Then the sword fell upon the world. Manda d-Haije commanded Seth: "Fix thine eyes on thy son Enosh, who is thy younger brother, and on the garment of living light in which you stand. I will go, assign Abel a place in the new chamber, and then come quickly to you. Fear not the sword of the rebels, and let neither fear nor anguish be with you. Afterwards, behold, I come to you. The eye of God is upon you. I covered you with the garment of life which He bestowed on you. Truly, I am with you. Every time you seek me, you will find me; every time you call me, I will answer you. I am not far from you."

These words Manda d-Haije addressed to Seth. Seth also gave them the pledge of Truth. Then Abel said to Seth: "Come soon after me, and let Enosh come after thee. And all the souls of the men of tested righteousness who confessed God and depart shall come before thee and after thee on the way on which we departed, which Manda d-Haije has made ready for us."

Satan and the rebels did not know it. They went out and cast the sword into the world. But the sword did not reach these men, because Manda d-Haije was with them. When calm had come into this world, the angels who are set over wrath saw that these men shone in their radiance and stood there in this world; so they went and said to the great rebel and to Satan: "Truly these men stand in their own radiance, and the sword did not reach them." Then the rebels took of the leaven of the world, which was in their treasure-house and kept with them, ...... Ram and Rud, of the children of Adam, from whom the children of men were to be awakened. These men stand in their radiance in the world, and the rebels can do nothing against them. Then they took two from each [kind] out of the world ......

Satan and the great rebel fell into anger and spoke to the angels who are set over wrath. They said to the angel who is set over the fire: "Cast fire into the whole world; perhaps we shall prevail over them with fire." So they cast fire into the world. Then Manda d-Haije came, stepped up to these men, and the fire did not reach them. When calm had come into this world, [the angels saw] that these three men stood in this world and that they could do nothing against them. So these angels who are set over wrath went and said to their masters: "These men stand in their radiance in this world, and we can do nothing against them."

Then they took of the leaven of this world, which was kept with them in their treasure-house, ...... and their names were Surbai and Sarhabel, of the tribe of Kaas, from whom the world was awakened. Then Manda d-Haije came, brought out the excellent Seth, who gives good counsel, clothed him with an excellent robe of radiance and covered him with a garment of light, so that his radiance showed in the whole world. He led him out on the way on which Abel had gone, and made him dwell in the chamber in which Abel had dwelt, and where for the souls fellowship with the House of Life is prepared, for whom there is no separation. He left Enosh in this great garment in which his brothers had dwelt, which his brothers had entrusted to Enosh and with which his parents had equipped him. Manda d-Haije said to Enosh: "Fear not and be not anxious, and do not say: they have left me alone in this world of the wicked. For soon I come to thee."

I stand there and wear away in my garment, yet my heart is not oppressed, nor is my conscience oppressed. Within myself I reflect, I stand alone in [this world] and say: "Who will remove the wickedness of this world? All my brothers were here with me, and I grew up among them, like a son whom his parents raised and his elder brothers ...... I grew up among them, while they speak and hear in this world of the wicked and the destroyers. What shall I now do alone in this world of the wicked?" I composed parables, I composed a parable about myself and said:

"Who has brought you, my feet, here,

who brought me up to the dwelling of the wicked?"

