In the Name of the great God.

These are the sayings of John the Baptist, when he took the Jordan of living water, baptized with the living baptism and pronounced the Name of God over it.

Manda dHaije went to John the Baptist and said to him: "Come, John, baptize me with your baptism, with which you baptize, and pronounce over me something of the Name that you are accustomed to pronounce."

Then John said to Manda dHaije: "My belly is hungry for food and my body thirsty for drink. I gather herbs and keep silence. I long for rest, but the souls press me. Now let the morning break; come, then I will baptize you."

When Manda dHaije stood there, he lifted his eyes to the place that is all splendor, to the great place that is all light, and spoke a prayer that was very great, not small. He said: "I make a petition to You, O God, the First, the Living, the Everlasting, to You who are the Vine that is all life, the great Tree that is all healing, who create the creation of life and plant the planting of light, I make to You a very great, not small, petition. For this hour in which I stand, for the twelve hours of the day and the twelve hours of the night, for the twenty-four hours, I ask that they be like one hour. Let the wheels of the day be those of the night, let the wheels of the night be those of the day. Let sleep and slumber come over the eyes of John. May he slumber and lie there, and may his soul be like the good Enos in his glory. At once I will ask him and speak with him about the baptism with which he baptizes, in this hour in which we stand."

Manda dHaije goes and comes from the place that is all splendor, from the place that is all light, from the place where it was granted to him concerning the twelve hours of the day and the twelve hours of the night: they become like one hour. The wheels of the day were taken away; they became those of the night. The wheels of the night were taken away; they became those of the day. It became evening, it became morning, it became night, it became day. Sleep and slumber came over the eyes of John. He slumbered and slept, then he woke up, sneezed, laid his right hand over his eyes and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Then Manda dHaije said: "Peace to you, Master John, aged father, great in honor." John answered Manda dHaije: "Come in peace, little boy, whom I had already summoned yesterday to the Jordan. Today I will not deceive you." Then Manda dHaije said to John: "Come, let the Jordan flow free, spread out your arms, receive me, baptize me with your living baptism, with which you are accustomed to baptize, and pronounce over me something of the Name that you are accustomed to pronounce."

John answered Manda dHaije: "Forty-two years I took the Jordan, I baptized people in the water, and no one has yet called me to the Jordan. Now I will go with you to the Jordan, little boy of three years and one day."

Then Manda dHaije asked John: "What is the baptism with which you baptize?" John answered Manda dHaije: "I throw people into the Jordan like sheep before the shepherd. I draw water over them with my staff and pronounce the Name of God over them." Then Manda dHaije asked John the Baptist: "Whose name do you pronounce over them in the baptism that you baptize?"

Then all the disciples opened their mouth as one and said to John: "For forty-two years you have performed the baptism, and no one has yet called you to the Jordan except this little boy. Do not despise the words he spoke."

The disciples urged John; then John rose, went down into the Jordan, let the Jordan flow free, spread out his arms, received Manda dHaije and said to him: "Come, come, little boy of three years and one day, smallest among his brothers and eldest among his fathers, who is small, but whose words are weighty."

Then Manda dHaije went to John at the Jordan. When the Jordan saw Manda dHaije, it sprang and leapt toward him and leapt over its banks. John stood in the water above the first mouth and below the last mouth, between the waters. He swims and has not the strength to stand. Manda dHaije saw John and was grieved for him. The splendor of Manda dHaije pressed upon the Jordan, and when the Jordan saw the splendor of Manda dHaije, it turned backward, and John stood on dry ground.

Manda dHaije then went up to John and said to him: "Baptize me with your pure baptism and pronounce over me something of the Name that you are accustomed to pronounce."

Then John said to Manda dHaije: "A thousand times a thousand people I have let go down into the Jordan, and ten thousand times ten thousand souls I have baptized in the water. A man like you has not yet passed through my hands. Now dryness has formed here; in what shall I baptize you?"

Then Manda dHaije said to John: "As far as the water goes, go you also, and I will go with you. Baptize me with your pure baptism, with which you are accustomed to baptize, and pronounce over me something of the Name that you are accustomed to pronounce." As far as the Jordan had withdrawn and the water was dry, John went, and Manda dHaije went with him. The splendor of Manda dHaije lay over the Jordan and its banks. The fish opened their mouth from the sea, the birds from the two shores of the ocean. They praised Manda dHaije and said to him: "Blessed are you, Manda dHaije, blessed be the place from which you have come, praised and established be the great place to which you go."

When the voice of the fish from the sea and the voice of the birds from the two shores of the ocean reached the ear of John, he recognized that it is Manda dHaije who was walking with him. Then John said to Manda dHaije: "You are the man in whose service I performed the living baptism." "In whose name do you baptize?" he asked him. John answered Manda dHaije: "In the name of Him who revealed Himself to me, in the name of the One to come who shall come, and of the one who shall be revealed. Lay now your hand of truth and your great right hand of healings upon me, and pronounce over me, your plant that you planted, [your name]. By your name the first and the last shall be made firm."

