Apocalypse of Abraham

Abraham Tests His Father’s Idols

1 On the day when I was carving the gods of my father Terah and the gods of my brother Nahor, while trying to discover who the Mighty God really is, 2 I, Abraham, had been chosen by lot and was performing the services (the sacrifices) of my father Terah to his gods of wood and stone, gold and silver, brass and iron. 3 I entered their temple to serve and found the god named Merumath (which was) carved from stone, lying facedown at the feet of the iron god Nahon. 4 And when I saw this, I was troubled, and I thought that I, Abraham, could not put him back in his place alone, because he was heavy and made from a large stone, 5 and I went out and told my father. And he came in with me, 6 and when we both moved him (the god) forward, to put him back in his place, his head fell off while I was still holding him by the head.⁠a 7 And when my father saw that Merumath's head had fallen off, he said to me: "Abraham!" 8 And I said: "Here I am." And he said to me: "Bring me an axe and a chisel from the house." 9 And I brought them to him. And he carved another Merumath from another stone, without a head, and he put the head that had fallen off Merumath on it, and he smashed the rest of Merumath.

The Broken Idols

1 And he made five other gods, and gave them to me [and] told me to sell them outside in the street of the town. 2 And I saddled my father's donkey, and put them on it, and went toward the main road to sell them. 3 And look, merchants from Fandana in Syria were traveling with camels going to Egypt, to trade.⁠a 4 I greeted them, and they replied. And I spoke with them. And one of their camels groaned, and the donkey was frightened and jumped away and knocked over the gods; and three of them were smashed, and two remained intact. 5 And when the Syrians saw that I had gods, they said to me: "Why did you not tell us [that you had gods? Then we would have bought them] before the donkey heard the sound of the camel, and they would not have been lost. 6 Give us, at least, the gods that remain, and we will give you the fair price." 7 After I considered it, they paid me for the broken gods, as well as for the gods that remained intact. 8 For I was worried about how I could bring my father the money from the sale; 9 and the three broken ones I threw into the water of the river Gur, which was there, and they sank into the depths, and they were gone.

Abraham Questions Idolatry

1 As I continued along the road, I felt troubled, and my mind was distracted. And I said to myself: 2 ["What is this evil thing my father is doing? 3 Is he not actually the god of his gods, since they are made with his chisels and lathes, and his skill, 4 and should they not worship my father instead, since they are his work?⁠a Why is my father deluded about what he makes?] 5 Look, Merumath fell and could not get up in his own temple, and I could not move him by myself until my father came, and the two of us moved him; 6 and because we were too weak, his head fell off, and he (i.e. my father) put it on another stone of another god, which he had made without a head. 7 And the other five gods fell from the donkey and shattered, and could neither help themselves nor hurt the donkey, even though it had smashed them; and their broken pieces did not come back up from the river." 8 And I said to myself: "If this is so, how can Merumath, my father's god, whose head is from one stone and whose body is from another, rescue a man, or hear a man's prayer and reward him?"

Abraham Challenges Terah

1 And while I was thinking about this, I reached my father's house; and after watering the donkey and setting out hay for it, I brought the silver and put it in the hand of my father Terah. 2 When he saw it, he was happy, [and] he said: "You are blessed by my gods, Abraham, because you have brought the money for the gods, so that my work was not wasted." 3 And I answered and said to him: "Listen, my father Terah! Your gods are blessed, for you are their god, since you have made them; for their blessing is destruction, and their power is useless; 4 how can they help you or bless me when they could not help themselves? 5 I have been kind to you in this matter because, by (using) my intelligence, I have brought you the money for the broken gods." 6 And when he heard what I said, he became furious with me, because I had spoken harsh words against his gods.⁠a