I stand in the garment of my brothers, which God bestowed on them. Then I say: "Whither goes this world, on what does it walk? When my brothers were here, I called my brothers to look at the world, but I did not ask them about it. I lifted up my eyes and beheld the whole world: the heaven, the stars that have risen on it, the sun and the moon, the angels who are set over the heaven and also over the earth, the twelve signs of the zodiac through which sun and moon pass, the angels who are set over water, wind and fire, the earth, on what it rests, the mountains and the seas, the fruits, grapes and trees. Who will tell me about them, whence they came, on what they rest and on what they stand? About this relay (of the stars) that rises at dawn, and the four angels who draw it. About the other relay that rises by night; angels draw it; they are not alike. About this relay that rises by day and shines for the children of men and brings light. This does not bring its light up to the House of Life at all, but is only for what is made and created by the children of men. There are some who rejoice over it, some who are grieved over it and say: "Why did the day rise and why did the morning come?" And this other relay that rises by night: there are some who rejoice over it, some who are grieved over it and weep and say: "Why did the night come and why did the moon rise?" These stars that stand in the heaven walk by day and night, go about and turn in the heaven and have no standing in one place. They do no good to the children of men. One they impoverish, another they enrich; they bring harm to every child of man. The slave they make free, the free they make a slave. Here they deceive the souls of the children of men and lead them into error. They outwit them and hold some of their souls back with them until the last day."

When I saw that the world was so constituted, I trembled and quaked, and my body, which was stretched out, bent down. Sighing entered my heart, trembling entered my heels, and they did not stand firm on their support. I reflected thus and said: "My elder brothers left me in this world of the wicked, and they do not come and deliver me from here. Yet Manda d-Haije said to me: I will come to thee myself." I reflect and feel pity for my brothers, who do not come and deliver me from here, I who stand alone in my garment, which my brothers left upon me in this world.

The wicked sat down and devise evil against me. I hear how they call the angels who are set over wrath, saying: "Life has awakened in fullness, and the children of men were there in fullness. They speak in the speech of the strange Life, they speak in the speech of these three men. They join themselves to the Living One and submit to these three men. They rise against us and despise us in this our own world." They take counsel together against me and ..... in their inmost thoughts that they can do nothing to me.

As they devise their secret plan against me and against the garment in which I stand: to whom do my eyes look up, and in whom do I trust? I hope in Manda d-Haije, that he come and be a support to me in this world, that he rescue me from the wicked, as he rescued my brothers from the sword and the fire of the wicked of this world.

I, the little Enosh, was years upon years ...... where my brothers were. I outlived them here, though I came into this world after them and ...... The wicked plot against me and against the garment in which I stand and am kept, the wicked who hated the call of life. Who shall call [the call of life] in this world? They say to one another: "In our own world the call of life shall not be called; it belongs rather to us." Then they called the angels of wrath and commanded them: "Go down to the earth and say to Noah: Build an ark. Call and set carpenters to work, go and fell cedars from the land of Lebanon and female cedars from the mountain Jatur." Say to him: "Set carpenters to work and build an ark, take two of every kind, male and female, and put them in the chest which thou makest, for we will take away the world."

... and against the head of these three men, against this garment in which I stand ..... For the rebels say: "Perhaps we may wipe them out of this world, that no one may pronounce their name and their speech and no one hear their speech." For they, the wicked, the lords of the house, know that I stand alone, and devise an evil secret plan against me. On the very day on which my brothers left me, they put on arms and fought with me. Daily, every day, I seek to escape them, since I stand alone in this world. My eyes look up to Manda d-Haije, who said to me: "Soon I come to thee." I think of my brothers, that they do not counsel him against me and do not submit to him against me. Daily my eyes look up to the road my brothers walk and to the path on which Manda d-Haije comes. I look and see that the gate of heaven opened. A cloud of radiance and light appeared, at which all beings who saw it were terrified. When I saw the cloud of light in which Manda d-Haije came, I, the little Enosh, pursed my lips at the lords of the house. My body, which had bent down, straightened; my heart, into which sighing had entered, rested on its place, and my heels, which trembled, stood firm on their support. Manda d-Haije came, called to me and said to me: "Little Enosh, why wast thou anxious, why didst thou tremble and quake? Why did thy body bend down, why did sighing enter thy heart and why did thy feet tremble on their support?"