Then Manda dHaije said to John: "If I lay my hand upon you, you will depart from your body." Then John said to Manda dHaije: "I have seen you; now I do not wish to be here any longer. I have seen you and reached you; now I ask you for truth. Do not cast me away from you, from the place from which you have come. Arm me and give me commands for the great place to which you go. Be gracious to me and reveal to me concerning the mysteries of the kings, concerning the great fruit of light, concerning the anvils and fruits of the earth, (to know) on what they rest, concerning the anvils of the water, from which the living fire spreads, in which life dwells, (to know) who is earlier and greater than the other."

When [Manda dHaije] heard this ...... John upon his banks ...... He took off his garment in the Jordan, he took off his garment of flesh and blood, he clothed him with a garment of splendor and covered him with a good, pure turban of light. Manda dHaije continued his way to the place that is all splendor, to the place that is all light, and John went with him. The fish from the sea and the birds from the two shores of the ocean gathered over the body of John and covered it. When John saw his body, he was grieved for it. Then Manda dHaije said to John: "Why are you grieved over the flesh and blood that I took off you? If you wish, I will bring you back into it."

Then John said to Manda dHaije: "Blessed and praised be the man who took off from me the garment of flesh and blood, who redeemed and freed me from it. Praised, glorified, established and honored be the chosen man who clothed me with the garment of splendor and covered me with the good, pure turban of light in which I was. No, I grieved over my children, who are full of zeal, whom I had to leave behind without anyone to instruct them."

Then Manda dHaije answered him: "He who dwelt in your mind and in your heart will also dwell in the mind and heart of your children. My son, I know why you grieved." Then John said to Manda dHaije: "You too know the hearts and see through the minds. Hearts, liver and kidneys are spread out before you like the sun. You split a hair and see what is in it. You know what is in the light and what is in the darkness." So his mouth spoke in glory.

Then (Manda dHaije) took sand from the sea and from the two shores of the ocean, stepped forward and cast it over the body of John. From that day the covering of bodies came about.

Manda dHaije continued his way to the place that is all splendor, to the place that is all light, and John went with him. He went and came to the watch-house of the holy Ptahil, who is bereft of splendor, cut off from light, whom God cut off and let go from His company. He set him apart in a wilderness and left him to sit alone.

When Ptahil saw Manda dHaije, his throne bowed beneath him. He rose from it, praised and blessed Manda dHaije and said to him: "Praised are you, Manda dHaije, blessed be the place from which you have come, and praised, glorified and established be the great place to which you go. Intercede for me, by God's leave, with God the Almighty on high, who has cast ruin and fetters upon me and does not let me ascend to behold God on high."

Then Manda dHaije said to John: "Tell this noble one that the forgiveness of God has been granted to him. You also, the human being, I have made like one of the kings, like the great Uthras from the house of glory. Go, convey to him the words."

Then John said to Ptahil: "The forgiveness of God has been granted to you and to your master, the Uthra, the man who equipped you, charged you and sent you here."

Manda dHaije continued his way to the place that is all splendor, to the place that is all light. He went and came to the watch-house of the lofty Abathur. A thousand times a thousand (stand there) to lift their eyes to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before him (at his service). They hold high his throne, which is high and on which he sits.

When Abathur saw Manda dHaije, he stood up from his throne. Then Manda dHaije said to Abathur: "Stay, stay, Abathur, seated on your throne, which is high, splendid and guarded, which the mighty God on high has granted you." Then Abathur said to Manda dHaije: "When you go, remember me before God." Then Manda dHaije said to Abathur: "When I go, speak and tell, they will come and lift your throne up among the men, the sons of salvation. When I go and speak and am well heard, two angels from on high will come. They will lift the high curtain between the summit of your dwelling and the mighty God. They will let you hear and speak to you, and they will let the mighty God hear and say that Manda dHaije has gone and extended truth to Abathur."

Manda dHaije continued his way to the place that is all splendor, to the place that is all light, and John went with him. They went and came to the four men, the sons of salvation: In-Hai (Fountain of Life), Sum-Hai (Name of Life), Ziw-Hai (Splendor of Life), Nhur-Hai (Light of Life). The man of tried righteousness took him (John) and set him in the place of safety. He took John by the hand and set him in the place of safety. The Uthras showered him with orders of prayer, prayers, services and hymns and said: "Come, let us go and see the man who has come from the world, the man of tried righteousness, who remained truthful and firm in faith amid the evil schemes and beneath the throne of the old Abathur." Each one clothes him with a part of his splendor, each one covers him with a part of his light. They sprang up and clothed him with garments of living fire that is without end and number.

John now stood there in the place that is all splendor, in the place that is all light. He stood there in a faith that was very great, not small. And John said: "I make a petition to You, O God, the First, the Living, the Everlasting, to You who are the Vine that is all life, the great Tree that is all healing, who create the creation of life, plant the planting of light and found the first likeness in the house of life, I make to You a very great, not small, petition: in accordance with this hour in which I stand, in accordance with this ascent by which I have ascended, may all truthful and believing people ascend, who are marked with the sign of faith, baptized with the pure baptism, and over whom the Name of the mighty, first God has been pronounced."

Praised be God, truth is victorious, and victorious is the man who has gone here.