The Burning of Barisat

1 I thought about my father's anger and went out; [and after I had gone out] my father called out: "Abraham!" 2 And I said: "Here I am." 3 And he said: "Gather up the splinters of the wood from which I made gods of pine wood before you came; and prepare my midday meal." 4 And when I gathered the splinters of wood, I found under them a small god which had been lying among the brushwood on my left, 5 and his forehead was inscribed with: God Barisat. 6 And I did not tell my father that I had found the wooden god Barisat under the chips. And when I had put the splinters in the fire to prepare food for my father, as I was going out to ask about the food, I placed Barisat in front of the burning fire, and threatened him by saying: 7 "Pay careful attention, Barisat, [that] the fire does not go out until I return; but if it goes out, blow on it so that it burns again." 8 And I went out and did what I had planned. 9 And when I returned I found Barisat fallen backward, and his feet surrounded by fire and horribly burned.⁠a 10 I burst out laughing, and I said to myself: "Truly, Barisat, you can light the fire and cook food!" 11 And while I spoke (thus) as I laughed he (i.e. Barisat) was gradually burned up by the fire and reduced to ashes.⁠b 12 And I brought the food to my father, and he ate. 13 And I gave him wine and milk, and he was pleased and blessed his god Merumath. 14 And I said to him: "Father Terah, do not bless your god Merumath, and do not praise him, but praise your god Barisat because he loves you more and has thrown himself into the fire to cook your food!"⁠c 15 And he said to me: "And where is he now?" 16 [And I said:] "He is burned to ashes in the fierce fire and is reduced to dust." 17 And he said: "Barisat is very powerful! I (will) make another today, and tomorrow he will prepare my food."

Comparing the Idols

1 When I, Abraham, heard these words from my father, I laughed to myself and sighed with grief and anger in my soul, 2 and said: "How can the statues my father makes help him? 3 Or will the body be ruled by its soul, and the soul by the spirit, and the spirit by foolishness and ignorance!"⁠a 4 And I said: "It is right to endure evil for once. So I will direct my mind to what is pure and tell him my thoughts openly." 5 [And] I answered and said: "Father Terah, whichever of these you praise as a god, your thinking is foolish. 6 Look, the gods of my brother Nahor, which stand in the holy temple, are more worthy of honor than [these of] yours. 7 For look, Zucheus, the god of my brother Nahor, is more worthy of honor than your god Merumath, because he is made of gold which is highly valued by people, 8 and when he ages he will be remodeled; but if your god Merumath is changed or broken, he will not be restored, because he is made of stone; 9 and the same is true of the god Joavon [who stands with Zucheus over the other gods; how much more worthy of honor is he than the god Barisat, who is made of wood, while he is forged of silver! How human craftsmanship makes him valuable in appearance! 10 But your god Barisat, before he was shaped, was still rooted in the earth 11 and was great and wonderful with beautiful branches and flowers, 12 you cut out with an axe, and your skill made him into a god. 13 And look, his sap has already dried up and disappeared, 14 he has fallen from the heights to the ground, he has come from greatness to insignificance, 15 and his face has faded, and he] 16 Barisat himself is burned up by fire 17 and reduced to ashes and is no more; 18 and you say: "Today I will make another who will prepare my food tomorrow!" 19 "He has been completely destroyed!"

The Elements and Their Creator

1 "I say this: 2 The fire is more worthy of honor than everything that has been made because even what cannot otherwise be subdued is subdued by it, and its flames mock things that are easily destroyed. 3 But I do not call that fire god, because it is subject to water. 4 But water is even more worthy of honor, because it conquers the fire and waters the earth.⁠a 5 But I do not call even it God, because it is subject to the earth, beneath which the water flows. 6 But I call the earth much more worthy of honor, because it overpowers the nature (and the fullness) of the water. 7 Even so, I do not call it (viz. the earth) god, [because] it, too, is dried up by the sun, [and] is assigned to people to farm. 8 [I call the sun more worthy of honor than the earth,] because its rays light up the whole world and the different atmospheres. 9 [But] I do not call even it god, because its path is hidden at night and by clouds." 10 And I do not call the moon or the stars god, because they too sometimes hide [their] light at night.⁠b 11 [But] listen to [this], my father Terah; for I will tell you about the God who has made everything, rather than these we consider gods. 12 Who is He, then? Or what is He? Who has colored the heavens red, and made the sun golden, And the moon shine, and with it the stars; And has made the earth dry in the midst of many waters, And set you among the created things [and tested me in the confusion of my thoughts] "Yet may God reveal Himself to us by Himself!"

Abraham Leaves Terah’s House

1 And while I was thinking this way about my father Terah in the courtyard of his house, the voice of a Mighty One came down from heaven in a fiery cloudburst, calling out: "Abraham, Abraham!" 2 And I said: "Here I am." 3 And He said: "You are searching in your heart for the God of Gods and the Creator; I am He: 4 Leave your father Terah, and leave the house, so that you too are not killed for the sins of your father's house."⁠a 5 And I went out. And as I went out, before I had managed to get past the courtyard door, 6 the sound of a [great] thunderclap came and burned him and his house, and everything in his house, down to the ground,⁠b forty cubits.

