and destroyed their multitude, the number of whose chiefs only was a hundred and 8 eighty-five thousand, and each one of them had an equal number (at his command). And at that time I burned their bodies within, but their raiment and arms I preserved outwardly, in order that the still more wonderful deeds of the Mighty One might appear, and that thereby His name might 9 be spoken of throughout the whole earth. And Zion was saved and Jerusalem delivered: Israel also 10 was freed from tribulation. And all those who were in the holy land rejoiced, and the name of the 11 Mighty One was glorified so that it was spoken of. These are the bright waters which thou hast seen.

64 1 ‘And the black ninth waters which thou hast seen, this is all the wickedness which was in the days 2 of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah. For he wrought much impiety, and he slew the righteous, and he wrested judgement. and he shed the blood of the innocent, and wedded women he violently polluted, and he overturned the altars, and destroyed their offerings, and drove forth their priests 3 lest they should minister in the sanctuary. And he made an image with five faces: four of them looked to the four winds, and the fifth on the summit of the image as an adversary of the zeal of the 4 Mighty One. And then wrath went forth from the presence of the Mighty One to the intent that 5 Zion should be rooted out, as also it befell in your days. But also against the two tribes and a half 6 went forth a decree that they should also be led away captive, as thou hast now seen. And to such a degree did the impiety of Manasseh increase, that it removed the praise of the Most High from 7 the sanctuary. On this account Manasseh was at that time named “the impious”, and finally his 8 abode was in the fire. For though his prayer was heard with the Most High, finally, when he was cast into the brazen horse and the brazen horse was melted, it served as a sign unto him for the 9 hour. For he had not lived perfectly, for he was not worthy but that thenceforward he might 10 know by whom finally he should be tormented. For he who is able to benefit is also able to torment.

65 1 Thus, moreover, did Manasseh act impiously, and thought that in his time the Mighty One would 2 not inquire into these things. These are the black ninth waters which thou hast seen.

66 1 ‘And the bright tenth waters which thou hast seen: this is the purity of the generations of Josiah king of Judah, who was the only one at the time who submitted himself to the Mighty One with all 2 his heart and with all his soul. And he cleansed the land from idols, and hallowed all the vessels which had been polluted, and restored the offerings to the altar, and raised the horn of the holy, and exalted the righteous, and honoured all that were wise in understanding, and brought back the priests to their ministry, and destroyed and removed the magicians and enchanters and necromancers from 3 the land. And not only did he slay the impious that were living, but they also took from the 4 sepulchres the bones of the dead and burned them with fire. [And the festivals and the sabbaths he established in their sanctity], and their polluted ones he burnt in the fire, and the lying prophets which deceived the people, these also he burnt in the fire, and the people who listened to them when 5 they were living, he cast them into the brook Cedron, and heaped stones upon them. And he was zealous with zeal for the Mighty One with all his soul, and he alone was firm in the law at that time, so that he left none that was uncircumcised, or that wrought impiety in all the land, all the days of 6 his life. Therefore he shall receive an eternal reward, and he shall be glorified with the Mighty One 7 beyond many at a later time. For on his account and on account of those who are like him were 8 the honourable glories, of which thou wast told before, created and prepared. These are the bright waters which thou hast seen.

67 1 ‘And the black eleventh waters which thou hast seen: this is the calamity which is now befalling Zion. 2 Dost thou think that there is no anguish to the angels in the presence of the Mighty One, That Zion was so delivered up, And that lo! the Gentiles boast in their hearts, And assemble before their idols and say, “She is trodden down who oft times trod down, And she has been reduced to servitude who reduced (others)”? 3 Dost thou think that in these things the Most High rejoices, Or that His name is glorified? 4 [But how will it serve towards His righteous judgement?] 5 Yet after these things shall the dispersed among the Gentiles be taken hold of by tribulation, And in shame shall they dwell in every place. 6 Because so far as Zion is delivered up And Jerusalem laid waste, Shall idols prosper in the cities of the Gentiles, And the vapour of the smoke of the incense of the righteousness which is by the law is extinguished in Zion, And in the region of Zion in every place lo! there is the smoke of impiety. 7 But the king of Babylon will arise who has now destroyed Zion, And he will boast over the people, And he will speak great things in his heart in the presence of the Most High. 8 But he also shall fall at last. These are the black waters.

68 1, 2 ‘ And the bright twelfth waters which thou hast seen: this is the word. For after these things a time will come when thy people shall fall into distress, so that they shall all run the risk of 3 perishing together. Nevertheless, they will be saved, and their enemies will fall in their presence. 4, 5 And they will have in (due) time much joy. And at that time after a little interval Zion will again be builded, and its offerings will again be restored, and the priests will return to their ministry, and 6, 7 also the Gentiles will come to glorify it. Nevertheless, not fully as in the beginning. But it will 8 come to pass after these things that there will be the fall of many nations. These are the bright waters which thou hast seen.

69 1 ‘For the last waters which thou hast seen which were darker than all that were before them, those 2 which were after the twelfth number, which were collected together, belong to the whole world. For 3 the Most High made division from the beginning, because He alone knows what will befall. For as to the enormities and the impieties which should be wrought before Him, He foresaw six kinds of 4 them. And of the good works of the righteous which should be accomplished before Him, He foresaw six kinds of them, beyond those which He should work at the consummation of the age. 5 On his account there were not black waters with black, nor bright with bright; for it is the consummation.

70 1 ‘Hear therefore the interpretation of the last black waters which are to come [after the black]: this 2 is the word. Behold! the days come, and it shall be when the time of the age has ripened, And the harvest of its evil and good seeds has come, That the Mighty One will bring upon the earth and its inhabitants and upon its rulers Perturbation of spirit and stupor of heart. 3 And they shall hate one another, And provoke one another to fight, And the mean shall rule over the honourable, And those of low degree shall be extolled above the famous. 4 And the many shall be delivered into the hands of the few, And those who were nothing shall rule over the strong, And the poor shall have abundance beyond the rich, And the impious shall exalt themselves above the heroic. 5 And the wise shall be silent, And the foolish shall speak, Neither shall the thought of men be then confirmed, Nor the counsel of the mighty, Nor shall the hope of those who hope be confirmed. 6 And when those things which were predicted have come to pass, Then shall confusion fall upon all men, And some of them shall fall in battle, And some of them shall perish in anguish, 7 And some of them shall be destroyed by their own. Then the Most High will reveal those peoples whom He has prepared before, And they shall come and make war with the leaders that shall then be left. 8 And it shall come to pass that whosoever gets safe out of the war shall die in the earthquake, And whosoever gets safe out of the earthquake shall be burned by the fire, And whosoever gets safe out of the fire shall be destroyed by famine. 9 [And it shall come to pass that whosoever of the victors and the vanquished gets safe out of and 10 escapes all these things aforesaid will be delivered into the hands of My servant Messiah.] For all the earth shall devour its inhabitants.

71 1 ‘And the holy land shall have mercy on its own, And it shall protect its inhabiters at that time. 2, 3 This is the vision which thou hast seen, and this is the interpretation. For I have come to tell thee these things, because thy prayer has been heard with the Most High.

72 1 ‘Hear now also regarding the bright lightning which is to come at the consummation after these 2 black (waters): this is the word. After the signs have come, of which thou wast told before, when the nations become turbulent, and the time of My Messiah is come, he shall both summon all the 3 nations, and some of them he shall spare, and some of them he shall slay. These things therefore 4 shall come upon the nations which are to be spared by Him. Every nation, which knows not Israel 5 and has not trodden down the seed of Jacob, shall indeed be spared. And this because some out of 6 every nation shall be subjected to thy people. But all those who have ruled over you, or have known you, shall be given up to the sword.

73 1 ‘And it shall come to pass, when He has brought low everything that is in the world, And has sat down in peace for the age on the throne of His kingdom, That joy shall then be revealed, And rest shall appear. 2 And then healing shall descend in dew, And disease shall withdraw, And anxiety and anguish and lamentation pass from amongst men, And gladness proceed through the whole earth. 3 And no one shall again die untimely, Nor shall any adversity suddenly befall. 4 And judgements, and revilings, and contentions, and revenges, And blood, and passions, and envy, and hatred, And whatsoever things are like these shall go into condemnation when they are removed. 5 For it is these very things which have filled this world with evils, And on account of these the life of man has been greatly troubled. 6 And wild beasts shall come from the forest and minister unto men, And asps and dragons shall come forth from their holes to submit themselves to a little child. 7 And women shall no longer then have pain when they bear, Nor shall they suffer torment when they yield the fruit of the womb.

74 1 And it shall come to pass in those days that the reapers shall not grow weary, Nor those that build be toil worn; For the works shall of themselves speedily advance Together with those who do them in much tranquillity. 2 For that time is the consummation of that which is corruptible, And the beginning of that which is not corruptible. 3 Therefore those things which were predicted shall belong to it: Therefore it is far away from evils, and near to those things which die not. 4 This is the bright lightning which came after the last dark waters.’

75 1 And I answered and said: Who can understand, O Lord, Thy goodness? For it is incomprehensible. 2 Or who can search into thy compassions, Which are infinite? 3 Or who can comprehend Thy intelligence? 4 Or who is able to recount the thoughts of Thy mind? 5 Or who of those who are born can hope to come to those things, Unless he is one to whom Thou art merciful and gracious? 6 Because, if assuredly Thou didst not have compassion on man, Those who are under Thy right hand, They could not come to those things, But those who are in the numbers named can be called. 7 But if, indeed, we who exist know wherefore we have come, And submit ourselves to Him who brought us out of Egypt, We shall come again and remember those things which have passed, And shall rejoice regarding that which has been. 8 But if now we know not wherefore we have come, And recognize not the principate of Him who brought us up out of Egypt, We shall come again and seek after those things which have been now, And be grieved with pain because of those things which have befallen.’

76 1 And He answered and said unto me: [‘Inasmuch as the revelation of this vision has been interpreted to thee as thou besoughtest], hear the word of the Most High that thou mayst know what 2 is to befall thee after these things. For thou shalt surely depart from this earth, nevertheless not 3 unto death, but thou shalt be preserved unto the consummation of the times. Go up therefore to the top of that mountain, and there shall pass before thee all the regions of that land, and the figure of the inhabited world, and the top(s) of the mountains, and the depth(s) of the valleys, and the depths of the seas, and the number of the rivers, that thou mayst see what thou art leaving, and 4 whither thou art going. Now this shall befall after forty days. Go now therefore during these days and instruct the people so far as thou art able, that they may learn so as not to die at the last time, but may learn in order that they may live at the last times.’

77 1 And I, Baruch, went thence and came to the people, and assembled them together from the 2 greatest to the least, and said unto them: ‘Hear, ye children of Israel, behold how many ye are who 3 remain of the twelve tribes of Israel. For to you and to your fathers the Lord gave a law more 4 excellent than to all peoples. And because your brethren transgressed the commandments of the Most High, He brought vengeance upon you and upon them, And He spared not the former, And the latter also He gave into captivity: And He left not a residue of them, 5 But behold! ye are here with me. 6 If, therefore, ye direct your ways aright, Ye also shall not depart as your brethren departed, But they shall come to you. 7 For He is merciful whom ye worship, And He is gracious in whom ye hope, And He is true, so that He shall do good and not evil. 8 Have ye not seen here what has befallen Zion? 9 Or do ye perchance think that the place had sinned, And that on this account it was overthrown? Or that the land had wrought foolishness, And that therefore it was delivered up? 10 And know ye not that on account of you who did sin, That which sinned not was overthrown, And, on account of those who wrought wickedly, That which wrought not foolishness was delivered up to (its) enemies?’ 11 And the whole people answered and said unto me: ‘So far as we can recall the good things which the Mighty One has done unto us, we do recall them; and those things which we do not remember 12 He in His mercy knows. Nevertheless, do this for us thy people: write also to our brethren in Babylon an epistle of doctrine and a scroll of hope, that thou mayst confirm them also before thou dost depart from us. 13 For the shepherds of Israel have perished, And the lamps which gave light are extinguished, And the fountains have withheld their stream whence we used to drink. 14 And we are left in the darkness, And amid the trees of the forest, And the thirst of the wilderness.’ 15 And I answered and said unto them: Shepherds and lamps and fountains come from the law: And though we depart, yet the law abideth. 16 If therefore ye have respect to the law, And are intent upon wisdom, A lamp will not be wanting, And a shepherd will not fail, And a fountain will not dry up. 17 Nevertheless, as ye said unto me, I will write also unto your brethren in Babylon, and I will send by means of men, and I will write in like manner to the nine tribes and a half, and send by means of 18 a bird.’ And it came to pass on the one and twentieth day in the eighth month that I, Baruch, came and sat down under the oak under the shadow of the branches, and no man was with me, but 19 I was alone. And I wrote these two epistles: one I sent by an eagle to the nine and a half tribes; 20 and the other I sent to those that were at Babylon by means of three men. And I called the eagle 21 and spake these words unto it: ‘The Most High hath made thee that thou shouldst be higher than 22 all birds. And now go and tarry not in (any) place, nor enter a nest, nor settle upon any tree, till thou hast passed over the breadth of the many waters of the river Euphrates, and hast gone to the 23 people that dwell there, and cast down to them this epistle. Remember, moreover, that, at the time of the deluge, Noah received from a dove the fruit of the olive, when he sent it forth from the ark. 24, 25 Yea, also the ravens ministered to Elijah, bearing him food, as they had been commanded. Solomon also, in the time of his kingdom, whithersoever he wished to send or seek for anything, 26 commanded a bird (to go thither), and it obeyed him as he commanded it. And now let it not weary thee, and turn not to the right hand nor the left, but fly and go by a direct way, that thou mayst preserve the command of the Mighty One, according as I said unto thee.’

