In the name of the great, strange God from the worlds of light, the exalted, who is above all works, let healing, victory and forgiveness of sins be granted to me, N.N., to my wife N.N., to my children N.N., to my brothers N.N., to my father N.N. and to my mother N.N.

God made a dwelling,

and splendour rose in the lofty ether.

This is the mystery and the book of the great Enosh, son of the great Seth, son of the great Adam.

A son of the place of light am I, a son of the bright dwelling am I, which is wholly peopled with angels, a son of the city that is wholly goodness. — According to the plan of the two angels, according to the thought which they bear within them, they brought forth the great, first, singular angel. He said of himself: "I am the single one, great and righteous." God called into being and made a beloved angel, that he might be a discerner for himself and for his father, the righteous, that he might instruct about all the works that were to come to be, and give instruction before his father. He called this beloved angel the single, great and righteous one: "One angel made me." And another angel, his son, who was called "the Discerner": "One made me and One called me into being." Of the two angels, my brothers, who are as my parents, one bears the name Sarhabel-Ziwa, Sihlun, the good light, who gives excellent counsel to his brothers who are older than he, and also to his brothers who are younger than he, who were made together. All three were made in one garment and became a good omen for the other souls, who will see that he is truthful, trustworthy, gentle and excellent. Another bears the name Rahziel, the vigorous, the smallest among his brothers. Two garments lie ready for him, that he may be kept in them and covered in them from the wicked and the destroyers whom the rebels send against them.

The father, that first radiance, commanded and admonished his son, and said: "I am the one who acted and prospered, who did right and held fast to the nest from which he came forth." He called his son Z'hir-Smir-Ziwa, who was a preserved soul. He said to him: "Rise, provide for thy angels, thy brothers, who are thy sons. Provide them with the provision I have granted thee. Clothe them with splendour, cover them with light, and let them dwell in the garment of living light, the three angels who go from outside to that place to make the call of life heard. They will be set up together; their splendour, their speech and their word shall agree. They shall be made firm, ...... their form; they shall shine together. Sword, fire and water of that world shall not come near them. Wickedness, plotting and signalling, the lords of distress, press upon them and upon the garment of living light in which they stand and are kept, yet they have no unrest. Also as to the garment, against which they scheme and say "We will take it from them", they have no power to take it from them, and they do not hinder them from putting it on.

The great first one said: "It is appointed for these three angels to go, to found peoples and to spread the name of God and the splendour of God over that world in which darkness and death have been made for them. All beings who will be there do not know, did not know, the two angels who, apart from me, Manda d-Haije, are planning to order a world. I enlightened myself and the angels, my brothers, who are my sons, the three angels who are destined for there and called there, who made light in the darkness, so that life arises in death and they bring out the souls of the chosen, who are destined for the House of Life and desired, these three angels who went from here to that world; they will receive a firm seat in it and will share in fellowship with the House of Life; they will receive a firm seat in the dwelling of God.

Manda d-Haije also calls, speaks and teaches all his friends. He says: "Behold, I have taught all beings who will be, and all the souls of the children of men who will be there: Death is there with you in that world in which you dwell. Behold, for the sake of God and these three angels, who have come from outside to that place to make the call of life heard and to make light, so that relief may be granted to the souls, let them be made firm by the call of life, let them testify and praise; in that world of darkness they shall find relief when they leave the garment of darkness in which they dwelt and lived."

Manda d-Haije said further: "I taught you about the Life: God sent to you death and darkness, who sit and dwell there with you in the world; they dwell with you. Death and darkness have no light. The souls there find no relief when they leave the body of darkness in which they dwell, and do not see the light. They leave the darkness and are lodged in the darkness that is beneath them."

Manda d-Haije spoke thus to all beings who will be. He said: "All you souls who are cast there into darkness and death, why, when that last day is with you, would you look upon the comfort of the souls of the men of tested righteousness, who heeded the call of life, to whom Manda d-Haije called, and who then believed in him and were made firm through him, and believed the word of the three men? Manda d-Haije brought them radiance, clothed them with radiance and covered them with light. They find comfort in fullness and bliss in fullness, and their heart rejoices in the comfort they found. You will stand there while the men of tested righteousness, clothed with radiance and covered with light, pass by you and ascend to the great place of light. You will have to look on, while you are lodged in the darkness of this world, pitying yourselves. You will say: Why did we not hearken to the word that was called to us, and did not go out on this fair way on which these righteous go out?" They say: "We must suffer, because it was called into our ear and we would not hear." They say further: "Who will go and admonish our children, that they be not held back (on this side): Do not walk on this way of ours, do not do the works that we did? For we are lodged here in the great darkness. Hearken rather to the word of these three truthful and faithful men, confess the Living God and bear witness to Manda d-Haije. These three men, the sons of the great tribe of the righteous, made the call of life heard and confessed [God]. On the way that the truthful and faithful men go, walk also you.