The Revelation and the Command to Sacrifice

1 Then a voice spoke to me twice: "Abraham, Abraham!"⁠a 2 And I said: "Here I am!" 3 And He said: "Look, it is I; do not be afraid, for I existed before the worlds, and I am a mighty God who has created the light of the world. 4 I am a shield over you, and I am your helper. 5 Go, bring me a young three-year-old heifer, and a three-year-old female goat, and a three-year-old ram, and a turtledove and a pigeon,⁠b and bring me a pure sacrifice. And in this sacrifice I will show you the ages (to come),⁠c 6 and tell you what has been kept in reserve, and you will see great things which you have not seen (until now); because you have loved searching for me, and I have named you my Friend. 7 But avoid every kind of food cooked over fire, and drinking wine, and rubbing (yourself) with oil for forty days,⁠d 8 and then offer me the sacrifice I have commanded you to make, in the place which I will show you, on a high mountain,⁠e 9 and there I will show you the ages which have been created and established, made and renewed, by my Word, 10 and I will tell you what will happen during them to those who have done evil and (practiced) righteousness among the human race.

The Angel Yahoel

1 And when I heard the voice of Him who spoke these words to me, (and) I looked here and there 2 and look, there was no human breath, and my spirit was terrified, and my soul left me, and I became like a stone, and fell down on the earth, for I had no more strength to stand on the earth. 3 And while I was still lying facedown on the earth, I heard the voice of the Holy One speaking: "Go, Jaoel, who bears my name, through my unutterable Name consecrate that man for me, and strengthen him (so that he recovers) from his trembling." 4 And the angel He had sent to me came in the form of a man, and took my right hand, and stood me on my feet,⁠a 5 and said to me: "Stand up, [Abraham,] Friend of God who loves you;⁠b do not let human fear make you tremble! 6 For look, I have been sent to you to strengthen you and bless you in the name of God, who loves you, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 7 Do not be afraid, and hurry to Him. 8 He who moves those who are with me on the seventh expanse on the heavenly vault calls me Jaoel. I am a power through the unutterable Name that dwells in me.⁠c 9 I have been assigned, by His command, to restrain the threatening attack of the living creatures of the Cherubim against one another, and to teach those who carry Him the song for the seventh hour of the human night. 10 I am appointed to restrain the Leviathans, for the attack and threat of every reptile are subject to me. 11 [I have been ordered to open Hades, to destroy those who revere the dead.] 12 I was ordered to set fire to your father's house with him inside, because he revered dead (idols). 13 I have been sent to bless you now, and the land which the Eternal One, whom you have called on, has prepared for you, 14 and I have traveled over the earth for your sake. 15 Stand up, Abraham! Go without being afraid; be very glad and joyful; and I am with you! For eternal honor has been prepared for you by the Eternal One. 16 Go, fulfill the sacrifices you were commanded to make. For look, I have been appointed to be with you and with the descendants destined (to spring) from you; 17 and with me Michael blesses you forever. Take courage, go!"

1 And I stood up and saw the one who had taken my right hand and stood me on my feet: 2 and the appearance of his body was like sapphire, and the look of his face like chrysolite,⁠a and the hair of his head like snow,⁠b 3 and the turban on his head like the appearance of the rainbow,⁠c and his clothing like purple;⁠d and a golden scepter was in his right hand. 4 And he said to me: "Abraham!" And I said: "Here I am, your servant." And he said: "Do not let my appearance frighten you, or let my speech trouble your soul. 5 Come with me and I will go with you, visible until the sacrifice, but invisible forever after the sacrifice. 6 Take courage, and come!"

The Journey to Horeb

1 And we went, the two of us together, for forty days and nights, 2 and I ate no bread, and drank no water,⁠a because my food was to see the angel who was with me, and his speech was my drink.⁠b 3 And we came to the Mount of God, the glorious Horeb. 4 And I said to the angel: "Singer of the Eternal One! Look, I have no sacrifice with me, and I do not know of a place for an altar on the mountain: how can I bring a sacrifice?" 5 And he said to me: "Look behind you!" 6 And I looked behind me, and saw all the prescribed sacrificial (animals) following us: the young heifer, and the female goat, and the ram, and the turtledove, and the pigeon. 7 And the angel said to me: "Abraham!" I said: "Here I am." 8 And he said to me: "Slaughter all these, and divide the animals in half, placing the halves opposite each other, but do not cut the birds apart;⁠c 9 and ("but") give the halves to the men I will show you standing beside you, for these are the altar on the Mountain, to offer a sacrifice to the Eternal; 10 but give the turtledove and the pigeon to me, for I will go up on the wings of the birds, to show you what is in heaven, and on the earth, and in the sea, and in the abyss, and in the underworld, and in the Garden of Eden, and in its rivers and in the fullness of the whole world and its circle; you will see everything in (them)."

