Chapter XXVI
1 Then Adam took Eve and they began to return to the Cave of Treasures where they lived. But when they got closer to it and saw it from a distance, heavy sorrow fell on Adam and Eve when they looked at it. 2 Then Adam said to Eve, "When we were on the mountain we were comforted by the Word of God that talked with us and the light that came from the east shown over us. 3 But now the Word of God is hidden from us and the light that shined over us has changed so much that it has disappeared and let darkness and sorrow cover us. 4 And we are forced to enter this cave that is like a prison, in which darkness covers us so that we are separated from each other. You cannot see me. I cannot see you." 5 When Adam had said these words, they cried and spread their hands before God because they were full of sorrow. 6 And they prayed to God to bring the sun for them to shine on them so that darkness would not return to them and that they wouldn't have to go under this covering of rock. They wanted to die rather than see the darkness. 7 Then God looked at Adam and Eve and at their great sorrow and all they had done with a fervent heart because of all the trouble they were in. When compared to their former state of well-being, all the misery that came over them did so in this strange land. 8 Therefore God was neither angry with them nor impatient, but he was patient and longsuffering toward them, as toward the children He had created. 9 Then the Word of God came to Adam and said to him, "Adam, regarding the sun, if I were to take it and bring it to you, days, hours, years and months would all stop and the covenant I have made with you, would never be fulfilled. 10 And you would be deserted and stuck in a perpetual plague and you would never be saved. 11 Yes, rather, bear up long, and calm your soul while you live night and day until the fulfillment of the days and the time of My covenant has come. 12 Then I shall come and save you, Adam. I do not wish for you to be afflicted. 13 And when I look at all the good things that you lived in before, and why you came out of them, then I am willing to show you mercy. 14 But I cannot alter the covenant that has gone out of My mouth, otherwise I would have brought you back into the garden. 15 However, when the covenant is fulfilled then I will show you and your descendants mercy, and bring you into a land of gladness where there is neither sorrow nor suffering but abiding joy and gladness, and light that never fails, and praises that never cease, and a beautiful garden that shall never pass away." 16 And God said again to Adam, "Be patient and enter the cave because of the darkness of which you were afraid shall only be twelve hours long. When it is over, light will come up." 17 Then when Adam heard these words from God, he and Eve worshipped before Him, and their hearts were comforted. They returned into the cave after their custom, while tears flowed from their eyes sorrow and wailing came from their hearts and they wished their soul would leave their body. 18 And Adam and Eve stood praying until the darkness of night covered them and Adam was hidden from Eve and she from him. 19 And they remained standing in prayer.
Chapter XXVII
1 Satan, the hater of all that is good, saw how they continued in prayer, and how God communed with them, and comforted them, and how He had accepted their offering. Then Satan made a phantasm. 2 He began by transforming his hosts. In his hands was a shining, glimmering fire, and they were in a huge light. 3 Then, he placed his throne near the mouth of the cave, because he could not enter it due to their prayers. And he shown light into the cave until the cave glistened over Adam and Eve while his hosts began to sing praises. 4 Satan did this so that when Adam saw the light he would think to himself that it was a heavenly light and that Satan's hosts were angels and that God had sent them to watch at the cave, and give him light in the darkness. 5 Satan planned that when Adam came out of the cave and saw them and Adam and Eve bowed to Satan, then he would overcome Adam and humble him before God a second time. 6 When, therefore, Adam and Eve saw the light, thinking it was real, they strengthened their hearts. Then, as they were trembling, Adam said to Eve: 7 "Look at that great light, and at those many songs of praise, and at that host standing outside who won't come into our cave. Why don't they tell us what they want or where they are from or what the meaning of this light is or what those praises are or why they have been sent to this place, and why they won't come in? 8 If they were from God, they would come into the cave with us and would tell us why they were sent." 9 Then Adam stood up and prayed to God with a burning heart and said: 10 "O Lord, is there in the world another god besides You who created angels and filled them with light, and sent them to keep us, who would come with them? 11 But, look, we see these hosts that stand at the mouth of the cave. They are in a great light and they sing loud praises. If they are of some other god(s) than You, tell me, and if they are sent by you, inform me of the reason for which You have sent them." 12 No sooner had Adam said this, than an angel from God appeared to him in the cave, who said to him, "O Adam, fear not. This is Satan and his hosts. He wishes to deceive you as he deceived you at first. For the first time, he was hidden in the serpent, but this time he is come to you in the likeness of an angel of light in order that, when you worshipped him, he might enslave you in the very presence of God." 13 Then the angel went from Adam and seized Satan at the opening of the cave, and stripped him of the false image (lie / pretense) he had assumed and brought him in his own hideous form to Adam and Eve who were afraid of him when they saw him. 14 And the angel said to Adam, "This hideous form has been his ever since God made him fall from heaven. He could not have come near you in it. Therefore, he transformed himself into an angel of light." 15 Then the angel drove Satan and his hosts away from Adam and Eve and said to them, "Fear not. God who created you will strengthen you." 16 And the angel left them. 17 But Adam and Eve remained standing in the cave and no consolation came to them as they were divided in their thoughts. 18 And when it was morning they prayed and then went out to seek the garden, for their hearts were seeking it, and they could get no consolation for having left it.
