In the name of God, the Great, the Strange, the Living, the Exalted, who stands above all works: may healing and victory, strength and steadfastness, and forgiveness of sins be granted to me, N.N., to my wife N.N., and to my children N.N., N.N., and may their names be established in the abode of life.

In the name of God, the Great, the Strange, the Living, from the worlds of light, the Exalted, who stands above all works.

This is the secret, and the first book of the living, first teaching, which has been from of old.

When the fruit was still within the fruit, when the ether was still within the ether, when the Lord of Glory was, from whom mighty, great spirits came forth, whose splendour is vast, whose light is great, before whom there was no one in the great fruit, which is vast and without end, whose splendour is too vast to be told by the mouth, whose light is too great to be recounted by the lips, and which was in that fruit, then there came forth from it a thousand times a thousand fruits without end, and ten thousand times ten thousand dwellings without number. In every single fruit there were a thousand times a thousand fruits without end, and ten thousand times ten thousand dwellings without number. They stand there and praise that Lord of Glory, who dwells in the great ether of life, who is in the river of white water, which came forth by His command, whose fragrance is pleasant, in which all the roots of the light and of the great, first splendour take delight. The great river came into being, without end and without number. Along it stand plants that rejoice and exult. They are all full of praise and stand there complete. From the great river came forth rivers without end and without number.

When the fruit was still within the fruit, when the ether was still within the ether, when the great splendour was, whose splendour and light are vast and great, before whom no one was, from whom the great river of living water came, then this poured itself out over the earth of the ether, where life settled, and the Lord of Glory, from whom it had come forth, set it in order. By His first command there came into being the steadfast Uthra, an angel, whom God named the Second Life. And Uthras, angels without end and without number, came into being. And from that living water a river came into being which, like the first river, poured itself out over the earth of light, and the Second Life took firm seat in it. That Second Life, by God's leave, then created Uthras, founded dwellings, and made a river in which the Uthras took firm seat.

Three Uthras came into being, who made a request to the Second Life; they asked to be allowed to create dwellings for themselves. What the three Uthras asked of the Second Life, he granted them. They took counsel and created dwellings. They spoke to their leader, they asked their leader and said to him: "Are you the one who called forth this river of living water, which is so wondrous, and whose water is of such lovely fragrance, and the Uthras who took firm seat in it, who are so great? And are they your Uthras who took firm seat in it?" Then the Second Life answered and said to the three Uthras: "Me, your leader, God has called forth; the river belongs to God, and you came into being by the power of God."

Then they said to him: "Grant us of your splendour and your light and of what is with you, and we shall set out and descend below the streams of water. We shall call forth dwellings for you, create a world for you, and let the world be ours and yours. We shall take our place and seat in it, create Uthras in it, and let them be ours and yours. We shall pronounce the name of God." This pleased him, and he said: "I shall grant it to them."

When he said this, however, it did not please the Great, and it was not right in the sight of the Living. The Lord of Glory, who dwells in the great fruit, was praised, and then the Lord of Glory arose in splendour, light and glory, and created Kbar the Great, whose name is Kbar-Ziwa, Nbat-Jawar, the son of Jofin-Jofafin, and Shum, the well-guarded spirit, the vine that is all life, beloved of the Uthras, in glorious splendour; and He said to him: "You, arise above the Uthras and see what the Uthras are doing and on what they are set their minds, who say: We shall create a world and found dwellings, like the mighty Uthras, the servants of the light. You, Manda d-Haije, does it please you that the Uthras of light have left the light and turned their faces toward the darkness, toward the great Suf-Sea, toward the howling gloom, toward the consuming, destroying water, toward the place that is full of demons who speak with loud voice, in which the consuming fire speaks?"

But the Uthra of Life kept silence, and there was in him neither lack nor fault.

Then He said to him a second time: "See, Manda d-Haije, for what purpose the Uthras of light take counsel, why their heart has fallen into confusion, so that they turned their faces toward the place that is without ground and without shore, toward the place where no living water flows and no splendour dwells."