Azazel Challenges Abraham

1 And I did everything as the angel commanded, and gave the angels, who had come to us, the divided animals, but the angel took the birds. 2 And I waited for the evening sacrifice. 3 And an unclean bird flew down on the carcasses, and I drove it away.⁠a 4 And the unclean bird spoke to me, and said: "What are you doing, Abraham, on the holy Heights, where no one eats or drinks, and there is not (any) human food there, but these consume everything with fire, and (will) burn you up. 5 Leave the man who is with you, and run away; for if you go up to the Heights they will destroy you. 6 And when I saw the bird speaking, I said to the angel: "What is this, my lord?" And he said: "This is godlessness, this is Azazel."⁠b 7 And he said to it: "Shame on you, Azazel! For Abraham's lot is in heaven, but yours on the earth. 8 Because you have chosen and loved this as the dwelling(place) of your impurity, the eternal mighty Lord therefore made you live on the earth 9 and through you comes every evil spirit of lies, and through you come anger and trials for the generations of godless people; 10 for God, the Eternal, Mighty One, has not allowed the bodies of the righteous to be in your power, so that in this way the life of the righteous and the destruction of the unclean may be made certain. 11 Listen, counselor, leave me in shame. For you have not been allowed to tempt all the righteous. 12 Leave this man!⁠c 13 You cannot deceive him, because he is an enemy of you and of those who follow you and love what you want. 14 For look, the garment that was once yours in heaven has been set aside for him,⁠d and the mortality that was his has been transferred to you."⁠e

1 The angel said to me: ["Abraham!" And I said: "Here I am, your servant." 2 And he said: "Know from now on that the Eternal One has chosen you, (He) whom you love; 3 take courage and use this authority, as I instruct you, against the one who slanders truth; 4 should I not be able to shame the one who has scattered over the earth the secrets of heaven and has rebelled against the Mighty One?⁠a 5 Say to him: Be the burning coal of the Furnace of the earth; go, Azazel, into the inaccessible parts of the earth;⁠b 6 [for your inheritance is (to be) over those who exist with you and are born with the stars and clouds, with the men who have you as their portion, and (who) exist through your being; 7 and your hostility is justification. So disappear from my presence through your own destruction." 8 And I said the words which the angel had taught me. 9 And he said: "Abraham!" And I said: "Here I am, your servant."] 10 And the angel said to me: "Do not answer him; for God has given him power (lit. will) over those who do answer him." 11 [And Azazel spoke to me a second time 12 and the angel said: "Now, however much he speaks to you, do not answer him, so that his will cannot act freely in you, 13 because the Eternal and Mighty One has given him weight and will; do not answer him." 14 I did what the angel commanded me;] and however much he spoke to me, I gave him no answer at all.

The Ascent to Heaven

1 And the sun went down, and look, there was smoke like that of a furnace. And the angels who had the portions of the sacrifice went up from the top of the smoking furnace.⁠a 2 And the Angel took me with his right hand and set me on the right wing of the pigeon, and seated himself on the left wing of the turtledove,⁠b which (birds) had neither been slaughtered nor divided. 3 And he carried me to the edge of the flaming fire 4 [and we went up as if carried by many winds to the heaven which was fixed on the surface. 5 And I saw in the air] at the height we had reached, a strong light that was impossible to describe, 6 and look, in this light there was a fiercely burning fire, and many people who looked like men, 7 all (constantly) changing in appearance and form, running and being transformed,⁠c and worshiping and crying out words whose sounds I did not recognize.⁠d

1 And I said to the Angel: "Why have you brought me up here now? I can no longer see, because I have grown weak, and my spirit is leaving me." 2 And he said to me: "Stay beside me; do not be afraid! 3 And He whom you see coming straight toward us with a great holy voice is the Eternal One who loves you; but you cannot see Him. 4 But do not let your spirit grow weak [on account of the loud crying], for I am with you, strengthening you.

