1 However, the serpent was more crafty than any of the creatures of the earth that the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Why has God instructed you, that you should not eat from every tree of Paradise?”
2 The woman responded to him: “From the fruit of the trees which are in Paradise, we eat.
3 Yet truly, from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of Paradise, God has instructed us that we should not eat, and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we may die.”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman: “By no means will you die a death.
5 For God knows that, on whatever day you will eat from it, your eyes will be opened; and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.”
6 And so the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and beautiful to the eyes, and delightful to consider. And she took from its fruit, and she ate. And she gave to her husband, who ate.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened. And when they realized themselves to be naked, they joined together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.
8 And when they had heard the voice of the Lord God taking a walk in Paradise in the afternoon breeze, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of Paradise.
9 And the Lord God called Adam and said to him: “Where are you?”
10 And he said, “I heard your voice in Paradise, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and so I hid myself.”
11 He said to him, “Then who told you that you were naked, if you have not eaten of the tree from which I instructed you that you should not eat?”
12 And Adam said, “The woman, whom you gave to me as a companion, gave to me from the tree, and I ate.”
13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “Why have you done this?” And she responded, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 And the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed among all living things, even the wild beasts of the earth. Upon your breast shall you travel, and the ground shall you eat, all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmities between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. She will crush your head, and you will lie in wait for her heel.”
16 To the woman, he also said: “I will multiply your labors and your conceptions. In pain shall you give birth to sons, and you shall be under your husband’s power, and he shall have dominion over you.”
17 Yet truly, to Adam, he said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, from which I instructed you that you should not eat, cursed is the land that you work. In hardship shall you eat from it, all the days of your life.
18 Thorns and thistles shall it produce for you, and you shall eat the plants of the earth.
19 By the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, until you return to the earth from which you were taken. For dust you are, and unto dust you shall return.”
20 And Adam called the name of his wife, ‘Eve,’ because she was the mother of all the living.
21 The Lord God also made for Adam and his wife garments from skins, and he clothed them.
22 And he said: “Behold, Adam has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Therefore, now perhaps he may put forth his hand and also take from the tree of life, and eat, and live in eternity.”
23 And so the Lord God sent him away from the Paradise of enjoyment, in order to work the earth from which he was taken.
24 And he cast out Adam. And in front of the Paradise of enjoyment, he placed the Cherubim with a flaming sword, turning together, to guard the way to the tree of life.
1 Truly, Adam knew his wife Eve, who conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying, “I have obtained a man through God.”
2 And again she gave birth to his brother Abel. But Abel was a pastor of sheep, and Cain was a farmer.
3 Then it happened, after many days, that Cain offered gifts to the Lord, from the fruits of the earth.
4 Abel likewise offered from the firstborn of his flock, and from their fat. And the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his gifts.
5 Yet in truth, he did not look with favor on Cain and his gifts. And Cain was vehemently angry, and his countenance fell.
6 And the Lord said to him: “Why are you angry? And why is your face fallen?
7 If you behave well, will you not receive? But if you behave badly, will not sin at once be present at the door? And so its desire will be within you, and you will be dominated by it.”
8 And Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go outside.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and he put him to death.
9 And the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he responded: “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 And he said to him: “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the land.
11 Now, therefore, you will be cursed upon the land, which opened its mouth and received the blood of your brother at your hand.
12 When you work it, it will not give you its fruit; a vagrant and a fugitive shall you be upon the land.”
13 And Cain said to the Lord: “My iniquity is too great to deserve kindness.
14 Behold, you have cast me out this day before the face of the earth, and from your face I will be hidden; and I will be a vagrant and a fugitive on the earth. Therefore, anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15 And the Lord said to him: “By no means will it be so; rather, whoever would kill Cain, will be punished sevenfold.” And the Lord placed a seal upon Cain, so that anyone who found him would not put him to death.
16 And so Cain, departing from the face of the Lord, lived as a fugitive on the earth, toward the eastern region of Eden.
17 Then Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he built a city, and he called its name by the name of his son, Enoch.
18 Thereafter, Enoch conceived Irad, and Irad conceived Mahujael, and Mahujael conceived Mathusael, and Mathusael conceived Lamech.
19 Lamech took two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah.
20 And Adah conceived Jabel, who was the father of those who live in tents and are shepherds.
21 And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the father of those who sing to the harp and the organ.
22 Zillah also conceived Tubalcain, who was a hammerer and artisan in every work of brass and iron. In fact, the sister of Tubalcain was Noema.
