Lost Books of the Bible (16 page)

5 "See Adam. Look at him bound in your presence, in the air, unable to flee away! So, I say to you, do not be afraid of him. From now on, take care, and beware of him. He will try to do things to you."

6 Then God drove Satan away from Adam. And God strengthened Adam’s heart and comforted him, saying, "Go down to the Cave of Treasures, and do not separate yourself from Eve. I will quiet all of your animal lust."

7 From that hour it left Adam and Eve, and they enjoyed rest by the commandment of God. But God did not do the same to any of Adam's seed (relations). God did this only to Adam and Eve.

8 Then Adam worshipped before the Lord for delivering him, and for having subdued his passions. And he came down from above the cave, and lived with Eve as had done before.

9 This ended the forty days of his separation from Eve.

Chapter V

1 When Seth was seven years old, he knew good and evil, and was consistent in fasting and praying, and spent all his nights in praying to God for mercy and forgiveness.

2 He also fasted when bringing up his offering every day. He fasted more than his father did because his demeanor was beautiful, like that of an angel of God. He also had a good heart, and his soul was precious; and for this reason he brought up his offering every day.

3 And God was pleased with his offering, but He was also pleased with his purity. And he continued doing the will of God, and of his father and mother until he was seven years old.

4 After that, as he was coming down from the altar after giving his offering, Satan appeared to him in the form of a beautiful angel, brilliant with light, with a staff of light in his hand, and wrapped with a girdle of light.

5 He greeted Seth with a beautiful smile, and began to beguile him with beautiful words, saying to him, "Seth, why do you live in this mountain? It is rough, full of stones and sand, and trees with no good fruit on them. It is a wilderness without houses or towns, no good place to live in. But everywhere there is heat, weariness, and trouble."

6 He said further, 'But we live in beautiful places, in a world other than this earth. Our world is one of light and we live in the best conditions. Our women are more beautiful than any others. Seth, I wish you to marry one of them, because I see that you are handsome to look at. In this land there is not one woman good enough for you and there are only five souls in it.

7 "But in our world there are many men and many young, unmarried women, all more beautiful one than the other. So, I wish to remove you from here so that you may see my relations and be wedded to which ever you like.

8 "You shall live by me and be at peace. You shall be filled with glory and light, just as we are.

9 "You shall remain in our world and rest from this world and its misery. You shall never again feel weak and weary. You shall never bring up an offering or appeal for mercy. You shall commit no more sin nor be swayed by passions.

10 "And if you will listen to what I say, you shall wed one of my daughters because to us it is not a sin and it is not considered animal lust.

11 "For in our world we have no God because we all are gods and we all are of the light and are heavenly, powerful, strong and glorious."

Chapter VI

1 When Seth heard these words he was amazed, and began to believe Satan's treacherous speech, and said to him, "You said there is another world created other than this one, and there are other creatures more beautiful than the creatures that are in this world?"

2 And Satan said, "Yes; you have heard me correctly, and I will tell you more good things about them and their ways."

3 But Seth said to him, "Your words have amazed me, and your beautiful description of it all."

4 "But I cannot go with you today, at least not until I have gone to my father Adam and to my mother Eve, and told them all you have said to me. Then if they give me permission to go with you, I will come."

5 Seth said, "I am afraid of doing any thing without my father's and mother's permission. I do not want to perish like my brother Cain, and like my father Adam, who transgressed the commandment of God. But, you know your way to this place, so come and meet me here tomorrow."

6 When Satan heard this, he said to Seth, "If you tell your father Adam what I have told you, he will not let you come with me.

7 But listen to me, do not tell your father and mother what I have said to you. Instead, come with me today. Come now to our world where you will see beautiful things and enjoy yourself there, and celebrate this day among my children, watching them and taking your fill of happiness; and have joy there. Then I shall bring you back to this place tomorrow. However, if you would rather stay there with me, so be it."

8 Then Seth answered, "The hope / love (spirit) of my father and of my mother, hangs on me and if I hide from them one day, they will die, and God will hold me guilty of sinning against them.

9 "And if they know that I have come to this place they assume it is to bring up my offering, and they would expect not to be separated from me one hour. Neither should I go to any other place unless they let me. But they treat me most kindly, because I always come back to them quickly."

10 Then Satan said to him, "What will happen to you if you were to disappear from them one night, and return to them at break of day?"

(Author’s note:  The assumption here is that he would sneak out after they fell asleep and not tell them.)

11 But Seth, when he saw how he kept on talking, and that he would not leave him alone, he ran and went up to the altar, and spread his hands to God, and sought deliverance from God.