Abraham’s Song of Praise

1 And while he was still speaking (and) look, fire came toward us from every side, and a voice was in the fire like a voice of many waters, like the sound of the sea in its uproar.⁠a 2 And the angel knelt down with me and worshiped. 3 And I wanted to fall facedown on the earth, and the high place where we stood, [at one moment rose upright,] but at another rolled downward. 4 And he said: "Only worship, Abraham, and sing the song which I have taught you;" 5 because there was no earth to fall on. And I only worshiped, and sang the song which he had taught me. 6 And he said: "Recite without stopping." 7 And I recited, and he himself recited the song with me: 8 Eternal, Mighty, Holy El, God alone, Supreme! 9 You who are the source of Your own existence, incorruptible, spotless, Uncreated, pure, immortal, 10 Complete in Yourself, giving Yourself light; Without father, without mother, not born,⁠b 11 Exalted, fiery One! 12 Lover of humanity, kind, generous, jealous for me⁠c and very compassionate; 13 Eli, that is, My God-Eternal, mighty holy Sabaoth, full of glory. El, El, El, El, Jaoel! 14 You are He whom my soul has loved!⁠d Eternal Protector, 15 shining like fire, Whose voice is like the thunder, Whose appearance is like the lightning, all-seeing, 16 Who receives the prayers of those who honor You! [And turns away from the requests of those who hem You in with their provocations, 17 Who frees those living among the godless and those scattered throughout the world in the age subject to decay, renewing the age of the righteous!] 18 You, Light, shine before the light of the morning on Your creatures, [so that it becomes day on the earth,] 19 And in Your heavenly homes there is an inexhaustible light of indescribable splendor from the lights of Your face. 20 Accept my prayer [and be pleased with it], and also the sacrifice which You Yourself prepared through me as I searched for You! 21 Receive me kindly, and show me, and teach me, And tell Your servant as you have promised me!

The Throne of Glory

1 And while I was still reciting the song, the mouth of the fire which was on the surface rose high into the air. 2 And I heard a voice like the roaring of the sea; and it did not stop because of the great abundance of fire. 3 And as the fire rose higher and higher, I saw under the fire a throne of fire, and all-seeing beings around it, reciting the song, and under the throne four fiery living creatures singing, 4 and they all looked alike, each one of them with four faces.⁠a 5 And their faces looked like those of a lion, a man, an ox, and an eagle.⁠b Four heads [were on their bodies] [so that the four creatures had sixteen faces]; 6 and each had six wings; from their shoulders, [and their sides] and their hips. 7 And with the (two) wings from their shoulders they covered their faces, and with the (two) wings which (sprang) from their hips they covered their feet, while they spread the (two) middle wings to fly straight ahead.⁠c 8 And when they had finished singing, they looked at one another and threatened one another. 9 And when the angel who was with me saw that they were threatening each other, he left me and went running to them 10 and turned the face of each living creature away from the face directly opposite it, so that they could not see each other's threatening faces. 11 And he taught them the song of peace which has its origin [in the Eternal One]. 12 And as I stood alone and looked, I saw behind the living creatures a chariot with fiery wheels, each wheel full of eyes all around; 13 and over the wheels was a throne that I saw, and it was covered with fire, and fire encircled it all around,⁠d and look, an indescribable light surrounded a fiery crowd. 14 And I heard its holy voice like the voice of a man.

The Powers of Heaven

1 And a voice came to me from the middle of the fire, saying: "Abraham, Abraham!" 2 I said: "Here I am!" 3 And He said: "Look at the expanses which are under the heavenly vault on which you are (now) standing, and see that there is no one on any expanse except He whom you have searched for, or who has loved you." 4 And while He was still speaking (and) look, the expanses opened, and the heavens were beneath me. And I saw on the seventh heavenly vault where I stood fire spread over a wide area, and light, and dew,⁠a and a multitude of angels, and a power of invisible glory over the living creatures which I saw; but I saw no other being there.⁠b 5 And I looked from the height at which I stood [downward] to the sixth heavenly vault, 6 and saw there a multitude of angels of (pure) spirit without bodies, who carried out the commands of the fiery angels who were on the eighth heavenly vault,⁠c as I was standing suspended over them. 7 And look, on this heavenly vault there were no powers in (any) other form, but only angels of (pure) spirit, like the power which I saw on the seventh heavenly vault. 8 And He commanded that the sixth heavenly vault be removed. 9 And I saw there, on the fifth heavenly vault, the powers of the stars which carry out the commands given to them, and the elements of the earth obeyed them.

