Part 14 (1/2)

4 When Adam and Eve came to the eastern border of the garden--thinking in their hearts that the cherub was not watching--as they were standing by the gate as if wis.h.i.+ng to go in, suddenly came the cherub with a flas.h.i.+ng sword of fire in his hand; and when he saw them, he went forth to kill them. For he was afraid that G.o.d would destroy him if they went into the garden without His order.

5 And the sword of the cherub seemed to shoot flames a distance away from it. But when he raised it over Adam and Eve, the flame of the sword did not flash forth.

6 Therefore the cherub thought that G.o.d was favorable to them, and was bringing them back into the garden. And the cherub stood wondering.

7 He could not go up to Heaven to determine G.o.d's order regarding their getting into the garden; he therefore continued to stand by them, unable as he was to part from them; for he was afraid that if they should enter the garden without permission, G.o.d would destroy him.

8 When Adam and Eve saw the cherub coming towards them with a flaming sword of fire in his hand, they fell on their faces from fear, and were as dead.

9 At that time the heavens and the earth shook; and another cherubim came down from heaven to the cherub who guarded the garden, and saw him amazed and silent.

10 Then, again, other angels came down close to the place where Adam and Eve were. They were divided between joy and sorrow.

11 They were glad, because they thought that G.o.d was favorable to Adam, and wished him to return to the garden; and wished to restore him to the gladness he once enjoyed.

12 But they sorrowed over Adam, because he was fallen like a dead man, he and Eve; and they said in their thoughts, ”Adam has not died in this place; but G.o.d has put him to death, for his having come to this place, and wis.h.i.+ng to get into the garden without His permission.”

Chapter LV - The Conflict between G.o.d and Satan.

1 Then came the Word of G.o.d to Adam and Eve, and raised them from their dead state, saying to them, ”Why did you come up here? Do you intend to go into the garden, from which I brought you out? It cannot be today; but only when the covenant I have made with you is fulfilled.”

2 Then Adam, when he heard the Word of G.o.d, and the fluttering of the angels whom he did not see, but only heard the sound of them with his ears, he and Eve cried, and said to the angels:--

3 ”O Spirits, who wait on G.o.d, look at me, and at my being unable to see you! For when I was in my former bright nature, then I could see you. I sang praises as you do; and my heart was far above you.

4 But now, that I have transgressed, that bright nature is gone from me, and I am come to this miserable state. And now I have come to this, that I cannot see you, and you do not serve me like you used to do. For I have become animal flesh.

5 Yet now, O angels of G.o.d, ask G.o.d with me, to restore me to that wherein I was formerly; to rescue me from this misery, and to remove from me the sentence of death He pa.s.sed on me, for having trespa.s.sed against Him.”

6 Then, when the angels heard these words, they all grieved over him; and cursed Satan who had misled Adam, until he came from the garden to misery; from life to death; from peace to trouble; and from gladness to a strange land.

7 Then the angels said to Adam, ”You obeyed Satan, and ignored the Word of G.o.d who created you; and you believed that Satan would fulfil all he had promised you.

8 But now, O Adam, we will make known to you, what came over us though him, before his fall from heaven.

9 He gathered together his hosts, and deceived them, promising to give them a great kingdom, a divine nature; and other promises he made them.

10 His hosts believed that his word was true, so they yielded to him, and renounced the glory of G.o.d.

11 He then sent for us--according to the orders in which we were--to come under his command, and to accept his vein promise. But we would not, and we did not take his advice.

12 Then after he had fought with G.o.d, and had dealt forwardly with Him, he gathered together his hosts, and made war with us. And if it had not been for G.o.d's strength that was with us, we could not have prevailed against him to hurl him from heaven.

13 But when he fell from among us, there was great joy in heaven, because of his going down from us. For if he had remained in heaven, nothing, not even one angel would have remained in it.

14 But G.o.d in His mercy, drove him from among us to this dark earth; for he had become darkness itself and a worker of unrighteousness.