At one moment I speak, at another I fear to speak before Manda d-Haije. Then Manda d-Haije said to me: "Little Enosh, fear not before me. Since terror fell upon thee in this world, I came to enlighten thee. Fear not the wicked of this world and the floods of water; they shall be taken away over thy head. As they brought sword and fire against thy brothers and sword and fire could not reach them, so the floods of water also will not reach thee. I will bring thee radiance and light, which shall be helpers to thee and stand by thee. Thy strength shall come over them, and thy form shall be like these two who departed with thee, and like this garment that went to the House of Life, appearing in radiance. Let thy form be like Abel and Seth. The wicked of the world shall say: "These three men are in the world, yet they are no men, but radiance and light that shows its form in this world in the little Enosh, who stands alone in this world.""

Manda d-Haije said further to him: "Come, I will reveal to thee the ugly secrets of this world, which thou sawest and wast terrified at: about the heaven that is stretched out, and about the stars that have risen and glimmer on it. The heaven of water ...... and living fire and consuming fire are kindled on it. The stars are kindled by the consuming fire, they shine by the power of the living fire with which the heaven is kindled, and grew. These twelve signs of the zodiac, through which sun [and moon] pass: had the angel Ptahil not created these stars, sun and moon would have no course.

Behold, the darkness that arises when the sun sets and the moon rises: Ptahil considered the fire that is darkness, that night and day might be, for the reckoning and counting of the children of men, for the counting of years, months and days.

Behold, I revealed to thee about the wind, about the water, and about the two [angels ......]. I tell thee that it was created from the power of the water and of the living fire, and given over to the two angels, the managers of this world, who are set over water and rain, hail, distress, hunger and plenty, who act under the command of their Lord.

About the fire I will tell thee from whose enfolding it came and which man made it. Ptahil made it, and it came of fruit, grape and tree, from the root of fruit, grape and tree it came, from them it was made, to consume them.

About the water I will tell thee whence it poured and whence it came. ...... and living fire arose. They were made from the House of Life, and brought here. Then the living fire changed, and the water became turbid without shining, by the hand of Ptahil, the man whom his superior sent to build heaven and earth. He carried out what his superior commanded him, and the works and creations which he made with his hand will endure.

This secret of the heaven I revealed to thee; now I will reveal to thee the secret of the earth. Behold, the earth is black water. It (the water) arose here after this secret had arisen. I reveal to thee: Ptahil came, he and the angels in his company, he went to the black water and said: "I will make the earth firm, let the earth be formed." Ptahil stood and reflected within himself on what his superior had commanded him. Then Satan, she and the angels in her company, spoke to Ptahil: "As thou hast stretched out the heaven, so speak over this water, and let the earth be formed." Then he said to the angels: "This my superior commanded me to do, yet what you have said to me is good."

Then he took some of the living fire, then he took one of the garments in which he was clothed, cast it into the black water, and the earth Tibil became firm. Then he cut out the mountains in it, split the seas, made in the seas fish of every kind, and on the earth and the mountains he made fruits, grapes and trees. From the trees they take the fruit, and it becomes seeds of every kind. He called to the earth, and everything was formed on the earth. All seeds were formed, they stand there and flourish on the earth Tibil. They bear fruits that serve [men] for eating and drinking. He made cattle of every kind, male and female, and made the birds, and they stand there and graze.

Satan and the angels in her company did not know for whom this was made and who should eat it. Then Ptahil said to Satan and the angels in her company: "I will form my image as a man and thy image as a woman. The man we will call Adam and the woman we will call Eve. I will make and set up their image." Satan did not know that Ptahil had received from his superior Abathur the command concerning Adam and his wife Eve.

The earth was now above, and the black water was under the earth. Ptahil tried everything, but the water did not become palatable. Then Manda d-Haije said to little Enosh: "When God sent me here, I knew that the water here would not become palatable. Then I said before the great God: 'In the world to which Thou sendest me, to make the call of life heard, that they may hear it, receive life and ascend to the House of Life, the water will not be palatable for the children of men to drink it, receive life and hear this word of life.' Then the great God said to Manda d-Haije: 'Arise thou, go at the head of the water and draw a thin stream of living water. It shall go and fall into the turbid water, and the water shall become palatable, that the children of men may drink it and be made worthy of the mercy of the great God.'"