12 Then God sent His Word, and cursed Satan, who fled from Him.

13 But Seth had gone up to the altar, saying in his heart. "The altar is the place of offering, and God is there. A divine fire shall consume what is on it and so Satan will be unable to hurt me, and shall not take me away from here."

14 Then Seth came down from the altar and went to his father and mother, whom he found on his way and who were longing to hear his voice, because he had been missing a while.

15 He then began to tell them what had befallen him from Satan, under the form of an angel.

16 But when Adam heard his account, he kissed his face, and warned him against that angel, telling him it was Satan who appeared to him. Then Adam took Seth, and they went to the Cave of Treasures and rejoiced there.

17 But from that day on Adam and Eve were never separated from him wherever he went, whether for his offering or for any thing else.

18 This sign happened to Seth, when he was nine years old.

Chapter VII.

1 When our father Adam saw that Seth was of a perfect heart, he wished him to marry; lest the enemy should appear to him another time, and overcome him.

2 So Adam said to his son Seth, "I wish, 0 my son, that you wed your sister Aklia, Abel's sister, that she may bear you children, who shall replenish the earth, according to God's promise to us.

3 "Be not afraid, my son; there is no disgrace in it. I wish you to marry, from fear that if you do not the enemy could overcome you.'

4 Seth, however, did not wish to marry; but in obedience to his father and mother, he did not say a word.

5 So Adam married him to Aklia. And he was fifteen years old.

6 But when he was twenty years of age, he had a son, whom he called Enos (Enoch); and then had other children.

7 Then Enos grew up, married, and begat Cainan.

8 Cainan also grew up, married, and begat Mahalaleel.

9 Those fathers were born during Adam's lifetime, and dwelt by the Cave of Treasures.

10 Then were the days of Adam nine hundred and thirty years, and those of Mahalaleel one hundred. But Mahalaleel, when he was grown up, loved fasting, praying, and with hard work, until the end of our father Adam's days drew near.

Chapter VIII.

1 When our father Adam saw that his end was near, he called his son Seth, who came to him in the Cave of Treasures, and he said to him:

2 "Seth, my son, bring me your children and your children's children, so that I may shed my blessing on them before I die."

3 When Seth heard these words from his father Adam, he went from him, shed a flood of tears over his face, and gathered together his children and his children's children, and brought them to his father Adam.

4 But when our father Adam saw them around him, he wept at having to be separated from them.

5 And when they saw him weeping, they all wept together, and kissed his face saying, "How shall you be separated from us, father? And how shall the earth receive you and hide you from our eyes?" Thus they lamented with words like these.

6 Then our father Adam blessed them all, and said to Seth, after he had blessed them:

7 "Seth, my son, you know this world and that it is full of sorrow, and of weariness; and you know all that has come upon us from our trials in it. So, I command you in these words: I want you to keep being innocent, to be pure and just, and trusting in God; and do not believe the words of Satan, nor the apparitions in which he will show himself to you.

8 But keep the commandments that I give you this day; then give the same to your son Enos; and let Enos give it to his son Cainan; and Cainan to his son Mahalaleel; so that this commandment abide firm among all your children.

9 "Seth, my son, the moment I am dead take you my body and wrap it up with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, and leave me here in this Cave of Treasures in which are all the tokens which God gave us from the garden.

10 "My son, after a while a flood will come and overwhelm all creatures, and leave only eight souls out of it.

11 "But, my son, let those whom it will leave from among your children at that time, take my body with them out of this cave; and when they have taken it with them, let the oldest among them command his children to lay my body in a ship until the flood recedes, and they come out of the ship.

12 Then they shall take my body and lay it in the middle of the earth, shortly after they have been saved from the waters of the flood.

13 "The place where my body shall be laid is the middle of the earth and God shall come from that place and shall save all our kindred.

14 "But now, Seth, my son, place yourself at the head of your people. Tend to them and watch over them in the fear of God. Lead them in the good way. Command them to fast to God, and make them understand they should not to listen to Satan, or he will destroy them.

15 "I tell you again, separate your children and your children's children from Cain's children. Do not let them ever mix with them, nor come near them either to talk or to work."

16 Then Adam let his blessing descend upon Seth, and upon his children, and upon all his children's children.

17 He then turned to his son Seth, and to Eve his wife, and, said to them, "Preserve this gold, this incense, and this myrrh, that God has given us for a sign, because in days that are coming a flood will overwhelm the whole creation. But those who shall go into the ark shall take with them the gold, the incense, and the myrrh, together with my body, and will lay the gold, the incense, and the myrrh, with my body in the middle of the earth.