Chapter XXVIII
1 But when the crafty Satan saw that they were going to the garden he gathered together his host and came in appearance on a cloud, intent on deceiving them. 2 But when Adam and Eve saw him in a vision, they thought they were angels of God come to comfort them about having left the garden, or to bring them back again into it. 3 And Adam spread his hands before God, begged Him to make him understand what they were. 4 Then Satan, the hater of all that is good, said to Adam, "O Adam, I am an angel of the great God and, behold the hosts that surround me. 5 God has sent us to take you and bring you to the northern border of the garden to the shore of the clear sea, and bathe you and Eve in it, and raise you to your former joy, that you return to the garden once again." 6 These words sank into the heart of Adam and Eve. 7 Yet God withheld His Word from Adam, and did not make him understand at once but waited to see his strength and whether he would be overcome as Eve was when in the garden, or whether he would win this battle. 8 Then Satan called to Adam and Eve and said, "Behold, we go to the sea of water," and they began to go. 9 And Adam and Eve followed them at little distance. 10 But when they came to the mountain to the north of the garden which was a very high mountain without any steps to the top of it, the Devil came near to Adam and Eve, and made them go up to the top in reality and not in a vision, because he wished to throw them down and kill them, and to wipe their names from the earth, so that this earth should belong to him and his hosts alone.
Chapter XXIX
1 But when the merciful God saw that Satan wished to kill Adam with his many tricks, and saw that Adam was meek and without guile, God spoke to Satan in a loud voice, and cursed him. 2 Then he and his hosts fled, and Adam and Eve remained standing on the top of the mountain, from there they saw below them the wide world, high above which they were. But they saw none of the host which time after time were by them. 3 They cried, both Adam and Eve, before God, and begged for forgiveness of Him. 4 Then the Word from God came to Adam, and said to him, "You must know and understand concerning this Satan, that he seeks to deceive you and your descendants after you." 5 And Adam cried before the Lord God, and begg
ed and prayed to Him to give him something from the garden, as a token to him, wherein to be comforted. 6 And God considered Adam's thought, and sent the angel Michael as far as the sea that reaches India, to take from there golden rods and bring them to Adam. 7 This God did in His wisdom in order that these golden rods, being with Adam in the cave, should shine forth with light in the night around him, and put an end to his fear of the darkness. 8 Then the angel Michael went down by God's order, took golden rods, as God had commanded him, and brought them to God.
Author’s note: God spoke to Adam concerning “this Satan,” a turn of phrase that leads one to believe there are other Satans. Based on the meaning of the word satan, there is no limit to the number of satans one could have. Satan is derived from Hebrew, satan meaning "adversary". Satan, or the Devil, plays various evil roles in ancient and modern literature and in Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Zoroastrian religious traditions. Satan is an opponent of God and of those seeking to do God's will. He is often described as an angel named Lucifer who was cast out of heaven for rebelling against God, was condemned to roam the earth and rule hell, and who battles God for possession of souls and the earth. That legend is not found as such in the Bible but is based on interpretations of scattered Bible passages and later literary portrayals.