78 1 These are the words of that epistle which Baruch the son of Neriah sent to the nine and a half 2 tribes, which were across the river Euphrates, in which these things were written. Thus saith Baruch 3 the son of Neriah to the brethren carried into captivity: ‘Mercy and peace.’ I bear in mind, my brethren, the love of Him who created us, who loved us from of old, and never hated us, but above 4 all educated us. And truly I know that behold all we the twelve tribes are bound by one bond, 5 inasmuch as we are born from one father. Wherefore I have been the more careful to leave you the words of this epistle before I die, that ye may be comforted regarding the evils which have come upon you, and that ye may be grieved also regarding the evil that has befallen your brethren; and again, also, that ye may justify His judgement which He has decreed against you that ye should be carried away captives for what ye have suffered is disproportioned to what ye have done in order 6 that, at the last times, ye may be found worthy of your fathers. Therefore, if ye consider that ye have now suffered those things for your good, that ye may not finally be condemned and tormented, then ye will receive eternal hope; if above all ye destroy from your heart vain error, on account of 7 which ye departed, hence. For if ye so do these things, He will continually remember you, He who always promised on our behalf to those who were more excellent than we, that He will never forget or forsake us, but with much mercy will gather together again those who were dispersed.

79 1 Now, my brethren, learn first what befell Zion: how that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came 2 up against us. For we have sinned against Him who made us, and we have not kept the commandments 3 which he commanded us, yet he hath not chastened us as we deserved. For what befell you we also suffer in a pre-eminent degree, for it befell us also.

80 1 And now, my brethren, I make known unto you that when the enemy had surrounded the city, the angels of the Most High were sent, and they overthrew the fortifications of the strong wall, and 2 they destroyed the firm iron corners, which could not be rooted out. Nevertheless, they hid all 3 the vessels of the sanctuary, lest the enemy should get possession of them. And when they had done these things, they delivered thereupon to the enemy the overthrown wall, and the plundered house, and the burnt temple, and the people who were overcome because they were delivered up, lest the enemy should boast and say: ‘Thus by force have we been able to lay waste even the house of the 4 Most High in war.’ Your brethren also have they bound and led away to Babylon, and have caused 5, 6 them to dwell there. But we have been left here, being very few. This is the tribulation about 7 which I wrote to you. For assuredly I know that (the consolation of) the inhabitants of Zion consoleth you: so far as ye knew that it was prospered (your consolation) was greater than the tribulation which ye endured in having to depart from it.

81 1, 2 But regarding consolation, hear ye the word. For I was mourning regarding Zion, and I prayed for mercy from the Most High, and I said: 3 ‘How long will these things endure for us? And will these evils come upon us always?’ 4 And the Mighty One did according to the multitude of His mercies, And the Most High according to the greatness of His compassion, And He revealed unto me the word, that I might receive consolation, And He showed me visions that I should not again endure anguish, And He made known to me the mystery of the times. And the advent of the hours he showed me.

82 1 Therefore, my brethren, I have written to you, that ye may comfort yourselves regarding the 2 multitude of your tribulations. For know ye that our Maker will assuredly avenge us on all our enemies, according to all that they have done to us, also that the consummation which the Most High will make is very nigh, and His mercy that is coming, and the consummation of His judgement is by no means far off. 3 For lo! we see now the multitude of the prosperity of the Gentiles, Though they act impiously, But they shall be like a vapour: 4 And we behold the multitude of their power, Though they do wickedly, But they shall be made like unto a drop: 5 And we see the firmness of their might. Though they resist the Mighty One every hour, But they shall be accounted as spittle. 6 And we consider the glory of their greatness, Though they do not keep the statutes of the Most High, But as smoke shall they pass away. 7 And we meditate on the beauty of theirs gracefulness, Though they have to do with pollutions, But as grass that withers shall they fade away. 8 And we consider the strength of their cruelty, Though they remember not the end (thereof), But as a wave that passes shall they be broken. 9 And we remark the boastfulness of their might, Though they deny the beneficence of God, who gave (it) to them, But they shall pass away as a passing cloud.

83 1 [For the Most High will assuredly hasten His times, And He will assuredly bring on His hours. 2 And He will assuredly judge those who are in His world, And will visit in truth all things by means of all their hidden works. 3 And He will assuredly examine the secret thoughts, And that which is laid up in the secret chambers of all the members of man. And will make (them) manifest in the presence of all with reproof. 4 Let none therefore of these present things ascend into your hearts, but above all let us be expectant, 5 because that which is promised to us shall come. And let us not now look unto the delights 6 of the Gentiles in the present, but let us remember what has been promised to us in the end. For the ends of the times and of the seasons and whatsoever is with them shall assuredly pass by 7 together. The consummation, moreover, of the age shall then show the great might of its ruler, 8 when all things come to judgement. Do ye therefore prepare your hearts for that which before ye believed, lest ye come to be in bondage in both worlds, so that ye be led away captive here and be 9 tormented there. For that which exists now or which has passed away, or which is to come, in all these things, neither is the evil fully evil, nor again the good fully good. 10 For all healthinesses of this time are turning into diseases, 11 And all might of this time is turning into weakness, And all the force of this time is turning into impotence, 12 And every energy of youth is turning into old age and consummation. And every beauty of gracefulness of this time is turning faded and hateful, 13 And every proud dominion of the present is turning into humiliation and shame, 14 And every praise of the glory of this time is turning into the shame of silence, And every vain splendour and insolence of this time is turning into voiceless ruin. 15 And every delight and joy of this time is turning to worms and corruption, 16 And every clamour of the pride of this time is turning into dust and stillness. 17 And every possession of riches of this time is being turned into Sheol alone, 18 And all the rapine of passion of this time is turning into involuntary death, And every passion of the lusts of this time is turning into a judgement of torment. 19 And every artifice and craftiness of this time is turning into a proof of the truth, 20 And every sweetness of unguents of this time is turning into judgement and condemnation, 21 And every love of lying is turning to contumely through truth. 22 Since therefore all these things are done now, does anyone think that they will not be avenged; But the consummation of all things will come to the truth.]

84 1 Behold! I have therefore made known unto you (these things) whilst I live: for I have said (it) that ye should learn the things that are excellent; for the Mighty One hath commanded me to instruct you: and I will set before you some of the commandments of His judgement before I die. 2 Remember that formerly Moses assuredly called heaven and earth to witness against you and said: 3 ‘If ye transgress the law ye shall be dispersed, but if ye keep it ye shall be kept.’ And other 4 things also he used to say unto you when ye the twelve tribes were together in the desert. And after his death ye cast them away from you: on this account there came upon you what had been 5 predicted. And now Moses used to tell you before they befell you, and lo! they have befallen you: 6 for ye have forsaken the law. Lo! I also say unto you after ye have suffered, that if ye obey those things which have been said unto you, ye will receive from the Mighty One whatever has been laid 7 up and reserved for you. Moreover, let this epistle be for a testimony between me and you, that ye may remember the commandments of the Mighty One, and that also there may be to me a defence 8 in the presence of Him who sent me. And remember ye the law and Zion, and the holy land and 9 your brethren, and the covenant of your fathers, and forget not the festivals and the sabbaths. And deliver ye this epistle and the traditions of the law to your sons after you, as also your fathers 10 delivered (them) to you. And at all times make request perseveringly and pray diligently with your whole heart that the Mighty One may be reconciled to you, and that He may not reckon the 11 multitude of your sins, but remember the rectitude of your fathers. For if He judge us not according to the multitude of His mercies, woe unto all us who are born.

85 1 [Know ye, moreover, that In former times and in the generations of old our fathers had helpers, Righteous men and holy prophets: 2 Nay more, we were in our own land [And they helped us when we sinned], And they interceded for us with Him who made us, [Because they trusted in their works], And the Mighty One heard their prayer and forgave us. 3 But now the righteous have been gathered And the prophets have fallen asleep, And we also have gone forth from the land, And Zion has been taken from us, And we have nothing now save the Mighty One and His law. 4 If therefore we direct and dispose our hearts, We shall receive everything that we lost, And much better things than we lost by many times. 5 For what we have lost was subject to corruption, And what we shall receive shall not be corruptible. 6 [Moreover, also, I have written thus to our brethren to Babylon, that to them also I may attest these very things.] 7 And let all those things aforesaid be always before your eyes, Because we are still in the spirit and the power of our liberty. 8 Again, moreover, the Most High also is long-suffering towards us here, And He hath shown to us that which is to be, And hath not concealed from us what will befall in the end. 9 Before therefore judgement exact its own, And truth that which is its due, Let us prepare our soul That we may possess, and not be taken possession of, And that we may hope and not be put to shame, And that we may rest with our fathers, and not be tormented with our enemies. 10 For the youth of the world is past, And the strength of the creation already exhausted, And the advent of the times is very short, Yea, they have passed by; And the pitcher is near to the cistern, And the ship to the port, And the course of the journey to the city, And life to (its) consummation. 11 And again prepare your souls, so that when ye sail and ascend from the ship ye may have rest 12 and not be condemned when ye depart. For lo! when the Most High will bring to pass all these things, There shall not there be again [a place of repentance, nor] a limit to the times, Nor a duration for the hours, Nor a change of ways, Nor place for prayer, Nor sending of petitions, Nor receiving of knowledge, Nor giving of love, Nor place of repentance for the soul, Nor supplication for offences, Nor intercession of the fathers, Nor prayer of the prophets, Nor help of the righteous. 13 There there is the sentence of corruption, The way of fire, And the path which bringeth to Gehenna. 14 On this account there is one law by one, One age and an end for all who are in it. 15 Then He will preserve those whom He can forgive, And at the same time destroy those who are polluted with sins.]

86 1, 2 When therefore ye receive this my epistle, read it in your congregations with care. And meditate 3 thereon, above all on the days of your fasts. And bear me in mind by means of this epistle, as I also bear you in mind in it, and always. Fare ye well.

87 1 And it came to pass when I had ended all the words of this epistle, and had written it sedulously to its close, that I folded it, and sealed it carefully, and bound it to the neck of the eagle, and dismissed and sent it.

Aristobulus

Aristobulus was a 2nd c., BC, Jewish philosopher whose works are lost. A few quotations survive in Eusebius, which are given here. The passages from the Praeparation Evangelica were translated by E.H. Gifford (1903), and originally prepared for the web by Roger Pearse . The passage from Ecclesiastical History is taken from the CCEL edition of The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. I have also referenced A. Y. Collins’ translation in James Charlesworth, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 2, pp. 831-842. Generally, the paragraph breaks are hers.

Eusebius, Praeparation Evangelica 8: 9.38-10.17

(9.38) But it is time to hear what Aristobulus, who had partaken of Aristotle’s philosophy in addition to that of his own country, declared concerning the passages in the Sacred Books which are currently understood to refer to limbs of God’s body. This is that very man who is mentioned in the beginning of the Second Book of Maccabees [2 Mac 1:10] and in his writing addressed to King Ptolemy he too explains this principle.