The Promise of Descendants

1 And the Eternal Mighty One said to me: "Abraham, Abraham!" 2 And I said: "Here I am." 3 [And He said:] "Look down at the stars beneath you,⁠a and count them [for me],⁠b and report [to me] their number."⁠c 4 And I said: "How could I do that? For I am only a man [of dust and ashes]."⁠d 5 And he said to me: "As great as the stars in number and power, (so will) I make your descendants a nation and a people, set apart for me in my inheritance with Azazel."⁠e

Abraham Asks about Evil

6 And I said: "Eternal, Mighty One! Let your servant speak in Your presence, and do not let Your anger flare up against Your chosen one! 7 Look, before You led me up Azazel attacked me with words. How, then, while he is not now in Your presence, have You established Yourself with him?"

The Vision of Creation

1 And He said to me: "Look now beneath your feet at the heavenly vaults and understand the creation foreshadowed in this expanse, the creatures that exist on it, and the age prepared according to it."⁠a 2 And I looked beneath the heavenly vault at my feet and saw the likeness of heaven and what was in it, 3 and then the earth and its fruits, and what moved on it and its living beings; and the power of its people, and the godlessness of their souls, and their righteous deeds [and the beginnings of their works], and the lower regions and the destruction in it, the Abyss and its torments. 4 I saw there the sea and its islands, and its monsters and its fish, and Leviathan and his domain, and his camping place, and his caves, and the world which lay on him,⁠b and his movements, and the destruction of the world because of him. 5 I saw there streams and the rising of their waters, and their winding courses. 6 And I saw there the Garden of Eden and its fruits,⁠c the source of the stream flowing from it, and its trees and their bloom, and those who behaved righteously. And I saw in it their food and happiness.⁠d 7 And I saw there a great crowd of men and women and children [half of them on the right side of the picture] and half of them on the left side of the picture.

1 And I said: "Eternal, Mighty One! What is this picture of the creatures?" 2 And He said to me: "This is my will for those who exist in the (divine) plan for the world and it seemed pleasing to me, and then afterward I gave them a command through my Word. And whatever I had decided would exist was already planned in advance in this (picture), and it stood in my presence before it was created,⁠a as you have seen." 3 And I said: "Lord, mighty and eternal! Who are the people in this picture on this side and the other?" 4 And He said to me: "Those who are on the left side are the many peoples who existed earlier and who after you are destined, some for judgment and restoration and others for vengeance and destruction at the end of the world. 5 But those who are on the right side of the picture are the people set apart for me of the peoples with Azazel. These are the ones I have destined to be born from you and to be called My People.

Adam, Eve, and Azazel

1 "Now look again at the picture to see who seduced Eve and what the fruit of the tree is, 2 [and] you will know what will happen, and how it will happen to your descendants among the people in the last days of the age, 3 and I will explain to you whatever you cannot understand, for you are pleasing to me, and I will tell you what is kept in my heart." 4 And I looked into the picture, and my eyes turned toward the side of the Garden of Eden. 5 And I saw there a man very tall and frighteningly broad, unmatched in appearance, embracing a woman, who was similar to the man in appearance and shape. 6 And they were standing under a tree of (the Garden of) Eden, and the fruit of this tree was like the appearance of a bunch of grapes on a vine, 7 and behind the tree stood what looked like a serpent, having hands and feet like a man's, and wings on its shoulders, six on the right side and six on the left,⁠a 8 and he was holding the grapes of the tree in his hands, feeding the two whom I had seen embracing. 9 And I said: "Who are these two embracing each other, or who is this between them, or what is the fruit which they are eating, Mighty Eternal One?" 10 And He said: "This is the human world, this is Adam, and this is their desire on the earth, this is Eve; 11 but he who is between them represents godlessness,⁠b their beginning (on the way) to destruction, Azazel himself." 12 And I said: "Eternal, Mighty One! Why have You given him such power to destroy the human race through its deeds on the earth?" 13 And He said to me: "I gave him power over those who choose (to do) evil, and allowed him to be loved by them. How much I hated (it) in those who do it!"

Abraham Questions the Desire for Evil

14 And I answered and said: "Eternal, Mighty One! Why have You chosen to make people desire evil in their hearts, since You are angry about what You chose, at the one who does what is useless in Your plan?"

Human Sin and Its Punishment

1 And He said to me: "As for the nations and the people of your family who are (to be) separated after you, you see in the picture the burden (of destiny) that (is laid) on them, 2 and I will tell you what will happen, and how much will happen, in the last days. 3 Look now at everything in the picture." 4 And I looked and saw there what existed in creation before me; 5 I saw Adam, and Eve there with him, and with them the cunning Adversary, and Cain who acted lawlessly through the Adversary and the murdered Abel,⁠a (and) the destruction brought and inflicted on him through the lawless one. 6 I saw there also Impurity, and those who desire it, and its pollution,⁠b and their jealousy, and the fire of their corruption in the lowest parts of the earth. 7 I saw there Theft, and those who rush after it, and the arrangement [of their retribution, the judgment of the Great Court]. 8 I saw there naked men, with their foreheads against each other, and their disgrace, and the harm they did to their companions, and their retribution. 9 I saw there Desire, and in her hand the head of every kind of lawlessness [and her scorn and her waste assigned to destruction].

