Lost Books of the Bible (19 page)

28 He then said to one of them, "One of you go back, and we will wait for you here until you come back. Then will we clothe Jared and he shall be like us, good, handsome, and fit to come with us into our country."

29 Then that one went back.

30 But when he was a short distance off, the old one called to him and said to him, "You stay there until I come up and speak to you."

31 Then he stood still and the old one went up to him and said to him, "One thing we forgot at the cave, it is this; we forgot to put out the lamp that burns inside the cave, above the bodies that are in there. Do it and come back to us, quickly."

32 That one went, and the old one came back to his fellows and to Jared. And they came down from the mountain, and Jared was with them.  And they stayed by a fountain of water, near the houses of the children of Cain and waited for their companion until he brought the garment for Jared.

33 Then he who went back to the cave, put out the lamp, and came to them and brought an apparition with him and showed it them. And when Jared saw it he wondered at the beauty and grace thereof, and rejoiced in his heart believing it was all true.

34 But while they were staying there, three of them went into houses of the sons of Cain and said to them, "Bring us today some food by the fountain of water, for us and our companions to eat."

35 But when the sons of Cain saw them, they were in awe at them and thought: "These men are beautiful to look at. We have never seen such before." So they rose and came with them to the fountain of water, to see their companions.

36 They thought them so very handsome that they called aloud about their places for others to gather together and come and look at these beautiful beings. Then they gathered around them both men and women.

37 Then the old one said to them, "We are strangers in your land, bring us some good food and drink, and bring yourselves and your women, so we can entertain (refresh) ourselves with you."

38 When those men heard these words of the old one, every one of Cain's sons brought his wife, and another brought his daughter, and so, many women came to them; every one calling out to Jared either for himself or for his wife.

39 But when Jared saw what they did, his very soul wrenched itself from them and he would not taste their food or their drink.

40 The old one saw him as he wrenched himself from them, and said to him, "Do not be sad. I am the great elder, as you shall see me do, do yourself in like manner."

41 Then he spread his hands and took one of the women, and five of his companions did the same in front of Jared, that he should do as they did.

42 But when Jared saw them doing their wickedness he wept, and said in his mind, “My fathers never acted like this.”

43 He then spread his hands and prayed with a fervent heart, and with much weeping, and begged God to deliver him from their hands.

44 No sooner did Jared begin to pray than the old one fled with his companions; for they could not abide in a place of prayer.

45 Then Jared turned round but could not see them, but found himself standing in the midst of the children of Cain.

46 He then wept and said, "0 God, do not destroy me with this race, concerning which my fathers have warned me.  For now, my Lord God, I was thinking that those who appeared to me were my forefathers, but I have found them out to be devils, who lured me by way of this beautiful apparition, until I believed them.

47 "But now I ask You, 0 God, to deliver me from this race, among whom I am now staying, as You did deliver me from those devils. Send Your angel to pull me out of the middle of them. I do not have the power within myself to escape from among them."

48 When Jared had ended his prayer, God sent His angel into the middle of them and he took Jared and set him up on the mountain, and showed him the way, and he gave him wise advice, and then departed from him.

Chapter XVIII

1 The children of Jared were in the habit of visiting him hour after hour, to receive his blessing and to ask his advice for every thing they did, and when he had work to do, they did it for him.

2 But this time when they went into the cave they did not find Jared, but they found the lamp put out, and the bodies of the fathers thrown about, and voices came from them by the power of God, that said, "Satan in an apparition has deceived our son, wishing to destroy him, as he destroyed our son Cain."

3 They said also, "Lord God of heaven and earth, deliver our son from the hand of Satan, who produced such a great and false specter before him." They also spoke of other matters, by the power of God.

4 But when the children of Jared heard these voices they feared, and stood weeping for their father because they did not know what had happened to him.

5 And they wept for him that day until the setting of the sun.

6 Then Jared come with a mournful expression, miserable in mind and body, and sorrowful at having been separated from the bodies of his fathers.

7 But as he came near the cave, his children saw him and ran to the cave, and hugged his neck, crying, and saying to him, "0 father, where have you been, and why have you left us because we know you did not want to?" And they spoke again saying, "Father, when you disappeared the lamp over the bodies of our fathers went out, and the bodies were thrown about, and voices came from them"

8 When Jared heard this he was sorry, and went into the cave; and there found the bodies thrown about, the lamp put out, and the fathers themselves praying for his deliverance from the hand of Satan.

9 Then Jared fell upon the bodies and embraced them, and said, "My fathers, through your intercession, God delivered me from the hand of Satan! I beg you to ask God to keep me and to hide me from him to the day of my death."