(10.1) When, however, we had said enough in answer to the questions put before us, you also, O king, did further demand, why by our law there are intimations given of hands, and arm, and face, and feet, and walking, in the case of the Divine Power: which things shall receive a becoming explanation, and will not at all contradict the opinions which we have previously expressed. (2) But I would entreat you to take the interpretations in a natural way, and to hold fast the fitting conception of God, and not to fall off into the idea of a fabulous anthropomorphic constitution. (3) For our lawgiver Moses, when he wishes to express his meaning in various ways, announces certain arrangements of nature and preparations for mighty deeds, by adopting phrases applicable to other things, I mean to things outward and visible. (4) Those therefore who have a good understanding admire his wisdom, and the divine inspiration in consequence of which he has been proclaimed a prophet; among whom are the aforesaid philosophers and many others, including poets, who have borrowed important suggestions from him, and are admired accordingly.(5) But to those who are devoid of power and intelligence, and only cling close to the letter, he does not appear to explain any grand idea. (6) I shall begin then to interpret each particular signification, as far as I may be able. But if I shall fail to hit upon the truth, and to persuade you, do not impute the inconsistency to the Lawgiver, but to my want of ability to distinguish clearly the thoughts in his mind. (7) First then the word “hands” evidently has, even in our own case, a more general meaning. For when you as a king send out forces, wishing to accomplish some purpose, we say, The king has a mighty hand, and the hearers’ thoughts are carried to the power which you possess. (8) Now this is what Moses also signifies in our Law, when he speaks thus : “God brought thee forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand”;9 and again: “I will put forth My hand,” saith God, “and will smite the Egyptians.” 10 Again in the account of the death of the cattle Moses says to Pharaoh : “Behold, the hand of the Lord shall be upon thy cattle, and upon all that are in the fields a great death.” 11 So that the “hands” are understood of the power of God: for indeed it is easy to perceive that the whole strength of men and their active powers are in their hands. (9) Wherefore our Lawgiver, in saying that the effects are God’s hands, has made the word a beautiful metaphor of majesty.

The constitution too of the world may well be called for its majesty God’s standing; (10) for God is over all, and all things are subject unto Him, and have received from Him their station, so that men may comprehend that they are immovable. Now my meaning is like this, that heaven has never become earth, and earth heaven, nor the sun become the shining moon, nor again the moon become the sun, nor rivers seas, nor seas rivers. (11) And again in the case of living beings there is the same principle. For man will never be beast, nor beast man. In the case of all the rest too the same rule exists, of plants and all other things: they are not interchangeable, but are subject to the same changes in themselves, and to decay. (12) In these ways then God may rightly be spoken of as standing, since all things are set under Him.

It is said too in the book of the Law that there was a descent of God upon the mountain, at the time when He was giving the Law, in order that all might behold the operation of God: for this is a manifest descent; and so any one wishing to guard safely the doctrine of God would interpret these circumstances as follows. (13) It is declared that the mountain burned with fire, as the Lawgiver says, because God had descended upon it, and that there were the voices of trumpets, and the fire blazing so that none could withstand it. (14) For while the whole multitude, not less than a thousand thousands, besides those of unfit age, were assembled around the mount, the circuit of it being not less than five days’ journey, in every part of the view around them all as they were encamped the fire was seen blazing. (15) So that the descent was not local; for God is everywhere. But whereas the power of fire is beyond all things marvellous because it consumes everything, he could not have shown it blazing irresistibly, yet consuming nothing, unless there were the efficacy given to it from God. (16) For though the places were all ablaze, the fire did not actually consume any of the things which grew upon that mountain: but the herbage of all remained untouched by fire, and the voices of trumpets were loudly heard together with the lightning-like flashing of the fire, though there were no such instruments present nor any that sounded them, but all things were done by divine arrangement. (17) So that it is plain that the divine descent took place for these reasons, that the spectators might have a manifest comprehension of the several circumstances, that neither the fire which, as I said before, burnt nothing, nor the voices of the trumpets were produced by human action or a supply of instruments, but that God without any aid was exhibiting His own all-pervading majesty.

Thus far Aristobulus.

Eusebius, Praeparation Evangelica 13: 12.1-16

And I will quote first the words of the Hebrew philosopher Aristobulus, which are as follows:

(12:1) IT is evident that Plato closely followed our legislation, and has carefully studied the several precepts contained in it. For others before Demetrius Phalereus, and prior to the supremacy of Alexander and the Persians, have translated both the narrative of the exodus of the Hebrews our fellow countrymen from Egypt, and the fame of all that had happened to them, and the conquest of the land, and the exposition of the whole Law; so that it is manifest that many things have been borrowed by the aforesaid philosopher, for he is very learned: as also Pythagoras transferred many of our precepts and inserted them in his own system of doctrines. (2) But the entire translation of all the contents of our law was made in the time of the king surnamed Philadelphus, thy ancestor, who brought greater zeal to the work, which was managed by Demetrius Phalereus.

(9) Then, after interposing some remarks, he further says:

For we must understand the voice of God not as words spoken, but as construction of works, just as Moses in the Law has spoken of the whole creation of the world as words of God. For he constantly says of each work, “And God said, and it was so.” (4) Now it seems to me that he has been very carefully followed in all by Pythagoras, and Socrates, and Plato, who said that they heard the voice of God, when they were contemplating the arrangement of the universe so accurately made and indissolubly combined by God. Moreover, Orpheus, in verses taken from his writings in the Sacred Legend, thus sets forth the doctrine that all things are governed by divine power, and that they have had a beginning, and that God is over all. And this is what he says:

I speak to those who lawfully may hear:
Depart, and close the doors, all ye profane,
Who hate the ordinances of the just,
The law divine announced to all mankind.
But thou, Musaeus, child of the bright Moon,
Lend me thine ear; for I have truths to tell.
Let not the former fancies of thy mind
Amerce thee of the dear and blessed life.
Look to the word divine, keep close to that,
And guide thereby the deep thoughts of thine heart.
Walk wisely in the way, and look to none,
Save to the immortal Framer of the world:
For thus of Him an ancient story speaks:
One, perfect in Himself, all else by Him
Made perfect: ever present in His works,
By mortal eyes unseen, by mind alone Discerned.
It is not He that out of good
Makes evil to spring up for mortal men.
Both love and hatred wait upon His steps,
And war and pestilence, and sorrow and tears:
For there is none but He.    All other things
‘Twere easy to behold, could’st thou but first
Behold Himself here present upon earth.
The footsteps and the mighty hand of God
Whene’er I see, I’ll show them thee, my son:
But Him I cannot see, so dense a cloud
In tenfold darkness wraps our feeble sight.
Him in His power no mortal could behold,
Save one, a scion of Chaldaean race:
For he was skilled to mark the sun’s bright path,
And how in even circle round the earth
The starry sphere on its own axis turns,
And winds their chariot guide o’er sea and sky;
And showed where fire’s bright flame its strength displayed.
But God Himself, high above heaven unmoved,
Sits on His golden throne, and plants His feet
On the broad earth; His right hand He extends
O’er Ocean’s farthest bound;  the eternal hills
Tremble in their deep heart, nor can endure
His mighty power.    And still above the heavens
Alone He sits, and governs all on earth,
Himself first cause, and means, and end of all.
So men of old, so tells the Nile-born sage,
Taught by the twofold tablet of God’s law;
Nor otherwise dare I of Him to speak:
In heart and limbs I tremble at the thought,
How He from heaven all things in order rules.
Draw near in thought, my son; but guard thy tongue
With care, and store this doctrine in thine heart.

(6) Aratus also speaks of the same subject thus:

From Zeus begin the song, nor ever leave
His name unsung, whose godhead fills all streets,
All thronging marts of men, the boundless sea
And all its ports: whose aid all mortals need;
For we his offspring are; and kindly he
Reveals to man good omens of success,
Stirs him to labour by the hope of food,
Tells when the land best suits the grazing ox,
Or when the plough; when favouring seasons bid
Plant the young tree, and sow the various seed.

(7) It is clearly shown, I think, that all things are pervaded by the power of God: and this I have properly represented by taking away the name of Zeus which runs through the poems; for it is to God that their thought is sent up, and for that reason I have so expressed it. These quotations, therefore, which I have brought forward are not inappropriate to the questions before us. (8) For all the philosophers agree, that we ought to hold pious opinions concerning God, and to this especially our system gives excellent exhortation; and the whole constitution of our law is arranged with reference to piety, and justice, and temperance, and all things else that are truly good.

(9) To this, after an interval, he adds what follows:

With this it is closely connected, that God the Creator of the whole world, has also given us the seventh day as a rest, because for all men life is full of troubles: which day indeed might naturally be called the first birth of light, whereby all things are beheld. (10) The same thought might also be metaphorically applied in the case of wisdom, for from it all light proceeds. And it has been said by some who were of the Peripatetic School that wisdom is in place of a beacon-light, for by following it constantly men will be rendered free from trouble through their whole life. (11) But more clearly and more beautifully one of our forefathers, Solomon, said that it has existed before heaven and earth; which indeed agrees with what has been said above.But what is clearly stated by the Law, that God rested on the seventh day, means not, as some suppose, that God henceforth ceases to do anything, but it refers to the fact that, after He has brought the arrangement of His works to completion, He has arranged them thus for all time. (12) For it points out that in six days He made the heaven and the earth and all things that are therein, to distinguish the times, and predict the order in which one thing comes before another: for after arranging their order, He keeps them so, and makes no change. He has also plainly declared that the seventh day is ordained for us by the Law, to be a sign of that which is our seventh faculty, namely reason, whereby we have knowledge of things human and divine. (13) Also the whole world of living creatures, and of all plants that grow, revolves in sevens. And its name “Sabbath” is interpreted as meaning “rest.” Homer also and Hesiod declare, what they have borrowed from our books, that it is a holy day; Hesiod in the following words:

The first, the fourth, the seventh a holy day.

And again he says:

And on the seventh again the sun shines bright.

(14) Homer too speaks as follows:

And soon the seventh returned, a holy day.

And again:

It was the seventh day, and all was done.

Again:

And on the seventh dawn the baleful stream
Of Acheron we left.

(15) By which he means, that after the soul’s forgetfulness and vice have been left, the things it chose before are abandoned on the true seventh which is reason, and we receive the knowledge of truth, as we have said before.Linus too speaks thus:

All things are finished on the seventh dawn.

And again:

Good is the seventh day, and seventh birth.

And:

Among the prime, and perfect is the seventh.

And:

Seven orbs created in the starlit sky Shine in their courses through revolving years.

Such then are the statements of Aristobulus.

Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 7: 32.16-18

(16) And this is not an opinion of our own; but it was known to the Jews of old, even before Christ, and was carefully observed by them. This may be learned from what is said by Philo, Josephus, and Musזus; and not only by them, but also by those yet more ancient, the two Agathobuli, surnamed ‘Masters,’ and the famous Aristobulus, who was chosen among the seventy interpreters of the sacred and divine Hebrew Scriptures by Ptolemy Philadelphus and his father, and who also dedicated his exegetical books on the law of Moses to the same kings. (17) These writers, explaining questions in regard to the Exodus, say that all alike should sacrifice the passover offerings after the vernal equinox, in the middle of the first month. But this occurs while the sun is passing through the first segment of the solar, or as some of them have styled it, the zodiacal circle.

Aristobulus adds that it is necessary for the feast of the passover, that not only the sun should pass through the equinoctial segment, but the moon also. (18) For as there are two equinoctial segments, the vernal and the autumnal, directly opposite each other, and as the day of the passover was appointed on the fourteenth of the month, beginning with the evening, the moon will hold a position diametrically opposite the sun, as may be seen in full moons; and the sun will be in the segment of the vernal equinox, and of necessity the moon in that of the autumnal.

Artapanus

Artapanus (3rd-2nd c., BC) wrote Concerning the Jews which is lost. It was quoted by Alexander Polyhistor, also lost. Alexander was quoted by Eusebius in Praeparatio Evangelica 9, and by Clement in Stromata 1.23.154. The latter is parallel to one of the Eusebius passages given here. The translation is E.H. Gifford (1903), originally prepared for the web by Roger Pearse. See also J.J. Collins’ edition in James Charlesworth, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 2, pp. 889-903, on whom I am dependent for paragraph breaks and citations.
It is worth noting that where the first passage cites a Jewish History, the other two refer to Concerning the Jews. These may be separate works, but I think Collins is right in suggesting that they are likely to be the same work.

Eusebius, Praeparation Evangelica 9: 18.1

[(17.1) And with this agrees also Alexander Polyhistor, …in his compilation, Concerning the Jews…]

(18.1)Artabanus, in his Jewish History, says that the Jews were called Ermiuth, which when interpreted after the Greek language means Judaeans, and that they were called Hebrews from Abraham. And he, they say, came with all his household into Egypt, to Pharethothes the king of the Egyptians, and taught him astrology; and after remaining there twenty years, removed back again into the regions of Syria: but that many of those who had come with him remained in Egypt because of the prosperity of the country.