Then he spoke to the angel Taurel, and he set to work, drew a thin stream of water; it fell into the Tibil, into the water that was not palatable, and the water of the Tibil became palatable, that the children of men might drink it and it taste good to them.

Manda d-Haije spoke to little Enosh about the secret of Satan and the angels of this world. ...... a fire, according to which they cannot speak and hear, except the consuming fire, according to which they can speak and hear ......

If Manda d-Haije makes you firm here and Manda d-Haije redeems you from this world of darkness ......

"I passed between them, took from them the living fire with which they are clothed, according to which they cannot speak and hear, and lifted it up to its place, the bright dwelling. I left them in the consuming fire from which they were made. I left a garment upon them; to one of them came ...... of Ptahil, that they might come forward and give light in the world, so that it might not perish. I left it to him, for if I had not left him this radiance [270] and had taken it from him, as I took it from all his brothers, this world would long since have perished and everything would be darkness until the end of the worlds.

This ocean of the world, which Ptahil made and formed, which encircles the whole Tibil, is a well into which an outpouring came and fell. If he had not made this for the Tibil, the whole earth would have ..... There would be nothing done and nothing made, and it would not have prospered.

Behold, thou sawest, little Enosh, that I revealed to thee about the secret of the wicked of this world, whom thou sawest and wast terrified at, before whom thou didst tremble and quake. I revealed to thee about the secret of heaven and earth, I revealed to thee about the secret of all that is done and made that exists in the world, and instructed thee about them. I granted thee radiance and light, that it be with thee in that first garment which was bestowed on thee from the House of Life and is now kept with thee, which the wicked fight to take away, without succeeding in taking it away. Behold, I increased radiance upon radiance for thee, I increased light upon light for thee, that it be with thee in the form of these two men, thy brothers, who departed from thee and went to the House of Life. Behold, I added strength to thy strength, I increased thy wisdom to thy wisdom, and enlightenment and knowledge, behold, I granted thee, that thou mayest speak with them and be heard.

Behold, I now go to the House of Life, then I will come and free thee from the wicked and sinners of this world. The eye of God will be upon thee, and upon the truthful, faithful and excellent men who hear thy word. I will deliver thee from sword, fire and floods of water and lead thee up on the way on which Abel the righteous and Seth and Manda d-Haije ascend from this world of the wicked."

These words Manda d-Haije addressed to his follower, little Enosh, and gave him the pledge of Truth. Then he went out and departed to the House of Life. He sat in the dwelling of his superior, and the eye of God was upon him. Then Enosh rose full of joy at the radiance and the light that God had granted him, and at the strength that his superior had entrusted to him, and shone in radiance and light.

...... [who are] in this world, look at the lords of the house, who devise evil against these three men and against the garment in which I stand, who have shone out in this world. The rebels say to one another: "These men have not shown themselves to us, for they feared us. Whether they ran away from us or hid from us, they did not show themselves to us. Now they showed themselves to us in their rich radiance and their great light. Now, behold, they have shone out and stand there in rich and great radiance and light ...... Fire and sword were taken away from his brothers, and they could not reach them; now ...... that they stand by themselves."

The rebels say: "We can do nothing against the strength of these men, for they are more numerous than we. Floods of water were let loose against them, but the floods of water did not reach them. They say: 'We will remove them by sword and fire,' but they do not succeed in removing them."

God stands firm in His dwelling, God is victorious over all works. Victorious are Abel, Seth and Enosh, and victorious are the people of the Nasoraeans, the priests and Mandaeans, who held fast to their name and sign, were marked in the name of the first Life, and held fast to the name and the word of the radiant messenger.

And God is victorious.