23 And Lamech said to his wives Adah and Zillah: “Listen to my voice, you wives of Lamech, pay attention to my speech. For I have killed a man to my own harm, and an adolescent to my own bruising.
24 Sevenfold vengeance will be given for Cain, but for Lamech, seventy-seven times.”
25 Adam also knew his wife again, and she gave birth to a son, and she called his name Seth, saying, “God has given me another offspring, in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.”
26 But to Seth also was born a son, whom he called Enos. This one began to invoke the name of the Lord.
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21 How has the faithful city, full of judgment, become a harlot? Justice lived in her, but now murderers.
22 Your silver has turned into dross. Your wine has been mixed with water.
23 Your leaders are unfaithful, the associates of thieves. They all love gifts; they pursue rewards. They do not judge for orphans, and the widow’s case is not brought before them.
24 Because of this, the Lord God of hosts, the Strength of Israel, says: Ah! I will be consoled over my enemies, and I will be vindicated from my adversaries.
25 And I will turn my hand to you. And I will temper your dross unto purity, and I will take away all your tin.
26 And I will restore your judges, so that they will be as before, and your counselors as in times long past. After this, you shall be called the City of the Just, the Faithful City.
27 Zion will be redeemed in judgment, and they will lead her back to justice.
28 And he shall crush the accursed and sinners together. And those who have abandoned the Lord will be consumed.
29 For they shall be confounded because of the idols, to which they have sacrificed. And you shall be ashamed over the gardens that you chose,
30 when you were like an oak with falling leaves, and like a garden without water.
31 And your strength will be like the embers from stubble, and your work will be like a spark, and both will burn together, and there will be no one to extinguish it.
1 Why have the Gentiles been seething, and why have the people been pondering nonsense?
2 The kings of the earth have stood up, and the leaders have joined together as one, against the Lord and against his Christ:
3 Let us shatter their chains and cast their yoke away from us.
4 He who dwells in heaven will ridicule them, and the Lord will mock them.
5 Then will he speak to them in his anger and trouble them with his fury.
6 Yet I have been appointed king by him over Zion, his holy mountain, preaching his precepts.
7 The Lord has said to me: You are my son, this day have I begotten you.
8 Ask of me and I will give to you: the Gentiles for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.
1 And so, when Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judah, in the days of king Herod, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
2 saying: “Where is he who was born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and we have come to adore him.”
3 Now king Herod, hearing this, was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And gathering together all the leaders of the priests, and the scribes of the people, he consulted with them as to where the Christ would be born.
5 And they said to him: “In Bethlehem of Judea. For so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah. For from you shall go forth the ruler who shall guide my people Israel.’ “
7 Then Herod, quietly calling the Magi, diligently learned from them the time when the star appeared to them.
8 And sending them into Bethlehem, he said: “Go and diligently ask questions about the boy. And when you have found him, report back to me, so that I, too, may come and adore him.”
9 And when they had heard the king, they went away. And behold, the star that they had seen in the east went before them, even until, arriving, it stood still above the place where the child was.
10 Then, seeing the star, they were gladdened by a very great joy.
11 And entering the home, they found the boy with his mother Mary. And so, falling prostrate, they adored him. And opening their treasures, they offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And having received a response in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back by another way to their own region.
13 And after they had gone away, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: “Rise up, and take the boy and his mother, and flee into Egypt. And remain there until I tell you. For it will happen that Herod will seek the boy to destroy him.”
14 And getting up, he took the boy and his mother by night, and withdrew into Egypt.
15 And he remained there, until the death of Herod, in order to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Out of Egypt, I called my son.”
16 Then Herod, seeing that he had been fooled by the Magi, was very angry. And so he sent to kill all the boys who were in Bethlehem, and in all its borders, from two years of age and under, according to the time that he had learned by questioning the Magi.
17 Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, saying:
18 A voice has been heard in Ramah, great weeping and wailing: Rachel crying for her sons. And she was not willing to be consoled, because they were no more.
19 Then, when Herod had passed away, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt,
20 saying: “Rise up, and take the boy and his mother, and go into the land of Israel. For those who were seeking the life of the boy have passed away.”
21 And rising up, he took the boy and his mother, and he went into the land of Israel.
22 Then, hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in sleep, he withdrew into parts of Galilee.
23 And arriving, he lived in a city which is called Nazareth, in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “For he shall be called a Nazarene.”