Eusebius, Praeparation Evangelica 9: 23.1-4

To this let us add what comes next concerning Joseph out of the same work of Polyhistor:

(1) Artapanus says, in his book Concerning the Jews, that Joseph was a descendant of Abraham and son of Jacob: and because he surpassed his brethren in understanding and wisdom, they plotted against him. But he became aware of their conspiracy, and besought the neighbouring Arabs to convey him across to Egypt: and they did what he requested; for the kings of the Arabians are offshoots of Israel, being sons of Abraham, and brethren of Isaac. (2) And when he had come to Egypt and been commended to the king, he was made administrator of the whole country. And whereas the Egyptians previously occupied the laud in an irregular way, because the country was not divided, and the weaker were unjustly treated by the stronger, he was the first to divide the land, and mark it out with boundaries, and much that lay waste he rendered fit for tillage, and allotted certain of the arable lands to the priests. (3) He was also the inventor of measures, and for these things he was greatly beloved by the Egyptians. He married Aseneth a daughter of the priest of Heliopolis, by whom he begat sons. And afterwards his father and his brethren came to him, bringing much substance, and were set to dwell in Heliopolis and Sais, and the Syrians multiplied in Egypt. (4) These he says built both the temple in Athos and that in Ileliopolis, and were called Ermiuth. Soon afterwards Joseph died, as did also the king of Egypt.

So Joseph while governor of Egypt stored up the corn of the seven years, which had been immensely productive, and became master of Egypt.

Eusebius, Praeparation Evangelica 9: 27.1-37

[(26.1) And concerning Moses the same author [Alexander Polyhistor] again brings forward many things, which are worth hearing:…]

(27.1) And Artapanus says, in his book Concerning the Jews, that after the death of Abraham, and of his son Mempsasthenoth, and likewise of the king of Egypt, his son Palmanothes succeeded to the sovereignty. (2) This king behaved badly to the Jews; and first he built Kessa, and founded the temple therein, and then built the temple in Heliopolis. (3) He begat a daughter Merris, whom he betrothed to a certain Chenephres, king of the regions above Memphis (for there were at that time many kings in Egypt); and she being barren took a supposititious child from one of the Jews, and called him Mouses (Moses): but by the Greeks he was called, when grown to manhood, Musaeus. (4) And this Moses, they said, was the teacher of Orpheus; and when grown up he taught mankind many useful things. For he was the inventor of ships, and machines for laying stones, and Egyptian arms, and engines for drawing water and for war, and invented philosophy. Further he divided the State into thirty-six Nomes, and. appointed the god to be worshipped by each Nome, and the sacred writing for the priests, and their gods were cats, and dogs, and ibises: he also apportioned an especial district for the priests. (5) All these things he did for the sake of keeping the sovereignty firm and safe for Chenepbres. For previously the multitudes, being under no order, now expelled and now set up kings, often the same persons, but sometimes others. (6) For these reasons then Moses was beloved by the multitudes, and being deemed by the priests worthy to be honoured like a god, was named Hermes, because of his interpretation of the Hieroglyphics.

(7) But when Chenephres perceived the excellence of Moses he envied him, and sought to slay him on some plausible pretext. And so when the Aethiopians invaded Egypt, Chenephres supposed that he had found a convenient opportunity, and sent Moses in command of a force against them, and enrolled the body of husbandmen for him, supposing that through the weakness of his troops he would easily be destroyed by the enemy. (8) But Moses with about a hundred thousand of the husbandmen came to the so-called Nome of Hermopolis, and there encamped; and sent generals to pre-occupy the country, who gained remarkable successes in their battles. He adds that the people of Heliopolis say that this war went on for ten years. (9) So Moses, because of the greatness of his army, built a city in this place, and therein consecrated the ibis, because this bird kills the animals that are noxious to man. And he called it Hermes city. (10) Thus then the Aethiopians, though they were enemies, became so fond of Moses, that they even learned from him the custom of circumcision: and not they only, but also all the priests.

(11) But when the war was ended, Chenephres pretended to welcome him, while in reality continuing to plot against him. So he took his troops from him, and sent some to the frontiers of Aethiopia for an advanced guard; and ordered others to demolish the temple in Diospolis which had been built of baked brick, and build another of stone from the quarries of the neighbouring mountain, and appointed Nacheros superintendent of the building. (12) And when he was come with Moses to Memphis, he asked him whether there was anything else useful for mankind, and he said the breed of oxen, because by means of them the land is ploughed: and Chenephres having given the name Apis to a bull, commanded the troops to found a temple for him, and bade them bring and bury there the animals which had been consecrated by Moses, because he wished to bury the inventions of Moses in oblivion. (13) But when the Egyptians were alienated from him, he bound his friends by an oath not to report to Moses the plot which was being contrived against him, and he appointed the men who were to kill him. (14) When however no one would obey him, Chenephres reproached Chanethothes, whom he had especially addressed; and he, on being thus reproached, promised to make the attempt when he found an opportunity. (15) And Merris having died about this time, Chenephres professed to give the body to Moses and Chanethothes to carry it over into regions beyond Egypt and bury it, supposing that Moses would be slain by Chanethothes. (16) But while they were on the way, one of those who were cognizant of the plot reported it to Moses; and he being on his guard buried Merris himself, and called the river and the city thereby Meroe. And this Merris is honoured by the people of the country not less highly than Isis.

(17) Then Aaron the brother of Moses, having learned about the plot, advised his brother to flee into Arabia; and he took the advice, and sailed across the Nile from Memphis, intending to escape into Arabia. (18) But when Chanethothes was informed of the flight of Moses, he lay in ambush intending to kill him; and when he saw him coming, he drew his sword against him, but Moses was too quick for him, and seized his hand, and drew his sword and slew Chanethothes. (19) So he made his escape into Arabia, and lived with Raguel the ruler of the district, having married his daughter. And Raguel wished to make an expedition against the Egyptians in order to restore Moses, and procure the government for his daughter and son-in-law; but Moses prevented it, out of regard for his own nation: and Raguel forbidding him to march against the Arabs, ordered him to plunder Egypt. (20) About the same time Chenephres died, having been the very first person attacked by elephantiasis; and he is said to have incurred this misfortune because he ordered the Jews to wear linen garments and not to wear woollen clothing, in order that they might be conspicuous, and be punished by him. (21) But Moses prayed to God now at last to put an end to the sufferings of the tribes. And God being propitiated, fire, it is said, suddenly blazed up out of the earth, and went on burning though there was no wood nor any other fuel in the place. And Moses was frightened at the occurrence and took to flight; but a divine voice spake to him, to march against Egypt, and rescue the Jews and lead them into their old country.

(22) So he took courage and determined to lead a hostile force against the Egyptians: but first he came to his brother Aaron. And when the king of Egypt heard of the arrival of Moses, he called him before him, and asked what he had come for: and he said, Because the Lord of the world commanded him to deliver the Jews. (23) And when the king heard this, he shut him up in prison. But when it was night, all the doors of the prison-house opened of their own accord, and of the guards some died, and some were sunk in sleep, and their weapons broken in pieces. (24) So Moses passed out and came to the palace; and finding the doors opened he went in, and the guards here also being sunk in sleep he woke up the king. And he being dismayed at what had happened bade Moses tell him the name of the God who sent him, scoffing at him: (25) but Moses bent down and whispered in his ear, and when the king heard it he fell speechless, but was held fast by Moses and came to life again. (26) And he wrote the name in a tablet and sealed it up; and one of the priests who made light of what was written in the tablet was seized with a convulsion and died.

(27) Also the king told him to work some sign for him, and Moses threw down the rod which he held and turned it into a serpent; and when they were all frightened, he seized it by the tail and took it up, and made it a rod again. (28) Then he went forth a little, and smote the Nile with the rod, and the river became flooded and deluged the whole of Egypt, and it was from that time its inundation began: and the water became stagnant, and stank, and killed all living things in the river, and the people were perishing of thirst. (29) But when these wonders had been wrought, the king said that after a month he would let the people go, if Moses would restore the river to its proper state; and he smote the water again with his rod, and checked the stream. (30) When this was done, the king summoned the priests from above Memphis, and said that he would kill them all, and demolish the temples, unless they also would work some wonder. And then they by some witchcraft and incantations made a serpent, and changed the colour of the river. (31) And the king, being puffed up with pride at what was done, began to maltreat the Jews with every kind of vengeance and punishment. Then Moses, seeing this, both wrought other signs, and also smote the earth with his rod, and brought up a kind of winged animal to harass the Egyptians, and all their bodies broke out in boils. And as the physicians were unable to heal the sufferers, the Jews thus again gained relief. (32) Again Moses by his rod brought up frogs, and besides them locusts and lice. And for this reason the Egyptians dedicate the rod in every temple, and to Isis likewise, because the earth is Isis, and sent up these wonders when smitten by the rod. (33) But as the king still persisted in his folly, Moses caused hail and earthquakes by night, so that those who fled from the earthquake were killed by the hail, and those who sought shelter from the hail were destroyed by the earthquakes. And at that time all the houses fell in, and most of the temples. (34) At last after having incurred such calamities the king let the Jews go: and they, after borrowing from the Egyptians many drinking-vessels, and no little raiment, and very much other treasure, crossed the rivers on the Arabian side, and after traversing a wide space came on the third day to the Red Sea. (35) Now the people of Memphis say, that Moses being acquainted with the country waited for the ebb, and took the people across the sea when dry. But the people of Heliopolis say, that the king hastened after them with a great force, having also with him the consecrated animals, because the Jews were carrying off the property which they had borrowed from the Egyptians. (36) There came, however, to Moses a divine voice bidding him to smite the sea with the rod [and that it should divide]: and when Moses heard it, he touched the water with the rod, and so the stream divided, and the force passed over by a dry path. (37) But when the Egyptians went in with them and were pursuing them, a fire, it is said, shone out upon them from the front, and the sea overflowed the path again, and the Egyptians were all destroyed by the fire and the flood: but the Jews having escaped this danger spent forty years in the wilderness, God raining down meal for them like millet, similar in colour to snow. And Moses they say was tall and ruddy, with long white hair, and dignified: and he performed these deeds when he was about eighty-nine years old.

The Anti-Marcionite Prologues

[Translated by Roger Pearse]

Mark

… Mark recorded, who was called Colobodactylus ¹, because he had fingers that were too small for the height of the rest of his body. He himself was the interpreter of Peter. After the death of Peter himself, the same man wrote this gospel in the parts of Italy.

Luke

Indeed Luke was an Antiochene Syrian, a doctor by profession, a disciple of the apostles: later however he followed Paul until his martyrdom, serving the Lord blamelessly. He never had a wife, he never fathered children, and died at the age of eighty-four, full of the Holy Spirit, in Boetia. Therefore — although gospels had already been written —- indeed by Matthew in Judaea but by Mark in Italy —- moved by the Holy Spirit he wrote down this gospel in the parts of Achaia, signifying in the preface that the others were written before his, but also that it was of the greatest importance for him to expound with the greatest diligence the whole series of events in his narration for the Greek believers, so that they would not be led astray by the lure of Jewish fables, or, seduced by the fables of the heretics and stupid solicitations, fall away from the truth. And so at once at the start he took up the extremely necessary [story] from the birth of John, who is the beginning of the gospel, the forerunner of our Lord Jesus Christ, and was a companion in the perfecting of the people, likewise in the introducing of baptism and a companion in martyrdom. Of this disposition the prophet Malachi, one of the twelve, certainly makes mention. And indeed afterwards the same Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Later the apostle John wrote the Apocalypse on the island of Patmos, and then the Gospel in Asia.

John

The Gospel of John was revealed and given to the churches by John while still in the body, just as Papias of Hieropolis, the close disciple of John, related in the exoterics, that is, in the last five books. Indeed he wrote down the gospel, while John was dictating carefully. But the heretic Marcion, after being condemned by him because he was teaching ² the opposite to him [John], was expelled by John. But he [Marcion] had brought writings or letters to him [John] from the brothers which were in Pontus.

The translation was made from the text published by De Bruyne in Revue Bénédictine 40 (1928), p.193ff.

1. The nickname means “stumpy finger.”

2. Lit. sentiebat: he was thinking.

Fragments from the Lost Writings of Justin Martyr

OTHER FRAGMENTS FROM THE LOST WRITINGS OF JUSTIN

THE most admirable Justin rightly declared that the aforesaid demons resembled robbers. — TATIAN’S Address to the Greeks, chap. xviii.

II.

And Justin well said in his book against Marcion, that he would not have believed the Lord Himself, if He had announced any other God than the Fashioner and Maker [of the world], and our Nourisher. But since, from the one God, who both made this world and formed us and contains as tell as administers all things, there came to us the only-begotten Son, summing up His own workmanship in Himself, my faith in Him is stedfast, and my love towards the Father is immoveable, God bestowing both upon us. — IRENAEUS: Heresies, iv. 6.

III.