The English word "Satan" is from a Hebrew word meaning "to oppose" or "adversary." "Devil" is from the Greek diabolos , meaning “to slander or accuse.” The name "Lucifer" appears in Isaiah 14 in the King James Version of the Bible
Chapter XXX
1 After these things, God commanded the angel Gabriel to go down to the garden and say to the cherub who kept it, "Behold, God has commanded me to come into the garden, and to take from it sweet smelling incense and give it to Adam." 2 Then the angel Gabriel went down by God's order to the garden and told the cherub as God had commanded him. 3 The cherub then said, "This is acceptable." And Gabriel went in and took the incense. 4 Then God commanded his angel Raphael to go down to the garden, and speak to the cherub about some myrrh to give to Adam. 5 And the angel Raphael went down and told the cherub as God had commanded him, and the cherub said, "This is acceptable." Then Raphael went in and took the myrrh. 6 The golden rods were from the Indian sea, where there are precious stones. The incense was from the eastern border of the garden, and the myrrh from the western border, from where bitterness came over Adam. 7 And the angels brought these things to God, by the Tree of Life, in the garden. 8 Then God said to the angels, "Dip them in the spring of water, then take them and sprinkle their water over Adam and Eve, that they should be a little comforted in their sorrow, and give them to Adam and Eve. 9 And the angels did as God had commanded them, and they gave all those things to Adam and Eve on the top of the mountain on which Satan had placed them, when he sought to make an end of them. 10 And when Adam saw the golden rods, the incense and the myrrh, he rejoiced and cried because he thought that the gold was a token of the kingdom from where he had come and the incense was a token of the bright light which had been taken from him, and that the myrrh was a token of the sorrow which he was in.
Chapter XXXI
1 After these things happened, God said to Adam, "You asked Me for something from the garden to be comforted with, and I have given you these three tokens as a consolation to you so that you trust in Me and in My covenant with you. 2 For I will come and save you and when I am in the flesh, kings shall bring me gold, incense, and myrrh. Gold is a token of My kingdom, incense is a token of My divinity, and myrrh is a token of My suffering and of My death. 3 But, Adam, put these by you in the cave, the gold so that it may shine light over you by night, the incense so that you smell its sweet savor, and the myrrh to comfort you in your sorrow." 4 When Adam heard these words from God, he worshipped before Him. He and Eve worshipped Him and gave Him thanks because He had dealt mercifully with them. 5 Then God commanded the three angels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael each to bring what he had brought and give it to Adam. And they did so, one by one. 6 And God commanded Suriyel and Salathiel to bear up Adam and Eve, and bring them down from the top of the high mountain, and to take them to the Cave of Treasures. 7 There they laid the gold on the south side of the cave, the incense on the eastern side, and the myrrh on the western side. For the mouth of the cave was on the north side. 8 The angels then comforted Adam and Eve, and departed. 9 The gold was seventy rods. The incense was twelve pounds, and the myrrh was three pounds. 10 These remained by Adam in the Cave of Treasures, in the House of Treasures; therefore was it called 'Cave of Concealment.' And it was called the 'Cave of Treasures,' by reason of the bodies of righteous men that were in it. 11 God gave these three things to Adam on the third day after he had come out of the garden as a sign of the three days the Lord should remain in the heart of the earth. 12 And these three things, as they continued with Adam in the cave, gave him light by night, and by day they gave him a little relief from his sorrow.
Author’s note: A rod is a unit of linear measure equal to approximately 5.5 yards and also a unit of area measure equivalent to approximately 30.25 square yards. Rod is also a description indicating a long, thin piece of unspecified size.
Author’s note: Suriyel means “Command of God” and is one of the archangels from Judaic traditions. Other possible versions of his name are Suriel, Suriyel,(Some Dead Sea Scrolls translations), Esdreel, Sahariel, Juriel, Seriel, Sauriel, Surya, Jariel. The angel is mentioned in the Lost Book Of Enoch.