They do not let us go and say to our children: We are cast into evil darkness, and our eyes do not see the light. They shut the gates of darkness against us and do not let us [go out]. Daily, every day, they let loose pain and doom against us. Each one of us they question according to the works and the wages we earned in this world, which they did not make. Numerous also are the other souls of the children of men, who die here like lamps, as if they had never been, and whom no one questions. Because they did evil and ugly works, there is no questioning of them there in the world. There these die without being questioned, and are bound there. What are your works, that you should not die like these, who die and perish?"

Manda d-Haije teaches and speaks about those who die and perish, about those who are bound and questioned: "Day after day ..... these [souls], who are bound and questioned, the merchants who are partners of one another and deal dishonestly, the brothers who are brothers to one another and yet are robbers and do not speak peaceably with one another: it will be so with them also. Every Nasoraean who leaves the word of God and speaks another word of transgressions, who leaves the way of God and walks the way of darkness: it will be so with them also. Those who stand in the darkness and whose soul sighs speak thus to one another: How long shall ..... be to them?"

Manda d-Haije says: "Each one is questioned according to his own works. The Nasoraeans are judged according to their right, and the nobles according to their works. Then the Nasoraeans come forward and submit to God, praise Manda d-Haije and say to him: "We have sinned and erred by the wickedness of the rebel powers of this world, which worked among us. Now forgive us our sins. Thou, Manda d-Haije, redeem us from the darkness of this world, into which we are cast.""

Then Manda d-Haije says to all the souls of the Nasoraeans: "Those who are cast there into the darkness and call upon me, who were marked with the sign of life but left the way of life and went down to the Jordan in the name of the Deceiver and of the false messiah — who shall forgive them their sins? But the other souls, who walked in the transgressions of the Deceiver and the false messiah [and were not marked with their sign], because they practised almsgiving and kindness in this world, suffer according to the works that they practised in the world, because they were not marked with the sign of the Deceiver and the false messiah. These souls of these nobles and Nasoraeans, and of all the gates, who are marked with the sign of the Deceiver and the false messiah and confess the gods of this world — the Deceiver and the false messiah say to all the gates: "Yes, I will let you ascend to Paradise. When you depart from your body, you will go there and find grace." But Manda d-Haije says to them: "Here is the darkness into which you are cast and now call upon me. Here is the Paradise on which you hoped. Now here are your houses: the darkness into which you are cast, without anyone being able to bring you up out of it. Day after day, year after year and month after month your souls waste away and are held in that darkness in which you stand, until the day, the Day of Judgement, until the hour, the hours of redemption.

Moreover, on that day when heaven and earth end, when earth and heaven were your houses, in which the rebellious powers walk: they all perish. The Deceiver and the false messiah, sun, moon and the stars all come to an end. Also the children of men who confessed the Deceiver, the false messiah and the false god, come to an end with the Deceiver. They come to an end on the great Day of the End ...... and with the Deceiver, who revealed to you the secret of death. After death you go and fall into the darkness. I called you to Life, in which the name of death is not. I called you to the light in which there is no darkness. I called to you: "Clothe yourselves with radiance and cover yourselves with light and go out on the way of life. I will lead you out on the path on which the name of death is not, the name of darkness is not." But you did not hearken to me, and the word of the angels did not please you. Also the children of men who are of the race of the bodily Adam and Eve, who hearkened to the call of life, believed in it and let themselves be taught through it, who hearkened to the call of these three men and held fast to their word, who hated death and loved life, hated darkness and loved light, clothed themselves with radiance and covered themselves with light, ascend on the great way of life; they came and found life. They too called the call of life into your ear, but you did not hearken to it. You, then, sons of Adam and Eve, why did you not hearken to their words and walk the way of life that the righteous walk? Now you come, on the way you loved, to your false god, who led you astray. In what did you put your trust? Those other souls that die, come to an end, pass away and are extinguished like a lamp, that dwelt in that world of darkness, there is no questioning of them.""

Manda d-Haije speaks and declares to the men of tested righteousness: "These souls that commit murder and have shed the blood of a son of Adam on the earth, those who take captives, who sell what they have not bought with their gold, not acquired with their possessions and not traded with their trade, who go and destroy the houses of the free and make them slaves and free women maidservants, the souls of the adulterous men and adulterous women, who live on the might of rulership and do no kindness, who punish the father and acquit the son, who take from them steel and strength without their being able to resist them, so that their soul is grieved over them — all the souls that have done the ugly works of the rebel powers come to an end, all false gods and their hosts come to an end."

The Foremost, the First also made firm the three angels, blessed them and made them firm, and made firm the beloved son, the Discerner, the first, and said to these three angels: "I have blessed you with a blessing, as parents bless their children. Go into that world, plead the case there and acquit the souls that were brought from here to there. They were brought into that world of darkness, where death reigns. Acquit and bring out those of them who are called and desired, who hearken to the word of life, are made firm through Manda d-Haije, hearken to your word, go out with the radiance and light of Manda d-Haije and are made firm in the House of Life. For you three angels, Abel, your eldest brother, will pronounce justice and judge in that world. For the eldest brother is as the father. He will be the head, he will be the judge over the judges of this world. They call to him: "Whence has this pebble come upon us, standing there and angering us in this our own world?" [He is] the head of our people in this world, whose speech, voice and word are heard."