Again the Uthra of Life kept silence. Then the spirits turned a third time in their majesty to Manda d-Haije and said: "You are the chief of the Uthras, the lord of Truth, the keeper of the treasures. Over all the worlds of light we have appointed you as ruler, and over all the Uthras of light who dwell in the dwellings, and also over the lower worlds of darkness. You are the one who is destined and desired for that other world. Descend to the world before the Uthras go there and do something that is ugly and unseemly to us, not right in the sight of God, and not dear to you, Manda d-Haije. For it is you who keep the Uthras in order, throw up a road and set up a milestone. If we called you, why did we call you? Because, when you are called, you are worthy and as if made for this task."

Then Manda d-Haije answered and said to the great, mighty Spirit: "When I seek you, whom shall I behold? When I am in distress, in whom shall I trust? On what shall I rest my inner being, which was with you?"

The Spirit said in majesty and answered Manda d-Haije: "You shall not be cut off from us; rather we shall be with you. Everything you say stands firm with us. You are made firm with us and shall not be cut off from us. We are with you, for God is full of kindness toward you. He created helpers for you, He created gentle and steadfast Uthras for you, gentle and steadfast Uthras, that they may be helpers to you. Then He created for you helpers who shall take their place there as your followers. Your followers shall make the call of life heard and shall be merchants who trade and carry out their trade with success."

The Great One then bestowed on him splendour and light

and increased for him what he had.

He bestowed on him a wide garment,

wondrous and endless.

He blessed him with abundant blessing,

with which the mighty were blessed.

They made him a leader of the Uthras,

who supplies his friends with provision.

At the command of the great fruit of glory

I made a covenant of brotherhood with them,

set out, and came to the abode of life.

God questioned me about the spirit

from which I was created:

"Since you have come by the goodness of the Great,

how has your nature been planted?"

God spoke in His majesty to Manda d-Haije:

"You saw, Manda d-Haije,

what the Uthras are doing,

what the Uthras do

and what they plan about this and that.

You saw that they have left the abode of life

and turned their faces toward the place of darkness.

They left the company of life

and loved the company of darkness.

They left the place of splendour and light,

went away and loved the vain dwelling.

They left the sweetness,

went away and loved the bitterness.

They went away and loved the bitterness

in which there is no sweetness.

They left the river of living water

and went to the turbid water.

To the turbid water they went,

went to the blazing flame.

They left the living fire,

went away and loved the consuming fire.

They loved the consuming fire

and loved the blazing flame.

Yes, see, Manda d-Haije,

this is what the Uthras did!

See what the Uthras did

and how lack and fault were in them.

If we overturn the world and leave it,

who among them will be an orderer?

Who will be an orderer among them,

who will free them from lack and fault?

Who will free them from the defect

that they have brought about themselves?

Who will make them hear the call of the Great One

who sits enthroned in the house of perfection?"

God spoke and said

to the vigorous, well-equipped Uthra:

"Was not your creation accomplished

before the Uthras existed?

Before the Uthras existed,

the Great One created you and charged you.

Created and charged you, the Great One,

equipped you, charged you, sent you forth

and gave you authority over every thing.

He charged you over the dwellings

and the mighty gates of the hidden place.

He gave you dominion over the hidden Uthras,

who stand there and praise the Mighty One.

He gave you dominion over the river of the Mighty One

and over the living, glorious water.

When the Mighty One commanded it,

Uthras were created for you,

messengers were created for you,

gentle, steadfast Uthras."

When God said this to me,

I bowed myself and praised the Mighty One.

I praised the great God,

that God had accomplished a creation for me,

that God had accomplished a creation for me

and granted me helpers.

I shone in my praise,

while I stood in the hidden place.

I shone in my enlightenment

with what God granted me.

I gleamed in my praise

above every thing in the hidden place.

I gleamed in my enlightenment

and set my eyes upon the rebels.

Before the Uthras were there,

I went to the place of darkness.

While I stood in the abode of life,

I beheld the rebels,

beheld the gates of darkness,

beheld the deep that is all darkness,

beheld the destroyers

and the lord of the dark dwelling,

beheld the warriors

who are buried in darkness,

beheld the gates of burning,

how they burn and blaze.

The wicked burn and blaze,

and in the midst of it they plot lack and fault.

I beheld the woman Hewath,

how she speaks in darkness and wickedness.

She speaks in wickedness,

in sorcery and witchcraft, which she practises.

She speaks in the wisdom of deceit

and sits upon illusion.

I beheld the gate of darkness

and the vein of the earth Siniawis, as they are.

I beheld the black water in them,

which rises up, boils and writhes.