10 Then all the voices ceased except the voice of our father Adam, who spoke to Jared by the power of God, just as one would speak to his friend, saying, "Jared, my son, offer gifts to God for having delivered you from the hand of Satan. And when you bring those offerings, offer them on the same altar on which I gave offerings. Even then you must beware of Satan, for he deluded me many a time with his specters, wishing to destroy me, but God delivered me out of his hand.

11 "Command your people that they be on their guard against him, and never cease to offer up gifts to God."

12 Then the voice of Adam also became silent; and Jared and his children wondered at this. Then they laid the bodies as they were at first; and Jared and his children stood praying the entire night, until break of day.

13 Then Jared made an offering and offered it up on the altar, as Adam had commanded him. And as he went up to the altar, he prayed to God for mercy and for forgiveness of his sin concerning the lamp going out.

14 Then God appeared to Jared on the altar and blessed him and his children, and accepted their offerings; and commanded Jared to take of the sacred fire from the altar and light the lamp that shed light on the body of Adam.

Chapter XIX

1 Then God again revealed to him the promise He had made to Adam. He explained to him the 5500 years, and revealed to him the mystery of His coming to the earth.

2 And God said to Jared, "Let that fire you have taken from the altar to light the lamp abide with you to give light to the bodies. Do not let it come out of the cave until the body of Adam comes out.

3 But, Jared, take care of the fire, so that it burns brightly in the lamp. Do not go out of the cave again until you received an order through a vision, and not in an apparition, you see.

(Author’s note:  The distinction here is that a vision is internal and an apparition is external. Only God can guide us internally. Satan must entice and trick through external ploys.)

4 "Then command your people again not to have relations with the children of Cain, and not to learn their ways, for I am God who does not love hatred and works of iniquity."

5 God also gave many other commandments to Jared, and He blessed him. And then withdrew His Word from him.

6 Then Jared came near to his children, took some fire, and came down to the cave and lighted the lamp in front of the body of Adam. Then he gave his people the commandments just as God had told him to do.

7 This sign happened to Jared at the end of his four hundred and fiftieth year, as did many other wonders we did not record. But we record only this one for the sake of brevity to shorten our written account.

8 And Jared continued to teach his children eighty years, but after that they began to break the commandments he had given them, and to do many things without his permission. They began to go down from the Holy Mountain, one after another, and mix with the children of Cain, in obscene association.

9 Now the reason the children of Jared went down the Holy Mountain will now be revealed to you.

Chapter XX.

1 After Cain had gone down to the land of dark soil, and his children had multiplied, there was one of them, whose name was Genun, son of Lamech the blind who slew Cain.

2 Satan came to Genun in his childhood and made a variety trumpets and horns, and string instruments, cymbals and psalteries, and lyres and harps, and flutes. And Genun played them at all times and at every hour.

3 And when he played them, Satan came to them so that from among them were heard beautiful and sweet sounds that seized the heart with delight.

4 Then he gathered many crowds to play on them, and when they played it greatly pleased the children of Cain, who fanned themselves to flames of sin among themselves and they burned with fire while Satan inflamed their hearts with one another, and lust increased among them.

5 Satan also taught Genun to make strong drink out of corn.  Genun used this to bring together crowd upon crowd in houses of drink, and brought into their hands all kinds of fruits and flowers, and they drank together.

6 Genun did this to multiply sin greatly. He also acted with pride, and taught the children of Cain to commit all manner of the grossest wickedness, which they did not know until then. And he put them up to all kinds of deeds, which they did not know of before.

7 Then, when Satan saw that they obeyed Genun and listened to him in every thing he told them, he rejoiced greatly, and he increased Genun's understanding until he took iron and with it made weapons of war.

8 Then when they were drunk, hatred and murder increased among them. One man would use violence against another and Satan would teach him evil in that one man would take the other man’s children and defile them before him.

9 And when men saw they were vanquished and saw that others were not beaten, those who were beaten came to Genun and took refuge with him, and he made them part of his group.

10 Then sin increased among them greatly, until a man married his own sister, or daughter, or mother, and others, or the daughter of his father's sister (first cousin), so that there was no more distinction of relationship, and they could no longer discern what was sin and what was not, but always were wicked and the earth was defiled with sin. And they angered God the Judge, who had created them.

11 But Genun gathered together groups and groups, that played on horns and on all the other instruments we have already mentioned, at the foot of the Holy Mountain. They did that so the children of Seth who were on the Holy Mountain would hear it.

12 But when the children of Seth heard the noise, they wondered, and came by companies, and stood on the top of the mountain to look at those below. This went on an entire year.