Salathiel means, “Whom I asked of God.” The name is the son of Jeconiah (Matt. 1:12; 1 Chr. 3:17); also called the son of Neri (Luke 3:27) The probable explanation of the apparent discrepancy is that he was the son of Neri, the descendant of Nathan, and thus heir to the throne of David on the death of Jeconiah . See Jer. 22:30). The name acknowledges that the son is an answer to the parents' prayer to God (El) to help them conceive and birth a child. In 2 Esdras, the author claims to be "Ezra, who is also called Shealtiel" (3:1). For this reason, this work is also sometimes known as Ezra Shealtiel.
Chapter XXXII
1 And Adam and Eve remained in the Cave of Treasures until the seventh day. They neither ate of the fruit of the earth, nor drank water. 2 And on the eighth day, when it dawned, Adam said to Eve, " Eve, we prayed God to give us something from the garden and He sent his angels who brought us what we had desired. 3 But now, get up, and let us go to the sea of water we saw at first, and let us stand in it and pray that God will again be favorable to us and take us back to the garden, or give us something, or that He will give us comfort in some other land than this one we are in." 4 Then Adam and Eve came out of the cave and went and stood on the border of the sea in which they had thrown themselves before. 5 Then Adam said to Eve: “Come, go down into this place, and do not come out until the end of thirty days, when I shall come to you. And pray to God with burning heart and a sweet voice to forgive us. 6 And I will go to another place, and go down into it and do like you." 7 Then Eve went down into the water as Adam had commanded her. Adam also went down into the water, and they stood praying, and besought the Lord to forgive them their offense and to restore them to their former state. 8 And they stood like that praying until the end of the thirty-five days.
Author’s note: There is a discrepancy between the 30 days mentioned first and the 35 days cited later in the chapter. The number 35 is a combination of 3, the number of spiritual completion, and 5, the number of grace.
Chapter XXXIII
1 But Satan, the hater of all that is good, sought them in the cave, but did not find them although he searched diligently for them. 2 But he found them standing in the water praying and thought within himself, "Adam and Eve are standing like that in that water praying to God to forgive them their transgression, and to restore them to their former state, and to take them from under my hand. 3 But I will deceive them so that they shall come out of the water, and not fulfill their vow." 4 Then the hater of all that is good, did not go to Adam, but he went to Eve, and took the form of an angel of God, praising and rejoicing, and he said to her
: 5 "Peace be to you! Be glad and rejoice! God is favorable to you and He sent me to Adam. I have brought him the glad tidings of salvation and of his being filled with bright light as he was at first. 6 And Adam, in his joy for his restoration, has sent me to you so that you would come with me in order that I might crown you with light like him. 7 And he said to me, 'Speak to Eve; if she does not come with you, tell her of the sign when we were on the top of the mountain, how God sent his angels who took us and brought us to the Cave of Treasures; and laid the gold on the southern side, incense on the eastern side, and myrrh on the western side.' Now come to him." 8 When Eve heard these words from him, she rejoiced much. And thinking Satan's appearance was real; she came out of the sea. 9 He went first and she followed him until they came to Adam. Then Satan hid himself from her and she saw him no more. 10 She then came and stood before Adam, who was standing by the water and she rejoiced in God's forgiveness. 11 And as she called to him, he turned around and found her there and cried when he saw her and beat his chest from the bitterness of his grief. He sank into the water. 12 But God looked at him and at his misery and that he was about to breathe his last breath. And the Word of God came from heaven, raised him out of the water, and said to him, "Go up the high bank to Eve." And when he came up to Eve he said to her, "Who told you to come here?" 13 Then she told him the discourse of the angel who had appeared to her and had given her a sign. 14 But Adam grieved, and explained to her that it was Satan. He then took her and they both returned to the cave. 15 These things happened to them the second time they went down to the water seven days after their coming out of the garden. 16 They fasted in the water thirty-five days. It was altogether forty-two days since they had left the garden.
The Lost Books of the Bible: The Great Rejected Texts Page 4