The First Book Of Adam And Eve
1926 anthology, complete selected publisher reading text
Rutherford H. Platt
11 “He then sent for us according to the orders in which we were-to come under his command, and to hearken to his vain promise. But we would not, and we took not his advice.
12 “Then after he had fought with God, and had dealt forwardly with Him, he gathered together his hosts, and made war with us. And if it had not been for God’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 had he continued in heaven, nothing, not even one angel would have remained in it.
14 “But God in His mercy, drove him from among us to this dark earth; for he had become darkness itself and a worker of unrighteousness.
15 “And he has continued, O Adam, to make war against thee, until he beguiled thee and made thee come out of the garden, to this strange land, where all these trials have come to thee. And death, which God brought upon him he has also brought to thee, O Adam, because thou didst obey him, and didst transgress against God.”
16 Then a the angels rejoiced and praised God, and asked Him not to destroy Adam this time, for his having sought to enter the garden; but to bear with him until the fulfilment of the promise; and to help him in this world until he was free from Satan’s hand.
CHAP. LVI.
A chapter of divine comfort.
THEN came the Word of God to Adam, and said unto him:--
2 “O Adam, look at that garden of joy and at this earth of toil, and behold the angels who are in the garden-that is full of them, and see thyself alone on this earth, with Satan whom thou didst obey.
3 “Yet, if thou hadst submitted, and been obedient to Me, and hadst kept My Word, thou wouldst be with My angels in My garden.
4 “But when thou didst transgress and hearken to Satan, thou didst become his guest among his angels, that are full of wickedness; and thou camest to this earth, that brings forth to thee thorns and thistles.
5 “O Adam, ask him who deceived thee, to give thee the divine nature he promised thee, or to make thee a garden as I had made for thee; or to fill thee with that same bright nature with which I had filled thee.
6 “Ask him to make thee a body like the one I made thee, or to give thee a day of rest as I gave thee; or to create within thee a reasonable soul, as I did create for thee; or to remove thee hence to some other earth than this one which I gave thee. But, O Adam, he will not fulfil even one of the things he told thee.
7 “Acknowledge, then, My favour towards thee, and My mercy on thee, My creature; that I have not requited thee for thy transgression against Me, but in My pity for thee I have promised thee that at the end of the great five days and a half I will come and save thee.”
8 Then God said again to Adam and Eve, “Arise, go down hence, lest the cherub with a sword of fire in his hand destroy you.”
9 But Adam’s heart was comforted by God’s words to him, and he worshipped before Him.
10 And God commanded His angels to escort Adam and Eve to the cave with joy, instead of the fear that had come upon them.
11 Then the angels took up Adam and Eve, and brought them down from the mountain by the garden, with songs and psalms, until they brought them to the cave. There the angels began to comfort and to strengthen them, and then departed from them towards heaven, to their Creator, who had sent them.
12 But, after the angels were gone from Adam and Eve, came Satan, with shamefacedness, and stood at the entrance of the cave in which were Adam and Eve. He then called to Adam, and said, “O Adam, come, let me speak to thee.”
13 Then Adam came out of the cave, thinking he was one of God’s angels that was come to give him some good counsel.
CHAP. LVII.
“Therefore did I fall. . .
BUT when Adam came out and saw his hideous figure, he was afraid of him, and said unto him, “Who art thou?”
2 Then Satan answered and said unto him, “It is I, who hid myself within the serpent, and who talked to Eve, and beguiled her until she hearkened to my command. I am he who sent her, through the wiles of my speech, to deceive thee, until thou and she ate of the fruit of the tree, and ye came away from under the command of God.”
3 But when Adam heard these words from him, he said unto him, “Canst thou make me a garden as God made for me? Or canst thou clothe me in the same bright nature in which God had clothed me?
4 “Where is the divine nature thou didst promise to give me? Where is that fair speech of thine, thou didst hold with us at first, when we were in the garden?”
5 Then Satan said unto Adam, “Thinkest thou, that when I have spoken to one about anything, I shall ever bring it to him or fulfil my word? Not so. For I myself have never even thought of obtaining what I asked.
6 “Therefore did I fall, and did I make you fall by that for which I myself fell; and with you also, whosoever accepts my counsel, falls thereby.
7 “But now, O Adam, by reason of thy fall thou art under my rule, and I am king over thee; because thou hast hearkened to me, and hast transgressed against thy God. Neither will there be any deliverance from my hands until the day promised thee by thy God.”
8 Again he said, “Inasmuch as we do not know the day agreed upon with thee by thy God, nor the hour in which thou shalt be delivered, for that reason will we multiply war and murder upon thee and thy seed after thee.
9 “This is our will and our good pleasure, that we may not leave one of the sons of men to inherit our orders in heaven.
10 “For as to our abode, O Adam, it is in burning fire; and we will not cease our evil doing no, not one day nor one hour. And I, O Adam, shall sow fire upon thee when thou comest into the cave to dwell there.”
11 When Adam heard these words he wept and mourned, and said unto Eve, “Hear what he said; that he will not fulfil aught of what he told thee in the garden. Did he really then become king over us?
12 “But we will ask God, who created us, to deliver us out of his hands.”
CHAP. LVIII.
“About sunset on the 53rd day . . . .”
THEN Adam and Eve spread their hands unto God, praying and entreating Him to drive Satan away from them; that he do them no violence, and do not force them to deny God.
2 Then God sent to them at once His angel, who drove away Satan--from them. This happened about sunset, on the fifty-third day after they had come out of the garden.
3 Then Adam and Eve went into the cave, and stood up and turned their faces to the earth, to pray to God.