Chapter 83
1 [For the Most High shall assuredly hasten His times, And He shall assuredly bring on His hours.
2 And He shall assuredly judge those who are in His world, And shall visit in truth all things by means of all their hidden works.
3 And He shall assuredly examine the secret thoughts, And that which is laid up in the secret chambers of all the members of man, And shall make (them) manifest in the presence of all with reproof.
4 Let none, therefore, of these present things ascend into your hearts; but, above all, let us be expectant, because that which is promised to us shall come. 5 And let us not now look unto the delights of the Gentiles in the present, but let us remember what hath been promised to us in the end. 6 For the ends of the times and of the seasons and whatsoever is with them shall assuredly pass by together. 7 The consummation, moreover, of the age shall then show the great might of its ruler, when all things come to judgement. 8 Do ye, therefore, prepare your hearts for that which before ye believed, lest ye come to be in bondage in both worlds, so that ye be led away captive here and be tormented there. 9 For (as to) that which existeth now, or which hath passed away, or which is to come, in all these things, neither is the evil fully evil, nor, again, the good fully good.
10 For all healthinesses of this time are turning into diseases,
11 And all might of this time is turning into weakness, And all the force of this time is turning into impotence,
12 And every energy of youth is turning into old age and consummation, And every beauty of gracefulness of this time is turning faded and hateful,
13 And every proud dominion of the present is turning into humiliation and shame,
14 And every praise of the glory of this time is turning into the shame of silence, And every vain splendour and insolence of this time is turning into voiceless ruin,
15 And every delight and joy of this time is turning to worms and corruption,
16 And every clamour of the pride of this time is turning into dust and stillness,
17 And every possession of riches of this time is being turned into Sheol alone,
18 And all the rapine of passion of this time is turning into involuntary death, And every passion of the lusts of this time is turning into a judgement of torment;
19 And every artifice and craftiness of this time is turning into a proof of the truth,
20 And every sweetness of unguents of this time is turning into judgement and condemnation,
21 And every love of lying is turning to contumely through truth.
22 Since, therefore, all these things are done now, doth any one think that they will not be avenged? 23 But the consummation of all things shall come to the truth.]
Chapter 84
1 Behold! I have therefore made known unto you (these things) whilst I live; for I said that ye should learn the things that are excellent; for the Mighty One hath commanded to instruct you; and I will set before you some of the commandments of His judgement before I die. 2 Remember that formerly Moses assuredly called heaven and earth to witness against you, and said: ‘If ye transgress the Law ye shall be dispersed, but if ye keep it ye shall be kept.’ 3 And other things also he used to say unto you when ye, the twelve tribes, were together in the desert. 4 And after his death ye cast them away from you; on this account there came upon you what had been predicted. 5 And now Moses used to tell you before they befell you, and lo! they have befallen,you; for you have forsaken the Law.
6 Lo! I also say unto you after ye have suffered, that if ye obey those things which have been said unto you, ye shall receive from the Mighty One whatever hath been laid up and reserved for you.
7 Moreover, let this epistle be for a testimony between me and you, that ye may remember the commandments of the Mighty One, and that also there may be to me a defence in the presence of Him Who sent me. 8 And remember ye the Law and Zion, and the holy land and your brethren, and the covenant of your fathers, and forget not the festivals and the sabbaths, 9 And deliver ye this epistle and the traditions of the Law to your sons after you, as also your fathers delivered (them) to you. 10 And at all times make request perseveringly and pray diligently with your whole heart that the Mighty One may be reconciled to you, and that He may not reckon the multitude of your sins, but remember the rectitude of your fathers. 11 For if He judge us not according to the multitude of His mercies, woe unto all us who are born.
Chapter 85
1 [Know ye, moreover, that In former times and in the generations of old those our fathers had helpers, Righteous men and holy prophets;
2 Nay, more, we were in our own land, And they helped us when we sinned And they interceded for us to Him Who made us, Because they trusted in their works, And the Mighty One heard their prayer and forgave us.
3 But now the righteous have been gathered, And the prophets have fallen asleep, And we also have gone forth from the land, And Zion hath been taken from us; And we have nothing now save the Mighty One and His Law.
4 If, therefore, we direct and dispose our hearts, We shall receive everything that we lost, And much better things than we lost by many times.
5 For what we have lost was subject to corruption, And what we shall receive shall not be corruptible.
6 Moreover, also, I have written thus to our brethren to Babylon, that to them also I may attest these very things.
7 And let all those things aforesaid be always before your eyes, Because we are still in the spirit and the power of our liberty.
8 Again, moreover, the Most High also is longsuffering towards us here, And He hath shown to us that which is to be, And hath not concealed from us what shall befall in the end.
9 Before, therefore, judgement exact its own, And truth that which is its due, Let us prepare our soul, That we may enter into possession of, and not be taken possession of, And that we may hope and not be put to shame, And that we may rest with our fathers, and not be tormented with our enemies.
10 For the youth of the world is past, And the strength of the creation is already exhausted, And the advent of the times is very short, Yea, they have passed by; And the pitcher is near to the cistern, And the ship to the port, And the course of the journey to the city, And life to (its) consummation.
11 And, again, prepare your souls, so that when ye sail and ascend from the ship ye may have rest, and not be condemned when ye depart. 12 For lo! when the Most High shall bring to pass all these things, There shall not be there again a place of repentance, nor a limit to the times, Nor a duration for the hours, Nor a change of ways, Nor place for prayer Nor sending of petitions, Nor receiving of knowledge, Nor giving of love, Nor place of repentance for the soul, Nor supplication for offences, Nor intercession of the fathers, Nor prayer of the prophets, Nor help of the righteous.
13 There there is the sentence of corruption, The way of fire, And the path which bringeth to Gehenna.
14 On this account there is one Law by One, One age and an end for all who are in it.
15 Then He will preserve those whom He can forgive, And at the same time destroy those who are polluted with sins.]
Chapter 86
1 When, therefore, ye receive this my epistle, read it in your congregations with care. 2 And meditate thereon, above all on the days of your fasts. 3 And bear me in mind by means of this epistle, as I also bear you in mind in it, and always fare ye well.”
Chapter 87
1 And it came to pass when I had ended all the words of this epistle, and had written it sedulously to its close, that I folded it, and sealed it carefully, and bound it to the neck of the eagle, and dismissed and sent it.