Justin well said: Before the advent of the Lord, Satan never ventured to blaspheme God, inasmuch as he was not yet sure of his own damnation, since that was announced concerning him by the prophets only in parables and allegories. But after the advent of the Lord learning plainly from the discourses of Christ and His apostles that eternal fire was prepared for him who voluntarily departed from God and for all who, without repentance, persevere in apostasy, then, by means of a man of this sort, he, as if already condemned, blasphemes that God who inflicts judgment upon him, and imputes the sin of his apostasy to his Maker, instead of to his own will and predilection. — IRENAEUS: Heresies, v.

Expounding the reason of the incessant plotting of the devil against us, he declares: Before the advent of the Lord, the devil did not so plainly know the measure of his own punishment, inasmuch as the divine prophets had but enigmatically announced it; as, for instance, Isaiah, who in the person of the Assyrian tragically revealed the course to be followed against the devil. But when the Lord appeared, and the devil clearly understood that eternal fire was laid up and prepared for him and his angels, he then began to plot without ceasing against the faithful, being desirous to have many companions in his apostasy, that he might not by himself endure the shame of condemnation, comforting himself by this cold and malicious consolation. — From the writings of JOHN OF ANTIOCH.

And Justin of Neapolis, a man who was not far separated from the apostles either in age or excellence, says that that which is mortal is inherited, but that which is immortal inherits; and that the flesh indeed dies, but the kingdom of heaven lives. — From METHODIUS On the Resurrection, in Photius.

VI.

Neither is there straitness with God, nor anything that is not absolutely perfect. — From manuscript of the writings of JUSTIN.

VII.

We shall not injure God by remaining ignorant of Him, but shall deprive ourselves of His friendship.

VIII.

The unskilfulness of the teacher proves destructive to his disciples, and the carelessness of the disciples entails danger on the teacher, and especially should they owe their negligence to his want of knowledge.

IX.

The soul can with difficulty be recalled to those good things from which it has fallen, and is with difficulty dragged away from those evils to which it has become accustomed. If at any time thou showest a disposition to blame thyself, then perhaps, through the medicine of repentance, I should cherish good hopes regarding thee. But when thou altogether despisest fear, and rejectest with scorn the very faith of Christ, it were better for thee that thou hadst never been born from the womb. — From the writings of JOHN OF DAMASCUS.

By the two birds Christ is denoted, both dead as man, and living as God. He is likened to a bird, because He is understood and declared to be from above, and from heaven. And the living bird, having been dipped in the blood of the dead one, was afterwards let go. For the living and divine Word was in the crucified and dead temple [of the body], as being a partaker of the passion, and yet impossible to God.

By that which took place in the running water, in which the wood and the hyssop and the scarlet were dipped, is set forth the bloody passion of Christ on the cross for the salvation of those who are sprinkled with the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. Wherefore the material for purification was not provided chiefly with reference to leprosy, but with regard to the forgiveness of sins, that both leprosy might be understood to be an emblem of sin, and the things which were sacrificed an emblem of Him who was to be sacrificed for sins.

For this reason, consequently, he ordered that the scarlet should be dipped at the same time in the water, thus predicting that the flesh should no longer possess its natural [evil] properties. For this reason, also, were there the two birds, the one being sacrificed in the water, and the other dipped both in the blood and in the water and then sent away, just as is narrated also respecting the goats.

The goat that was sent away presented a type of Him who taketh away the sins of men. But the two contained a representation of the one economy of God incarnate. For He was wounded for our transgressions, and He bare the sins of many, and He was delivered for our iniquities. — From manuscript of writings of JUSTIN.

XI.

When God formed man at the beginning, He suspended the things of nature on his will, and made an experiment by means of one commandment. For He ordained that, if he kept this, he should partake of immortal existence; but if he transgressed it, the contrary should be his lot. Man having been thus made, and immediately looking towards transgression, naturally became subject to corruption. Corruption then becoming inherent in nature, it was necessary that He who wished to save should be one who destroyed the efficient cause of corruption. And this could not otherwise be done than by the life which is according to nature being united to that which had received the corruption, and so destroying the corruption, while preserving as immortal for the future that which had received it. It was therefore necessary that the Word should become possessed of a body, that He might deliver us from the death of natural corruption. For if, as ye say, He had simply by a nod warded off death from us, death indeed would not have approached us on account of the expression of His will; but none the less would we again have become corruptible, inasmuch as we carried about in ourselves that natural corruption. — LEONTIUS against Eutychians, etc., book ii.

XII.

As it is inherent in all bodies formed by God to have a shadow, so it is fitting that God, who is just, should render to those who choose what is good, and to those who prefer what is evil, to every one according to his deserts. — From the writings of JOHN OF DAMASCUS.

XIII.

He speaks not of the Gentiles in foreign lands, but concerning [the people] who agree with the Gentiles, according to that which is spoken by Jeremiah: “It is a bitter thing for thee, that thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord thy God, that of old thou hast broken thy yoke, and torn asunder thy bands, and said, I will not serve Thee, but will go to every high hill, and underneath every tree, and there shall I become dissolute in my fornication.” — From manuscript of the writings of JUSTIN.

XIV.

Neither shall light ever be darkness as long as light exists, nor shall the truth of the things pertaining to us be controverted. For truth is that than which nothing is more powerful. Every one who might speak the truth, and speaks it not, shall be judged by God. — Manuscript and works of JOHN OF DAMASCUS.

XV.

And the fact that it was not said of the seventh day equally with the other days, “And there was evening, and there was morning,” is a distinct indication of the consummation which is to take place in it before it is finished, as the fathers declare, especially St. Clement, and Irenaeus, and Justin the martyr and philosopher, who, commenting with exceeding wisdom on the number six of the sixth day, affirms that the intelligent soul of man and his five susceptible senses were the six works of the sixth day. Whence also, having discoursed at length on the number six, he declares that all things which have been framed by God are divided into six classes, — viz., into things intelligent and immortal, such as are the angels; into things reasonable and mortal, such as mankind; into things sensitive and irrational, such as cattle, and birds, and fishes; into things that can advance, and move, and are insensible, such as the winds, and the clouds, and the waters, and the stars; into things which increase and are immoveable, such as the trees; and into things which are insensible and immoveable, such as the mountains, the earth, and such like. For all the creatures of God, in heaven and on earth, fall under one or other of these divisions, and are circumscribed by them. — From the writings of ANASTASIUS.

XVI.

Sound doctrine does not enter into the hard and disobedient heart; but, as if beaten back, enters anew into itself.

XVII.

As the good of the body is health, so the good of the soul is knowledge, which is indeed a kind of health of soul, by which a likeness to God is attained. — From the writings of JOHN OF DAMASCUS.

XVIII.

To yield and give way to our passions is the lowest slavery, even as to rule over them is the only liberty.

The greatest of all good is to be free from sin, the next is to be justified; but he must be reckoned the most unfortunate of men, who, while living unrighteously, remains for a long time unpunished.

Animals in harness cannot but be carried over a precipice by the inexperience and badness of their driver, even as by his skilfulness and excellence they will be saved.

The end contemplated by a philosopher is likeness to God, so far as that is possible. — From the writings of ANTONIUS MELISSA.

XIX.

[The words] of St. Justin, philosopher and martyr, from the fifth part of his Apology: I reckon prosperity, O men, to consist in nothing else than in living according to truth. But we do not live properly, or according to truth, unless we understand the nature of things.

It escapes them apparently, that he who has by a true faith come forth from error to the truth, has truly known himself, not, as they say, as being in a state of frenzy, but as free from the unstable and (as to every variety of error) changeable corruption, by the simple and ever identical truth. — From the writings of JOHN OF DAMASCUS.

Joseph of Arimathea and Aseneth

Chapter 1

1 It came to pass in the first year of the seven years of plenty, in the second month, that Pharaoh sent out Joseph to go round the whole land of Egypt.
2 And Joseph came, in the fourth month of the first year, on the eighteenth day of the month, into the district of Heliopolis.
3 And he was collecting all the corn of that land, as the sand of the sea.
4 Now there was in that city a man, a satrap of Pharaoh; and this man was the chief of all Pharaoh’s satraps and lords.
5 And he was very rich, and wise, and generous, and he was Pharaoh’s counsellor, and his name was Pentephres; and he was the priest of Heliopolis (of On)
6 And Pentephres had a virgin daughter of about eighteen years of age, tall and beautiful and graceful, more beautiful than any other virgin in the land.
7 And she was quite unlike the daughters of the Egyptians, but in every respect like the daughters of the Hebrews.
8 And she was as tall as Sarah, and as beautiful as Rebecca, and as fair as Rachel; and this virgin’s name was Aseneth.
9 And the fame of her beauty spread through all that land, even to its remotest corners; and all the sons of the lords and of the satraps and of the kings sought her hand in marriage, young men all of them.
10 And there was great rivalry between them because of her, and they began to fight among themselves because of Aseneth.
11 And Pharaoh’s eldest son heard about her, and he begged his father to give her to him as his wife.
12 And he said to him, “Give me Aseneth the daughter of Pentephres the priest of Heliopolis as my wife.” And his father Pharaoh said to him, “Why should you want a wife of lower station than yourself?
13 Are you not king of all the earth?
14 No! See now, the daughter of King Joakim is betrothed to you, and she is a queen and very beautiful indeed: take her as your wife.”
Chapter 2
1 Now Aseneth despised all men and regarded them with contempt; yet no man had ever seen her, for Pentephres had a tower in his house, and it was large and very high.

2 And the top storey had ten rooms in it.
3 The first room was large and pleasant; and it was paved with purple stones, and its walls were faced with precious stones of different kinds.
4 And the ceiling of that room was of gold; and within it were ranged the innumerable gods of the Egyptians, in gold and silver.
5 And Aseneth worshipped all these; and she feared them and offered sacrifices to them.
6 The second room contained all the finery for Aseneth’s adornment and treasure chests
7 And there was much gold in it, and silver, and garments woven with gold, and precious stones of great price, and fine linens.
8 And all her girlish ornaments were there.
9 The third room contained all the good things of the earth; and it was Aseneth’s store-house.
10 And seven virgins had the remaining seven rooms, one each.
11 And they used to wait on Aseneth, and were of the same age as she was, for they were all born on the same night as Aseneth; and they were very beautiful, like the stars of heaven, and no man or boy had ever had anything to do with them.
12 And Aseneth’s large room, where she spent her time, had three windows.
13 One window looked out over the courtyard to the east: the second looked to the north, onto the street; and the third to the south.
14 And a golden bed stood in the room, facing the east.
15 And the bed had a coverlet of purple woven with gold, embroidered with blue, and fine linen.
16 In this bed Aseneth used to sleep alone, and no man or woman ever sat upon it, except Aseneth only
17 And there was a great court all round the house, and a wall round the court, very high and built of great rectangular stones.
18 And there were four gates to the court, overlaid with iron; and eighteen strong young men-at-arms used to guard each one of them.
19 And along the wall inside the court every kind of beautiful tree that produces fruit had been planted; and the fruit on every one of them was ripe, for it was harvest time
20 And on the right of the court there was an ever-bubbling spring of water, and beneath the spring a great cistern that received the water from the spring and out of which a river flowed through the middle of the court and watered all the trees in it.

Chapter 3

1 And it came to pass in the fourth month, on the eighteenth day of the month, that Joseph came into the district of Heliopolis.
2 And as he approached the city, Joseph sent twelve men in front of him to Pentephres, the priest of Heliopolis, saying, May I be your guest to-day, for it is near noon and time for a mid-day meal?
3 The sun’s heat is overpowering, and I would enjoy some refreshment under your roof.
4 When Pentephres heard this, he was overjoyed and said,
5 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Joseph.” And Pentephres called his steward and said to him,
6 “Make haste and get my house into order, and prepare a great feast, because Joseph, the mighty man of God, is coming to us to-day.
7 And Aseneth heard that her father and mother had come back from their family estate in the country.
8 And she rejoiced and said, I will go and see my father and my mother for they have come back from their family estate in the country.
9 And Aseneth hurried and put on a fine linen robe of blue woven with gold and a golden girdle round her waist, and she put bracelets round her hands and feet, and she put on golden trousers and a necklace round her neck.
10 And there were precious stones all about her, with the names of Egyptian gods inscribed on them everywhere, on the bracelets and on the stones; and the names of the idols were stamped on the stones.
11 And she put a tiara on her head and bound a diadem round her temples and covered her head with a veil.