Idolatry in the Temple

1 I saw there the likeness of the idol of jealousy, resembling woodwork such as my father used to make,⁠a and its statue was of glittering bronze; and in front of it was a man, and he worshiped it; 2 and in front of him was an altar, and on it boys were being killed in the presence of the idol. 3 But I said to Him: "What is this idol, or what is the altar, or who are those being sacrificed, or who is making the sacrifice? Or what is the Temple I see with its beautiful craftsmanship, and its beauty (being like) the glory that lies beneath Your throne?" 4 And He said: "Listen, Abraham. What you see, the Temple and altar and beauty, is my idea of the priesthood of my glorious Name, where every human prayer dwells, along with the rise of kings and prophets, and whatever sacrifice I command to be offered to me among my people who will come from your descendants. 5 But the statue which you saw is my anger, because the people who will come from you for me will make me angry. 6 But the man whom you saw slaughtering is the one who angers me, and the sacrifice is the killing of those who are a witness to me of the final judgment, even at the beginning of creation."

Human Choice and Divine Purpose

1 And I said: "Eternal, Mighty One! Why have You made it this way, and then told me about it?" 2 And He said to me: "Listen, Abraham; understand what I say to you, and answer me as I question you. 3 Why did your father Terah not listen to you, and (why) did he not stop his devilish idol worship until he died [and] his whole household with him?" 4 And I said: "Eternal, [Mighty One]! (It was) entirely because he did not choose to listen to me; but I, too, did not do what he did." 5 And He said [to me]: "Listen, Abraham. As your father's plan is in him, and as your plan is in you, so my intended plan is ready within me for the coming days,⁠a before you know about these, 6 or (can) see with your eyes what will happen in them. 7 Look at the picture to see what your descendants will be like."

The Destruction of Jerusalem

1 And I looked and saw: look, the picture swayed and [from it] emerged, on its left side, a pagan people, and they plundered those who were on the right side, men and women and children: 2 [some they slaughtered,] they kept others with them. 3 Look, I saw them run toward them through four entrances, and they burned the Temple with fire, and they plundered the holy things that were in it.⁠a 4 And I said: "Eternal One! Look, hordes of pagans plunder the people (that spring) from me, whom You have accepted, 5 and they kill some, while they hold others captive as foreigners, and they have burned the Temple with fire, and they rob the beautiful things in it [and destroy]. 6 Eternal, Mighty One! If this is so, why have You now torn my heart, and why should this be so?" 7 And He said to me: "Listen, Abraham. What you have seen will happen because of your descendants who anger me because of the statue which you saw, and because of the human slaughter in the picture, in the Temple of jealousy; 8 and it will be as you saw." 9 And I said: "Eternal, Mighty One! May the works of evil (done) in godlessness now pass by, but instead (show me) those who fulfilled the commandments, even the works of his (?) righteousness. For you can do this." 10 And He said to me: "The time of the righteous first reaches [them] through the holiness (flowing) from kings and rulers who act righteously 11 whom I first created so that some of them would rule among them. 12 But from these come people who care for their interests, as I have told you and you have seen."

The Duration of Exile

1 And I answered and said: "Mighty, [Eternal One], holy through Your power! Please grant my request, [for this You have brought me up here, so show me]. As You have brought me up to Your height, 2 so explain [this] to me, Your beloved one, what I ask: will what I saw happen to them for long?" 3 And He showed me a great crowd of His people, 4 and said to me: "Because of them, through four movements, as you saw, they will provoke me,⁠a and in these my punishment for their deeds will be (accomplished).⁠b 5 But during the fourth movement of a hundred years and one hour of the age, which is a hundred years, it will suffer misfortune among the pagans [but one hour in mercy and insults, as among the pagans]."

1 And I said: "Eternal [Mighty One]! And how long is an hour of the Age?" 2 And He said: "I have assigned twelve periods of this godless Age to rule among the pagans and your descendants;⁠a and until the end of the times it will be as you saw. 3 And calculate it and understand and look into the picture."