The First says to the three angels: "Go and return to the dwelling from which you came, to that which God made for you, the palace of radiance and the chamber of light. You will go out victorious when your works are complete. Your face will shine with joy, you will sit in the dwelling of the Chief of the radiant ones, whose light shines more than the whole world, who surpasses the kings who were set over that world. Go now, clothed with radiance and covered with light, may your locks be twisted on your head, and you will be called the head of the people of life, from whose dwelling you fetch the souls that will ascend with the call of life to the chamber that I have built for you. All souls who believed in it (God) will be placed as men of tested righteousness with you in this great dwelling of God and in the chamber of the great God that I have made for you. Manda d-Haije will set you in this dwelling and lead you up to the House of Life. Also all the souls of those formed of flesh and blood who hearken to the voice of God and are faithful will share in fellowship with the House of Life."

The rebellious powers stand there and plot evil against them in this world. [They say:] "Let them see us and fear us and submit to us." They say further: "We will take our garment from them, and let it be ours." They raised their voice against them, but they did not tremble or quake, and trembling and fear were not with them. They say further: "Then we will coax them with cunning, flattery and caresses; but they do not stand with us and let themselves not be coaxed by us." They say further: "We will approach them with gentleness and kindness; perhaps they will come to us and side with us."

Abel the righteous spoke to his brothers and sons: "Go, step in among them. Now they want to make me their lord, now they want to worship me. They say to me: We will prepare a sacrificial cake for thee. Behold, I shall not be won over by their worship or by their sacrificial cake. I will cast them down and leave them lying, and throw greed and heat upon them all. When I depart from their midst, all worlds will then be inflamed by their own greed and will glow." So I spoke to my brothers, and declared it likewise to my sons. I went and stepped in among them (the rebels), while they came to meet me and said: "Come, lord of the gods, lord of the whole world." The rebels rejoice, the Deceiver who was with them rejoices. They say to me: "Come, be our head, be the head of the whole world." The Deceiver and the great creature took the crown from their head. The rebels bow down before me and say to me: "Accept worship from us, accept the sacrificial cake from us." But I answered the Deceiver and all the rebels thus: "I am no man who accepts a bribe or who throws to the wind the word with which his parents commanded him and the words with which his parents admonished him."

When the Deceiver heard this, she said to the rebels: "The man does not belong to us, and his speech is not of your speech. He has no mixture with you, and he is not a child of your speech. His speech comes from outside. I tried to beguile him, the stranger, but he let himself not be beguiled. Now let us devise a secret plan against him; perhaps we shall catch him by the secret plan."

They speak to me in falsehood, but I am more cunning than they. They speak in craftiness, but I am more crafty than all of them. They all sat down again and know that I shall escape them. They say: "Speak to us with thy pure speech and sing to us of thy wondrous song." Then I spoke with my pure voice and sang of my wondrous song. I sing more wondrously than all the world. I speak with my lovely speech, lovelier than all the world, in which there is no mixture with lies. I sang and cast them down and threw shame on them all. I spoke and put them to shame; my song was not like their song, my speech was not like their speech. I rose from their midst and threw shame on them all. They shut their eyes, and they were all afraid and grieved. I laughed at them and shamed them and let loose a laughter over them all. I rose, left them and withdrew from their midst, from the garment in which there is decay and from which foul odour comes. I went, put on the pure garment that my parents gave me, the pure garment in which we dwell, in which there is neither decay nor foul odour. Its fragrance is wondrous, and the radiance of my brothers is lovely upon me.

They stand there and devise a secret plan against my garment, they conceive a ..... against me and say: "With what can we seize this people and make it vanish from the world?" — "With the sword?" they say to one another, "the sword does not reach them. Rather with fire we will seize them and remove this people. If the fire does not reach them, we will seize them with water and remove this people."

The Deceiver says: "Come, let us wait a little." Then the rebels speak, and the powers take counsel: "If sword, fire and water sweep away the world and the head of this people, then the world will be like him." Then they say: "Let us take of this leaven, which is kept in our treasure-house." Then they took of the leaven of the world, which is kept in their treasure-house, that a world might arise from it. They let the sword go and took against us ......

God knew there what was going on here, that they were devising plots against us. In a moment Manda d-Haije came, bringing radiance, bringing living, primal light and brightness from the House of Life. He clothed Abel with radiance, covered him with light, and appointed his deliverance from the sword. Those souls who bore witness to the call of the three men and believed in Manda d-Haije [departed] before the sword.

Abel went out, without the rebels knowing that he had gone from here. He laid out a road and set up a milestone for his brothers, whom he had left here in the garment of life, among whom he had dwelt. To the spirits and souls of the excellent men comfort was granted in this world, and they were given a share in fellowship with the House of Life. Manda d-Haije did good to those who held fast to the name and the words of these three men.