Chapter 4

1 And she hurried and came down by the staircase from her storey at the top; and she came to her father and mother and greeted them.
2 And it gave Pentephres and his wife great joy to see their daughter Aseneth adorned as the bride of God
3 And they took out all the good things they had brought from their estate in the country, and they gave them to their daughter.
4 And Aseneth rejoiced at the good things, and at the fruit, the grapes and the dates, and at the doves and at the pomegranates and the figs, for they were all delightful.
5 And Pentephres said to his daughter Aseneth, “My child”: she said, “Lo, here I am, my lord.”
6 And he said to her, “Sit down, please, between us: I want to talk to you.” And Aseneth sat down between her father and her mother.
7 And her father Pentephres took her right hand n his right hand and said to her, “My child”; and Aseneth said, “What is it, father?”
8 And Pentephres said to her, “See, Joseph, the mighty man of God, is coming to us to-day, and he is ruler of all the land of Egypt, for Pharaoh has appointed him ruler of all our land; and he is the distributor of corn throughout the country and is to save it from the famine that is come upon it.
9 And Joseph is a man that worships God: he is discriminating, and a virgin (as you are to-day), and a man of great wisdom and knowledge, and the spirit of God is upon him, and the grace of the Lord is with him.
10 So come, my child, and I will give you to him as his wife: you shall be his bride, and he shall be your bridegroom for ever.”
11 And when Aseneth heard what her father said, a great red sweat came over her, and she was furious and looked sideways at her father.
12 And she said, “Why should my lord and my father speak like this and talk as if he would hand me over like a prisoner to a man of another race, a man who was a fugitive and was sold as a slave?
13 Is this not the shepherd’s son from the land of Canaan, and he was abandoned by him?
14 Is not this the man who had intercourse with his mistress, and his master threw him into prison where he lay in darkness, and Pharaoh brought him out of prison, because he interpreted his dream?
15 No! I will marry the eldest son of the king, for he is king of all the earth.”
16 On hearing this, Pentephres thought it wiser to say no more to his daughter about Joseph, for she had answered him arrogantly and in anger.
Chapter 5
1 And behold, one of the young men from Pentephres’s retinue burst in and said,
2 “Lo Joseph is at the gates of our court.” And Aseneth quickly left her father and her mother and ran upstairs and went into her room and stood at the big window that looked towards the east, so as to see Joseph as he came into her father’s house.
3 And Pentephres and his wife and all his relations went out to meet Joseph.
4 And the gates of the court that looked east were opened, and Joseph came in, sitting in Pharaoh’s viceroy’s chariot.
5 And there were four horses yoked together, white as snow, with golden reins; and the chariot was covered over with gold.
6 And Joseph was wearing a marvellous white tunic, and the robe wrapped around him was purple, made of linen woven with gold: there was a golden crown on his head, and all round the crown were twelve precious stones, and above the stones twelve golden rays; and a royal sceptre was in his right hand.

7 And he held an olive branch stretched out, and there was much fruit on it.
8 And Joseph came into the court, and the gates were shut.
9 And strangers, whether men or women, remained outside, because the gate-keepers had shut the doors.
10 And Pentephres came, and his wife, and all his relatives, except their daughter Aseneth; and they made obeisance to Joseph with their faces to the ground.
11 And Joseph got down from his chariot and extended his right hand to them.
Chapter 6
1 And Aseneth saw Joseph and she was cut to the quick, her stomach turned over, her knees became limp, and her whole body trembled.
2 And she was much afraid and cried out and said, “Where shall I go, and where can I hide myself from him? And how will Joseph, the son of God, regard me, for I have spoken evil of him?
3 Where can I flee and hide myself, for he sees everything, and no secret is safe with him, because of the great light that is in him?
4 And now may Joseph’s God be propitious to me because I spoke evil in ignorance.
5 What can I hope for, wretch that I am? Have I not spoken, saying, Joseph is coming, the shepherd’s son from the land of Canaan? And now, behold the sun is come to us from heaven in his chariot and has come into our house to-day.
6 But I was foolish and reckless to despise him, and I spoke evil of him and did not know that Joseph is the son of God.
7 For who among men will ever father such beauty, and what mother will ever bear such a light? Wretch that I am and foolish, for I spoke evil of him to my father.
8 Now let my father give me to Joseph as a maidservant and a slave, and I will serve him for ever.”
Chapter 7
1 And Joseph came into Pentephres’s house and sat down on a seat; and he washed his feet, and he placed a table in front of him separately, because he would not eat with the Egyptians, for this was an abomination to him.
2 And Joseph spoke to Pentephres and all his relations, saying, “Who is that woman standing in the solar by the window? Tell her to go away.”
3 This was because Joseph was afraid she too might solicit him; for all the wives and daughters of the lords and satraps of all the land of Egypt use to solicit him to lie with him.
4 And many of the wives and daughters of the Egyptians suffered much, after seeing Joseph, because he was so handsome; and they would send emissaries to him with gold and silver and valuable gifts.
5 And Joseph would reject them out of hand, saying, I will not sin before the God of Israel.
6 And Joseph kept his father Jacob’s face before his eyes continually, and he remembered his father’s commandments; for Jacob used to say to Joseph and his brothers, “Be on your guard, my children, against the strange woman, and have nothing to do with her, for she is ruin and destruction.
7 That is why Joseph said, “Tell that woman to go away.”
8 And Pentephres said to him, “My lord, the woman you have seen in the storey at the top is no stranger: she is our daughter, a virgin, who detests men; and no other man has ever seen her, apart from you today.

9 And if you wish it, she shall come and speak with you; for our daughter is your sister.
10 And Joseph was overjoyed because Pentephres said, “She is a virgin who detests men.”
11 And Joseph answered Pentephres and his wife and said, “If she is your daughter, then let her come, for she is my sister, and I will regard her as my sister from to-day.”

Chapter 8
1 And Aseneth’s mother went up to the top storey and brought Aseneth down to Joseph; and Pentephres said to his daughter Aseneth, “Greet your brother, for he too is a virgin as you are to-day, and he detests all strange women just as you detest strange men.”

2 And Aseneth said to Joseph, “May you have joy, my lord, blessed as you are of God Most High”; and Joseph said to her, “May God, who has given all things life, bless you.”

3 And Pentephres said to Aseneth, “Come near and kiss your brother.”
4 And when she came near to kiss Joseph, Joseph stretched his right hand out, and laid it against her breast, and said,
5 “It is not right for a man who worships God, who with his mouth blesses the living God, and eats the blessed bread of life, and drinks the blessed cup of immortality, and is anointed with the blessed unction of incorruption, to kiss a strange woman, who with her mouth blesses dead and dumb idols, and eats of their table the bread of anguish, and drinks of their libations the cup of treachery, and is anointed with the unction of destruction
6 A man who worships God will kiss his mother and his sister that is of his own tribe and kin, and the wife that shares his couch, who with their mouths bless the living God.
7 So too it is not right for a woman who worships God to kiss a strange man, because this is an abomination in God’s eyes.”

8 And when Aseneth heard what Joseph said, she was most distressed and cried out aloud; and she fixed her gaze on Joseph, and her eyes were filled with tears.
9 And Joseph saw her and his heart went out to her — for Joseph was tender-hearted and compassionate and feared the Lord.
10 And he lifted up his right hand above her head and said,

“O Lord, the God of my father Israel, the Most High, the Mighty One,
Who didst quicken all things, and didst call them from darkness into light.
And from error into truth, and from death into life;
Do thou, O Lord, thyself quicken and bless this virgin,

11 And renew her by thy spirit, and remould her by thy secret hand,
And quicken her with thy life.
And may she eat the bread of thy life,
And may she drink the cup of thy blessing,
She whom thou didst choose before she was begotten,
And may she enter into thy rest, which thou has prepared for thine elect.”

Chapter 9
1 And Aseneth was filled with joy at Joseph’s blessing, and she went up in haste to her storey at the top and fell on her couch exhausted, because she felt not only happy, but also disturbed and very frightened; and she had been bathed in perspiration from the moment she heard Joseph speaking to her in the name of God Most High.
2 And she wept bitterly, and she repented of her gods she used to worship; and she waited for evening to come.
3 And Joseph ate and drank; and he said to his servants, “Yoke the horses to the chariot” (for he said, “I must depart and go round the whole city and the district”).
4 And Pentephres said to Joseph, “Stay the night here, my lord and to-morrow go your way.”
5 And Joseph said, “No! I must be going now, for this is the day when God began his works: in eight days time I will come back again and stay the night here with you.”
Chapter 10

1 Then Pentephres and his relations went away to their estate.
2 And Aseneth was left alone with the virgins, and she was listless and wept until sunset: she ate no bread and drank no water; and while all slept she alone was awake.
3 And she opened the door and went down to the gate; and she found the portress asleep with her children.
4 And Aseneth quickly took down the leather curtain from the door, and she filled it with ashes and carried it up to the top storey and laid it on the floor.
5 And she secured the door and fastened it with the iron bar from the side; and she groaned aloud and wept.
6 And the virgin that Aseneth loved most of all the virgins heard her mistress groaning, and she roused the other virgins and came and found the door shut.
7 And she listened to Aseneth groaning and weeping and said, “Why are you so sorrowful my lady? What is it that its troubling you?
8 Open the door for us, so that we can see you.” And Aseneth said to them from inside (shut in as she was, “I have a violent headache and am resting on my bed; and I have no strength left to open to you now, for I am utterly exhausted; but go each of you to her room.”
9 And Aseneth got up and opened her door quietly, and went into her second room, where her treasure-chests and the finery for her adornment were, and she opened her wardrobe and took out a black and sombre tunic.
10 (And this was her mourning tunic, which she had worn for mourning when her eldest brother died)
11 And Aseneth took off her royal robe and put on the black one, and she untied her golden girdle and tied a rope around her waist instead, and she took her tiara off her head and the diadem, and the bracelets from her hands.
12 And she took her best robe, just as it was, and threw it out of the window, for the poor.
13 And she took all her innumerable gold and silver gods and broke them up into little pieces, and threw them out of the window for the poor and needy.
14 And Aseneth took her royal dinner, even the fatted beasts and the fish and the meat, and all the sacrifices of her gods, and the wine-vessels for their libations; and she threw them all out of the window as food for the dogs.
15 And after this she took the ashes and poured them out on the floor.
16 And she took sackcloth and wrapped it round her waist, and she removed the fillet from her hair and sprinkled herself with ashes; and she fell down upon the ashes.
17 And she beat her breast repeatedly with her two hands and wept bitterly and groaned all night until the morning.
18 And in the morning Aseneth got up and looked and lo, the ashes underneath her were like mud because of her tears.
19 And again, Aseneth fell down on her face upon the ashes until sunset.
20 And so Aseneth did for seven days; and she tasted neither food nor drink.
Chapter 11

1 And it came to pass on the eighth day that Aseneth looked up from the floor where she was lying (for she was losing the use of her limbs as a result of her great affliction).

Chapter 12

1 And she stretched her hands out towards the east, and her eyes looked up to heaven, and she said,
2 “O Lord, God of the ages, that didst give to all the breath of life,
That didst bring into the light the things unseen,
That hast made all things and made visible what was invisible,
3 That hast raised up the heaven and founded the earth upon the waters,
That hast fixed the great stones upon the abyss of water
Which shall not be submerged,
But to the end they do thy will.
4 O Lord, my God, to thee will I cry: hear my supplication;
And unto thee will I make confession of my sins,
And unto thee will I reveal my transgressions of thy law.
5 I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned:
I have transgressed thy law and acted impiously,
And I have spoken things evil before thee.
My mouth, O Lord, has been defiled by things offered to idols,
And by the table of the gods of the Egyptians.
6 I have sinned, O Lord, before thee; I have sinned and acted impiously,
Worshiping idols deaf and dumb,
And I am not worthy to open my mouth unto thee, wretch that I am.
7 I have sinned, O Lord, before thee,
I, the daughter of Pentephres the priest,
the haughty and arrogant Aseneth.
To thee, O Lord, I present my supplication, and unto thee will I cry:
Deliver me from my persecutors, for unto thee have I fled,
Like a child to his father and his mother.
8 And do thou, O Lord, stretch forth thy hands over me,
As a father that loves his children and is tenderly affectionate,
And snatch me from the hand of my enemy.
9 For lo, the wild primeval Lion pursues me;
And his children are the gods of the Egyptians that I have abandoned and destroyed; And their father the Devil is trying to devour me
10 But do thou, O Lord deliver me from his hands,
And rescue me from his mouth,
Lest he snatch me like a wolf and tear me,
And cast me into the abyss of fire, and into the tempest of the sea;
And let not the great Sea-monster swallow me.
11 Save me, O Lord, deserted as I am,
For my father and mother denied me,
Because I destroyed and shattered their gods;
And I have no other hope save in thee, O Lord;
For thou art the father of the orphans, and the champion of the persecuted,
And the help of them that are oppressed.
12 For, lo, all the gods of my father Pentephres are but for a season and uncertain; but the inhabitants of thine inheritance, O Lord, are incorruptible and eternal.