The Man Worshiped by the Nations

4 And I [looked and] saw a man going out from the left side of the pagans; and men and women and children went out from the side of the pagans in great crowds and worshiped him. 5 And while I was still looking, [many] came out from the right side, and some insulted that man, while some struck him; others, however, worshiped him.⁠b 6 [And] I saw how these worshiped him, and Azazel ran and worshiped him, and after kissing his face, he turned and stood behind him. 7 And I said: "Eternal, Mighty One! Who is the man insulted and beaten, who is worshiped by the pagans with Azazel?" 8 And He answered and said: "Listen, Abraham! The man whom you saw insulted and beaten and again worshiped is the relief (granted) by the pagans to the people who descend from you, in the last days, in this twelfth hour of the Age of godlessness. 9 But in the twelfth period of my final Age I will establish this man from your descendants, whom you saw (come) from my people; 10 everyone will follow this one, and those I call (will) join, (even) those who change in their plans. 11 And those whom you saw emerge from the left side of the picture, this means that many of the pagans will set their hopes on him; 12 and as for those whom you saw from your descendants on the right side, some insulting and striking, others worshiping him, many of them will be led into error because of him." 13 He, however, is testing those of your descendants who have worshiped him, in that twelfth hour of the End in order to shorten the Age of godlessness.⁠c

Judgment and Deliverance

14 "Before the Age of the righteous begins to grow, my judgment will come on the lawless pagans through the people of your descendants who have been separated for me. 15 In those days I will bring on all creatures of the earth ten plagues through misfortune and disease and the sighs of their grieving souls. 16 I will bring this much on the human generations on the earth because of the provocation and the corruption of its creatures, by which they provoke me. 17 And then righteous men of your descendants will remain in their number, protected by me, hurrying in the glory of My Name to the place prepared in advance for them, which you saw devastated in the picture; 18 and they will live and be established through sacrifices and gifts of righteousness and truth in the Age of the righteous, 19 and will be joyful in Me continually; and they will destroy those who have destroyed them, And will insult those who have insulted them, And they will spit in the faces of those who slandered them, who are scorned by Me, 20 while they (the righteous) will see Me full of joy, being joyful with My people, and receiving those who return to Me [in repentance]. 21 See, Abraham, what you have seen. And [hear] what you have heard. And [take full knowledge of] what you have come to know. Go to your inheritance, And look, I am with you forever."

Abraham Returns to Earth

1 But while He was still speaking, I found myself on the earth. And I said: "Eternal, [Mighty One], I am no longer in the glory in which I was (while) above, and I do not understand in my heart what my soul longed to understand."

The Ten Plagues

2 And He said to me: "I will tell you what your heart desires, because you have tried to see the ten plagues which I have prepared for the pagans, and have prepared in advance for when the twelve hours of the earth have passed. 3 Listen to what I tell you; this is how it will happen: 4 the first (is) pain of great distress; the second, the burning of many cities; 5 the third, destruction of animals by epidemic disease;⁠a the fourth, hunger of the whole world and of its people; 6 the fifth, destruction among its rulers by earthquake and the sword;⁠b the sixth, increased hail and snow; 7 the seventh, the wild beasts will be their grave; the eighth, hunger and epidemic disease will take turns destroying them; 8 the ninth, punishment by the sword and fleeing in distress; the tenth, thunder and voices and destructive earthquake.⁠c

The Gathering of Israel

1 "And then I will sound the trumpet from the air, and will send my Chosen One, with one measure of all my power in him; and he will summon my despised people from the nations,⁠a 2 and I will burn with fire those who have insulted them and who have ruled among them in (this) Age. And I will hand those who have mocked me over to the scorn of the coming Age; 3 and I have prepared them to be food for the fire of Hades and for endless flight back and forth through the air in the underworld beneath the earth [the body filled with worms. 4 For the Creator's righteousness will be seen in them by those who have chosen to do my will, and those who have openly obeyed my commandments, (and) they will be joyful at the downfall of the people who remain,⁠b 5 who have followed the idols and their murders. For they will rot in the body of the evil worm Azazel, and be burned with the fire of Azazel's tongue; 6 for I waited for them to come to me, but they refused, 7 and they praised the foreign (god),⁠c 8 and they attached themselves to him, to whom they had not been assigned, and they have abandoned the mighty Lord."

The Promise of Deliverance

1 "So listen, Abraham, and look; your seventh generation (shall) go with you, 2 and they will go out into a foreign land, 3 and they will enslave them, and mistreat them for about an hour of the Age of godlessness; 4 but I will judge the nation they will serve."]