The First Book Of Adam And Eve
1926 anthology, complete selected publisher reading text
Rutherford H. Platt
CHAP. XXXVI.
Figs.
THEN God commanded the cherub, who kept the gate of the garden with a sword of fire in his hand, to take some of the fruit of the fig-tree, and to give it to Adam.
2 The cherub obeyed the command of the Lord God, and went into the garden and brought two figs on two twigs, each fig hanging to its leaf; they were from two of the trees among which Adam and Eve hid themselves when God went to walk in the garden, and the Word of God came to Adam and Eve and said unto them, “Adam, Adam, where art thou?”
3 And Adam answered, “O God, here am I. When I heard the sound of Thee and Thy voice, I hid myself, because I am naked.”
4 Then the cherub took two figs and brought them to Adam and Eve. But he threw them to them from afar; for they might not come near the cherub by reason of their flesh, that could not come near the fire.
5 At first, angels trembled at the presence of Adam and were afraid of him. But now Adam trembled before the angels and was afraid of them.
6 Then Adam drew near and took one fig, and Eve also came in turn and took the other.
7 And as they took them up in their hands, they looked at them, and knew they were from the trees among which they had hidden them elves.
CHAP. XXXVII.
Forty-three days of penance do not redeem one hour of sin (v. 6).
THEN Adam said to Eve, “Seest thou not these figs and their leaves, with which we covered ourselves when we were stripped of our bright nature? But now, we know not what misery and suffering may come upon us from eating them.
2 “Now, therefore, O Eve, let us restrain ourselves and not eat of them, thou and I; and let us ask God to give us of the fruit of the Tree of Life.”
3 Thus did Adam and Eve restrain themselves, and did not eat of these figs.
4 But Adam began to pray to God and to beseech Him to give him of the fruit of the Tree of Life, saying thus: “O God, when we transgressed Thy commandment at the sixth hour of Friday, we were stripped of the bright nature we had, and did not continue in the garden after our transgression, more than three hours.
5 “But on the evening Thou madest us come out of it. O God, we transgressed against Thee one hour, and all these trials and sorrows have come upon us until this day.
6 “And those days together with this the forty-third day, do not redeem that one hour in which we transgressed!
7 “O God, look upon us with an eye of pity, and do not requite us according to our transgression of Thy commandment, in presence of Thee.
8 “O, God, give us of the fruit of the Tree of Life, that we may eat of it, and live, and turn not to see sufferings and other trouble, in this earth; for Thou art God.
9 “When we transgressed Thy commandment, Thou madest us come out of the garden, and didst send a cherub to keep the Tree of Life, lest we should eat thereof, and live; and know nothing of faintness after we transgressed.
10 “But now, O Lord, behold, we have endured all these days, and have borne sufferings. Make these forty-three days an equivalent for the one hour in which we transgressed.”
CHAP. XXXVIII.
“When 5500 years are fulfilled . . . .”
AFTER these things the Word of God came to Adam, and said unto him:--
2 “O Adam, as to the fruit of the Tree of Life, for which thou askest, I will not give it thee now, but when the 5500 years are fulfilled. Then will I give thee of the fruit of the Tree of Life, and thou shalt eat, and live for ever, thou, and Eve, and thy righteous seed.
3 “But these forty-three days cannot make amends for the hour in which thou didst transgress My commandment.
4 “O Adam, I gave thee to eat of the fig-tree in which thou didst hide thyself. Go and eat of it, thou and Eve.
5 “I will not deny thy request, neither will I disappoint thy hope; therefore, bear up unto the fulfilment of the covenant I made with thee.”
6 And God withdrew His Word from Adam.
CHAP. XXXIX.
Adam is cautious--but too late.
THEN Adam returned to Eve, and said to her, “Arise, and take a fig for thyself, and I will take another; and let us go to our cave.”
2 Then Adam and Eve took each a fig and went towards the cave; the time was about the setting of the sun; and their thoughts made them long to eat of the fruit.
3 But Adam said to Eve, “I am afraid to eat of this fig. I know not what may come upon me from it.”
4 So Adam wept, and stood praying before God, saying, “Satisfy my hunger, without my having to eat this fig; for after I have eaten it, what will it profit me? And what shall I desire and ask of Thee, O God, when it is gone?”
5 And he said again, “I am afraid to eat of it; for I know not what will befall me through it.”
CHAP. XL.
The first Human hunger.
THEN the Word of God came to Adam, and said unto him, “O, Adam, why hadst thou not this dread, neither this fasting, nor this care ere this? And why hadst thou not this fear before thou didst transgress?
2 “But when thou camest to dwell in this strange land, thy animal body could not be on earth without earthly food, to strengthen it and to restore its powers.”