Chapter 13

1 Look upon my ophanhood, O Lord, for unto thee did I flee, O Lord.
2 Lo, I took off my royal robe interwoven with gold and put on a black tunic instead.
3 Lo, I loosed my golden girdle and girt myself with a rope and sackcloth.
4 Lo, I threw off my diadem from my head and sprinkled myself with ashes.
5 Lo, the floor of my room once scattered with stones of different colors and of purple, and besprinkled with myrrh, is now sprinkled with my tears and scattered with ashes.
6 Lo, Lord, from the ashes and from my tears there is as much mud inside my room as there is on a public highway.
7 Lo, Lord, my royal dinner and my fatted beasts have I given to the dogs.
8 And lo, for seven days and seven nights I have neither eaten bread nor drunk water; and my mouth is dry like a drum and my tongue like horn, and my lips like a potsherd, and my face is shrunken, and my eyes are failing as a result of my incessant tears.
9 But do thou, O Lord, pardon me, for in ignorance did I sin against thee and uttered calumnies against my lord Joseph.
10 And I did not know, wretch that I am, that he is thy son, O Lord; for they told me that Joseph was a shepherd’s son from the land of Canaan, and I believed them; but I was wrong, and I despised Joseph, thine elect one, and I spoke evil of him, not knowing that he is thy son.
11 For what man ever was so handsome and who else is as wise and strong as Joseph? But to thee, my Lord, do I entrust him; for I love him more than mine own soul.
12 Preserve him in the wisdom of thy grace, and give me to him as a servant, so that I may wash his feet and serve him and be his slave for all the seasons of my life.
Chapter 14
1 And as Aseneth finished her confession to the Lord, lo, the morning star rose in the eastern sky.
2 And Aseneth saw it and rejoiced and said, “The Lord God has indeed heard me, for this star is a messenger and herald of the light of the great day.
3 And lo, the heaven was torn open near the morning star and an indescribable light appeared.
4 And Aseneth fell on her face upon the ashes; and there came to her a man from heaven and stood at her head; and he called to her, “Aseneth”.
5 And she said, “Who called me? For the door of my room is shut and the tower is high: how then did anyone get into my room?”
6 And the man called her a second time and said, “Aseneth, Aseneth;” and she said, “Here am I, my lord, tell me who you are.”

7 And the man said, “I am the commander of the Lord’s house and chief captain of all the host of the Most High: stand up, and I will speak to you.”

8 And she looked up and saw a man like Joseph in every respect, with a robe and a crown and a royal staff.

9 But his face was like lightning, and his eyes were like the light of the sun, and the hairs of his head like flames of fire, and his hands and feet like iron from the fire.
10 And Aseneth looked at him, and she fell on her face at his feet in great fear and trembling
11 And the man said to her, “Take heart, Aseneth, and do not be afraid; but stand up, and I will speak to you.”
12 And Aseneth got up, and the man said to her, “Take off the black tunic you are wearing and the sackcloth round your waist, and shake the ashes off your head, and wash your face with water.
13 And put on a new robe that you have never worn before, and tie your bright girdle round your waist — the double girdle of your virginity.
14 And then come back to me, and I will tell you what I have been sent to you to say.”
15 And Aseneth went into the room where her treasure-chests and the finery for her adornment were; and she opened her wardrobe and took out a new, fine robe, and she took off her black robe and put on the new and brilliant one.
16 And she untied the rope and the sackcloth round her waist; and she put on the brilliant double girdle of her virginity — one girdle round her waist and the other round her breast.
17 And she shook the ashes off her head, and washed her face with pure water, and covered her head with a fine and lovely veil.

Chapter 15
1 And she came back to the man; and when the man saw her he said to her, “Take now the veil off your head, for to-day you are a pure virgin and your head is like a young man’s.”

2 So she took it off her head; and the man said to her, “Take heart, Aseneth, for lo, the Lord has heard the words of your confession.
3 Take heart, Aseneth, your name is written in the book of life, and it will never be blotted out.
4 From to-day you will be made new, and refashioned, and given new life; and you shall eat the bread of life and drink the cup of immortality, and be anointed with the unction of incorruption.

5 Take heart, Aseneth: lo, the Lord has given you to Joseph to be his bride, and he shall be your bridegroom.
6 And you shall no more be called Aseneth, but ‘City of Refuge’ shall be your name; for many nations shall take refuge in you, and under your wings shall many peoples find shelter, and within your walls those who give their allegiance to God in penitence will find security.
7 For Penitence is the Most High’s daughter and she entreats the Most High on your behalf every hour, and on behalf of all who repent; for he is the father of Penitence and she the mother of virgins, and every hour she petitions him for those who repent; for she has prepared a heavenly bridal chamber for those who love her, and she will look after them for ever.
8 And Penitence is herself a virgin, very beautiful and pure and chaste and gentle; and God Most High loves her, and all his angels do her reverence.
9 And lo, I am on my way to Joseph, and I will talk to him about you, and he will come to you to-day and see you and rejoice over you; and he shall be your bridegroom.
10 So listen to me, Aseneth, and put on your wedding robe, the ancient robe, the first that was stored away in your room, and deck yourself in all your finest jewelry, and adorn yourself as a bride, and be ready to meet him.
11 For lo, he is coming to you to-day; and he will see you and rejoice.”

12 And when the man had finished speaking Aseneth was overjoyed.
13 And she fell at his feet and said to him, “Blessed be the Lord God that sent you out to deliver me from darkness and bring me into light; and blessed be his name for ever.

14 Let me speak now, my lord, if I have found favor with you: sit down a little on the bed, and I will get a table ready and food for you to eat; and I will bring you good wine, of the finest flavor, for your to drink; and then you shall go your way.”

Chapter 16
1 And the man said to her, “Bring me, please, a honeycomb too.”

2 And Aseneth said, “Let me send someone my lord, to my family estate in the country and I will get you a honeycomb.”
3 And the man said to her, “Go into your inner room and you will find a honeycomb there.”

4 And Aseneth went into her inner room and found a honeycomb lying on the table; and the comb was as white as snow and full of honey, and its smell was like the breath of life
5 And Aseneth took the comb and brought it to him; and the man said to her, “Why did you say, ‘There is no honeycomb in my house?’ And lo, you have brought me this.”
6 And Aseneth said, My lord, I had no honeycomb in my house, but it happened just as you said: Did it perchance come out of your mouth, for it smells like myrrh?”
7 And the man stretched his hand out and placed it on her head and said, “You are blessed, Aseneth, for the indescribable things of God have been revealed to you; and blessed too are those who give their allegiance to the Lord God in penitence, for they shall eat of this comb.

8 The bees of the Paradise of Delight have made this honey, and the angels of God eat of it, and no one who eats of it shall ever die.
9 And the man stretched his right hand out and broke off a piece of the comb and ate it; and he put a piece of it unto Aseneth’s mouth.

10 And the man stretched his hand out and put his finger on the edge of the comb that faced eastwards; and the path of his finger became like blood.
11 And he stretched out his hand a second time and put his finger on the edge of the comb that faced northwards, and the path of his finger became like blood.
12 And Aseneth was standing on the left and watching everything the man was doing.
13 And bees came up from the cells of the comb, and they were white as snow, and their wings were iridescent — purple and blue and gold; and they had golden diadems on their heads and sharp-pointed strings.
14 And all the bees flew in circles round Aseneth, from her feet right up to her head; and yet more bees, as big as queens, settled on Aseneth’s lips.
15 And the man said to the bees, “Go, please, to your places.”
16 And they all left Aseneth and fell to the ground, every one of them, and died.
17 And the man said, “Get up now, and go to your place;” and they got up and went, every one of them, to the court round Aseneth’s tower.

Chapter 17

1 And the man said to Aseneth, “Have you observed this?” and she said, “Yes, my lord, I have observed it all.”
2 And the man said, “So shall be the words I have spoken to you.”
3 And the man touched the comb, and fire went up from the table and burnt up the comb; and, as it burned, the comb gave out a refreshing fragrance that filled the room.

4 And Aseneth said to the man, “There are, my lord, seven virgins with me, who have been brought up with me, and who wait upon me: they were born in the same night as I was and I love them: let me call them, so that you can bless them as you have blessed me.

5 And the man said, “Call them;” and Aseneth called them, and the man blessed them and said, “God, the Most High, will bless you for ever.”

6 And the man said to Aseneth, “Take this table away;” and Aseneth turned to move the table, and the man vanished out of her sight, and Aseneth saw what looked like a chariot of fire being taken up into heaven towards the east.

7 And Aseneth said, “Be merciful, O Lord, to thy maidservant, because it was in ignorance that I spoke evil before thee.”
Chapter 18

1 And while this was happening, behold, a young man, one of Joseph’s servants, came and said, “Lo, Joseph, the mighty man of God is coming to you to-day.”
2 And Aseneth called her steward and said, “Get ready a special dinner for me, because Joseph the mighty man of God, is coming to us.”
3 And Aseneth went into her room and opened her wardrobe, and she took out her finest robe that shone like lightning, and she put it on.
4 And she tied a resplendent royal girdle round her waist — and this girdle was of precious stones
5 And she put golden bracelets round her hands, and golden boots on her feet, and a costly necklace about her neck; and she put a golden crown upon her head, and in the crown, in front, were the costliest of stones.
6 And she covered her head with a veil.
7 And she said to her maidservant, “Bring me pure water from the spring.”
8 And Aseneth bent down to the water in the basin [on the cockle-shell]; and her face was like the sun, and her eyes like the rising morning star.

Chapter 19
1And a little slave came and said to Aseneth, “Lo, Joseph is at the gates of our court;” and Aseneth went down with the seven virgins to meet him.
2 And when Joseph saw her, he said to her, “Come to me, pure virgin, for I have had good news about you from heaven, explaining everything about you.”
3 And Joseph stretched his hands out and embraced Aseneth, and Aseneth embraced Joseph, and they greeted each other for a long time and received new life in their spirit.

Chapter 20
1 And Aseneth said to him, “Come, my lord, come into my house;” and she took his right hand and brought him inside her house.
2 And Joseph sat down on her father Pentephres’s seat, and she brought water to wash his feet; and Joseph said to her, “Let one of your virgins come, and let her wash my feet.”
3 And Aseneth said to him, “No, my lord, for my hands are your hands, and your feet my feet, and no one else shall wash your feet;” and so she had her way and washed his feet.
4 And Joseph took her by the right hand and kissed it, and Aseneth kissed his head.
5 And Aseneth’s parents came back from their country estate, and they saw Aseneth sitting with Joseph and wearing a wedding robe; and they rejoiced and glorified God, and they ate and drank.
6 And Pentephres said to Joseph, “To-morrow I will invite the lords and satraps of Egypt, and I will celebrate your wedding, and you shall take Aseneth as your wife.”
7 And Joseph said, “First I must tell Pharaoh about Aseneth, because he is my father; and he will give me Aseneth as my wife himself.”
8 And Joseph stayed that day with Pentephres; and he did not sleep with Aseneth, for he said, “It is not right for a man who worships God to have intercourse with his wife before their marriage.”

11 When Joseph entered the garden she bowed herself before him, and washed the dust from his feet, telling him the words which the Angel had spoken concerning her.
Chapter 21
1 And Joseph got up early in the morning, and he sent away to Pharaoh and told him about Aseneth.
2 And Pharaoh sent and called Pentephres and Aseneth.
3 And Pharaoh was astonished at her beauty and said, “The Lord will bless you, even the God of Joseph, who has chosen you to be his bride, for he is the first-born son of God, and you will be called daughter of the Most High, and Joseph shall be your bridegroom for ever.
4 And Pharaoh took golden crowns and put them on their heads and said,
5 “God Most High will bless you and prosper your family for ever.”
6 And Pharaoh turned them towards each other, and they kissed each other. And Pharaoh celebrated their wedding with a banquet and much merry-making for seven days; and he invited all the chief men in the land of Egypt.
7 And he issued a proclamation, saying, “Any man who does any work during the seven days of Joseph and Aseneth’s wedding shall die.”
8 And when the wedding was over and the banquet ended, Joseph had intercourse with Aseneth; and Aseneth conceived by Joseph and bore Manasseh and his brother Ephraim in Joseph’s house.

Chapter 22

1 And after this the seven years of plenty came to an end, and the seven years of famine began.
2 And when Jacob heard about his son Joseph, he came into Egypt with his family, in the second month, on the twenty-first day of the month; and he settled in the land of Goshen.
3 And Aseneth said to Joseph, “I will go and see your father, because your father Israel is my father; and Joseph said to her, “Let us go together.”
4 And Joseph and Aseneth came into the land of Goshen, and Joseph’s brothers met them and made obeisance to them upon the ground.
5 And they came to Jacob and he blessed them and kissed them; and Aseneth hung upon his father Jacob’s neck and kissed him.
6 And after this they ate and drank
7 And Joseph and Aseneth went to their house, and Simeon and Levi escorted them, to protect them: Levi was on Aseneth’s right hand and Simeon on the left.
8 And Aseneth took Levi’s hand because she loved him as a man who was a prophet and a worshiper of God and a man who feared the Lord.
9 And he used to see letters written in the heavens, and he would read them and interpret them to Aseneth privately; and Levi saw the place of her rest in the highest heaven.

Chapter 23

1 And as Joseph and Aseneth were passing by, Pharaoh’s eldest son saw them from the wall.
2 And when he saw Aseneth he was driven to distraction by her because she was so beautiful; and Pharaoh’s son sent messengers and summoned Simeon and Levi to him, and they came to him and stood before him.
3 And Pharaoh’s son said to them, “I have heard that you are better soldiers than any others there are on earth, and that with your own right hands you destroyed the city of Schechem and with your own two swords you cut to pieces thirty thousand fighting men.
4 I need your help: let us get together without delay; and I will give you gold and silver in abundance, and menservants and maidservants, and houses and great estates. Make a compact with me, and shew kindness to me; for I was greatly wronged by your brother Joseph, because he married Aseneth although she was originally pledged to me.
5 And now come with me, and I will take up arms against Joseph and kill him with my sword, and I will marry Aseneth; and you shall be my brothers and my friends for ever,
6 But if you will not listen to me, I will kill you with my sword” (and as he said this he bared his sword and showed it them).
7 Now Simeon was a brave but impetuous man, and he drew his sword from its scabbard and made a rush at Pharaoh’s son, as if to strike him.
8 And Levi was aware of what Simeon was about to do, for Levi was a prophet and foresaw everything that was to happen; and Levi trod hard on Simon’s right foot as a sign to him to curb his wrath.
9 And Levi said to him, “Why so angry with him? For we are the children of a man who worships God, and it is not right for a man who worships God to repay his neighbor evil for evil.”
10 And Levi said to his neighbor, Pharaoh’s son, respectfully and in good humor, “My lord, why do you speak to us like this? For we are men who worship God, and our father is the servant of God Most High, and our brother Joseph is loved by God: how could we do anything so wicked in God’s eyes?
11 And now, listen to us, and be careful you never repeat what you have just said about our brother Joseph.
12 If, however, you persist in this wicked plan, see, our swords are drawn against you.”
13 And they drew their swords from their scabbards and said, “Do you see these swords? It was with them that the Lord God avenged the outrage on the sons of Israel, which the men of Schechem committed in the affair of our sister Dinah, whom Schechem, Hamor’s son, defiled.”
14 And Pharaoh’s son saw their drawn swords, and he was afraid and trembled and fell on his face to the ground at their feet.
15 And Levi stretched his hand out and lifted him up, saying, “Do not be afraid: only be careful you say nothing against our brother.”
16 And they went out from him, leaving him trembling and afraid.

Chapter 24

1 And Pharaoh’s son was in much affliction and torment because of Aseneth, and he was greatly distressed
2 And his servants whispered in his ear, “Lo, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the maidservants of Leah and Rachel, Jacob’s wives, hate Joseph and Aseneth and are jealous of them, and they will do what you want.”
3 And Pharaoh’s son sent messengers and summoned them, and they came to him by night; and Pharaoh’s son said to them, “I have heard that your are good soldiers.”
4 And Gad and Dan, the elder brothers, said to Pharaoh’s son, “Let our lord tell his servants what it is he wants, and he will do it.”
5 And Pharaoh’s son was overjoyed, and he said to his servants, “Go away and leave us alone, for I have something to say to these men privately.”
6 And all the servants went out; and Pharaoh’s son told them lies, saying, “I offer you a choice between prosperity and death: so choose prosperity and not death.
7 I know that you are good soldiers, and that you will not die as women die; but act like men and take vengeance on your enemies.
8 I heard” (he continued “your brother Joseph say to my father Pharaoh, ‘Dan and Gad are the children of maidservants and are not my brothers.
9 And I am only waiting for my father to die to take action against them and all their progeny, so that they will not share the inheritance with us, for they are the children of maidservants, and it was they who sold me to the Ishmaelites.
10 When my father is dead I will repay them for the wrong they did me.’
11 And my father Pharaoh commended Joseph and said to him, ‘What you have said is quite right, my son; and now take some of my soldiers and proceed against them as they did against you, and I will help you.'”
12 And when the men heard what Pharaoh’s son told them they were much troubled and distressed, and they said to him, “We appeal to you, our lord, to help us; and whatever you tell your servants to do, we will do it.”
13 And Pharaoh’s son said to them, “To-night I will kill my father, for my father Pharaoh is like a father to Joseph; and do you also kill Joseph, and I will marry Aseneth.”
14 And Dan and Gad said to him, “We will do everything you have told us to. We overheard Joseph say to Aseneth, ‘Go to-morrow to our country estate, for it is vintage-time; and he has arranged for six hundred armed soldiers to go with her and fifty outrunners.”
15 And when Pharaoh’s son heard this, he gave the four men five hundred men each and appointed them their officers and commanders.
16 And Dan and Gad said to him, “We will go by night and lie in wait at the brook and hide in the woods on the banks.
17 And as for you, take fifty men with you, archers on horseback, and go on ahead, some distance in front; and Aseneth will come and fall into our hands,and we will cut down the men who are with her.
18 And Aseneth will flee in her chariot and fall into your hands and you will be able to deal with her as you wish.
19 And afterwards we will kill Joseph while he is fretting about Aseneth; and we will kill his children before his eyes.”
20 And Pharaoh’s son was delighted when he heard this, and he sent two thousand soldiers after them
21 And they came to the brook and hid in the woods on the banks, and five hundred men took up their position in front; and in between them was a highway.

Chapter 25

1 And Pharaoh’s son went to his father’s room to kill him; but his father’s guards would not allow him to go in to him.
2 And Pharaoh’s son said to them, “I want to see my father because I am going off to gather the grapes from my newly planted vine
3 And the guards said to him, “Your father is in pain, and he has been awake all night; but he is resting now; and he said to us, “Do not let anyone in to me, not even my eldest son.”
4 And he went away in anger; and he took fifty mounted archers, and he went in front of them as Dan and Gad had told him to.
5 And Naphtali and Asher said to Dan and Gad, “Why must you plot again against our father Israel and against our brother Joseph? For God looks after him as if he were the apple of his eye.
6 Did you not once sell Joseph as a slave, and to-day he is king of the whole earth, and its saviour, and gives us corn?
7 And now, if you make plots against him again, he will call upon the God of Israel, and he will send fire from heaven, and it will burn you up, and the angels of God will fight against you.”
8 And their elder brothers Dan and Gad were angry with them, saying, “Are we then to die like women? God forbid!” And they went out to encounter Joseph and Aseneth.

Chapter 26

1 And Aseneth got up early in the morning and said to Joseph, “I am going to our estate in the country; but I am frightened because you are not coming with me.”
2 And Joseph said to her, “Take heart and do not be afraid, but go; for the Lord is with you and he will keep you from all evil as the apple of an eye.
3 And I will go and distribute my corn, and give corn to all the men in the city, so that no one dies of famine in the land of Egypt.”
4 And Aseneth departed on her journey and Joseph to the distribution of the corn.
5 And Aseneth came to where the brook was with her six hundred men; and suddenly the men that were with Pharaoh’s son leaped out from their ambush and joined battle with Aseneth’s soldiers, and they cut them down with their swords and killed all Aseneth’s outrunners.
6 And Aseneth fled in her chariot
7 And Levi, the son of Leah, was informed about all this (for he was a prophet), and he told his brothers about Aseneth’s danger; and they took, each one of them, his sword on his thigh, and their shields on their arms, and their spears in their right hands, and they went after Aseneth with what speed they could.
8 And Aseneth fled, and lo, Pharaoh’s son met her, and fifty men with him; and Aseneth saw him, and she was afraid and trembled.

Chapter 27

1 And Benjamin was sitting with her in the chariot.
2 And Benjamin was a sturdy lad, about eighteen years old, indescribably handsome, and as strong as a young lion; and he feared God.
3 And Benjamin jumped down from the chariot, and he took a round stone from the brook and hurled it with all his might at Pharaoh’s son and hit him on his left temple and wounded him severely, and he fell from his horse half-dead.
4 And Benjamin clambered up on a rock and said to the driver of Aseneth’s chariot, “Give me fifty stones from the brook;” and he gave him fifty stones.
5 And Benjamin hurled the stones and killed the fifty men that were with Pharaoh’s son; and the stones sank into the temples of each one of them.
6 Then the sons of Leah, Reuben and Simeon, Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulon, went after the men who had lain in ambush; and they fell upon them suddenly, and cut down the two thousand men, and the six of them killed them.
7 And their brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, fled; and they said, “We have been ruined through our brothers; and Pharaoh’s son is dead, killed by Benjamin, and all those with him have perished at his hand: come now, let us kill Aseneth [and Benjamin], and let us make for the woods.”
8 And they came, with their swords drawn, covered in blood; and Aseneth saw them, and she said, “O Lord my God, that didst quicken me from death, that didst say to me, ‘Thy soul shall live for ever, deliver me from these men.'”
9 And the Lord God heard her voice, and immediately their swords fell from t heir hands to the ground and were reduced to dust.

Chapter 28

1 And the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah saw the miracle that had happened and they were afraid and said, “The Lord is fighting for Aseneth against us.”
2 And they fell on their faces to the ground and made obeisance to Aseneth, saying, “Have mercy on us, your servants, for you are our mistress and queen, and we have done you a great wrong and our brother Joseph.
3 And now God has brought retribution on us: we pray you, therefore, have mercy on us, and deliver us from our brothers’ hands, for they will avenge the outrage done to you and their swords will be against us.”
4 And Aseneth said to them, “Take heart and do not be afraid, for your brothers are men who worship God, and do not repay evil for evil to any man.
5 But retire to the woods until I can secure your pardon and mollify their wrath; for what you have been trying to do to them is indeed no trifling matter.
6 Take heart, though, and do not be afraid, for the Lord will see justice done between us.”
7 And Dan and Gad fled to the woods
8 And behold, the sons of Leah came, running like deers in pursuit of them; and Aseneth got down from her chariot, and she greeted them with tears.
9 And they made obeisance to her on the ground and wept aloud; and they asked about their brothers, the maidservants’ sons, intending to kill them.
10 And Aseneth said to them, “Spare you brothers and do them no harm, for the Lord has shielded me and reduced the swords in their hands to dust, and they melted away like wax before the fire.
11 Surely this is enough for us that the Lord is fighting for us: so spare your brothers.”
12 And Simeon said to Aseneth, “Why should our mistress plead for her enemies?
13 No! We will cut them down with our swords, because they have plotted evil against our father Israel and against our brother Joseph now on two occasions, and they have plotted against you to-day.”
14 And Aseneth said to him , “No brother, you must not repay evil for evil to your neighbor, for the Lord will avenge this outrage.”
15 And after this Simeon bowed to Aseneth; and Levi came to her, and he kissed her right hand and blessed her.
16 Thus Aseneth saved the men from their brothers’ wrath, so that they did not kill them.

Chapter 29

1 And Pharaoh’s son lifted himself up from the ground and sat up; and he spat blood from his mouth, because his blood was running from his temple into his mouth.
2 And Benjamin advanced upon him and took hold of his sword and drew it from its scabbard (for Benjamin had no sword of his own with him).
3 And as he was about to strike Pharaoh’s son, Levi rushed up and seized him by the hand and said, “No brother, you must not do this, for we are men who worship God, and it is not right for a man who worships God to repay evil for evil, or to trample upon a man who has already fallen, or to harry his enemy to death.
4 But come: let us bind up his wound; and if he lives, he will be our friend, and his father Pharaoh will be our father.”
5 And Levi raised Pharaoh’s son up and washed the blood off his face and bound a bandage round his wound; and he set him on his horse and took him to his father.
6 And Levi told him everything that had happened.
7 And Pharaoh got up from his throne and made obeisance to Levi upon the ground.
8 And on the third day Pharaoh’s son died from the wound of Benjamin’s stone.
9 And Pharaoh mourned for his eldest son, and he was worn out with grief.
10 And Pharaoh died at the age of one hundred and nine; and he left his crown to Joseph.
11 And Joseph was king of Egypt for forty-eight years.
12 And after this Joseph gave the crown to Pharaoh’s grandson; and Joseph was like a father to him in Egypt.