Chapter 53
1 And when I had said these things I fell asleep there, and I saw a vision, and lo! a cloud was ascending from a very great sea, and I kept gazing upon it, and lo! it was full of waters white and black, and there were many colours in those self-same waters, and as it were the likeness of great lightning was seen at its summit. 2 And I saw that cloud passing swiftly in quick courses, and it covered all the earth. 3 And it came to pass after these things that that cloud began to pour upon the earth the waters that were in it. 4 And I saw that there was not one and the same likeness in the waters which descended from it. 5 For in the first beginning they were black and many for a time, and afterwards I saw that the waters became bright, but they were not many, and after these things again I saw black (waters), and after these things again bright, and again black and again bright. 6 Now this was done twelve times, but the black were always more numerous than the bright. 7 And it came to pass at the end of the cloud, that lo! it rained black waters, and they were darker than had been all those waters that were before, and fire was mingled with them, and where those waters descended, they wrought devastation and destruction. 8 And I saw after these things that lightning which I had seen on the summit of the cloud, that it seized hold of it and hurled it to the earth. 9 Now that lightning shone exceedingly, so as to illuminate the whole earth, and it healed those regions where the last waters had descended and wrought devastation. 10 And it took hold of the whole earth and had dominion over it. 11 And I saw after these things, and lo! twelve rivers were ascending from the sea, and they began to surround that lightning and to become subject to it 12 And by reason of my fear I awoke.
Chapter 54
1 And I besought the Mighty One, and said: “Thou alone, O Lord, knowest of aforetime the deep things of the world, And the things which befall in their times Thou bringest about by Thy word, And against the works of the inhabitants of the earth Thou dost hasten the beginnings of the times, And the end of the seasons Thou alone knowest.
2 For Whom nothing is too hard, But Thou doest everything easily by a nod.
3 To whom the depths as the heights are accessible. And the beginnings of the ages minister to Thy word.
4 Who revealest to those who fear Thee what is prepared for them, That henceforth they may be comforted.
5 Thou showest great acts to those who know not; Thou breakest up the enclosure of those who are ignorant, And lightest up what is dark, And revealest what is hidden to the pure, [Who in faith have submitted themselves to Thee and Thy Law.]
6 Thou hast shown to Thy servant this vision; Reveal to me also its interpretation.
7 For I know that as regards those things wherein I besought Thee, I have received a response, and as regards what I besought, Thou didst reveal to me, and didst show me with what voice I should praise Thee, or from what members I should cause praises and hallelujahs to ascend to Thee.
8 For if my members were mouths, And the hairs of my head voices, Even so I could not give Thee the meed of praise, Nor laud Thee as is befitting, Nor could I recount Thy praise, Nor tell the glory of Thy beauty.
9 For what am I amongst men, Or why am I reckoned amongst those who are more excellent than I, That I should have heard all those marvellous things from the Most High, And promises numberless from Him Who created me?
10 Blessed be my mother amongst those that bear, And praised among women be she that bare me.
11 For I will not be silent in praising the Mighty One, And with the voice of praise I will recount His marvellous deeds.
12 For who doeth like unto Thy marvellous deeds, O God, Or who comprehendeth Thy deep thought of life?
13 For with Thy counsel dost Thou govern all the creatures which Thy right hand hath created, And Thou hast established every fountain of light beside Thee, And the treasures of wisdom beneath Thy throne hast Thou prepared.
14 And justly do they perish who have not loved Thy Law, And the torment of judgement shall await those who have not submitted themselves to Thy power.
15 For though Adam first sinned, And brought untimely death upon all, Yet of those who were born from him Each one of them hath prepared for his own soul torment to come, And, again, each one of them hath chosen for himself glories to come.
[16 For assuredly he who believeth shall receive reward.
17 But now, as for you, ye wicked that now are, turn ye to destruction, because ye will speedily be visited, in that formerly ye rejected the understanding of the Most High.
18 For His works have not taught you, Nor hath the skill of His creation, which is at all times, persuaded you.] 19 Adam is therefore not the cause, save only of his own soul, But each one of us hath been the Adam of his own soul.
20 But do Thou, O Lord, expound to me regarding those things which Thou hast revealed to me, And inform me regarding that which I besought Thee.
21 For at the consummation of the world there shall be vengeance taken upon those who have done wickedness according to their wickedness; And Thou wilt glorify the faithful according to their faithfulness.
22 For those who are amongst Thine own Thou rulest, And those who sin Thou blottest out from amongst Thine own.”
Chapter 55
1 And it came to pass when I had finished speaking the words of this prayer, that I sat there under a tree, that I might rest in the shade of the branches. 2 And I wondered and was astonied, and pondered in my thoughts regarding the multitude of goodness which sinners who are upon the earth have rejected, and regarding the great torment which they have despised, though they knew that they should be tormented because of the sin they had committed. 3 And when I was pondering on these things and the like, lo! the angel Ramiel, who presideth over true visions, was sent to me, and he said unto me: 4 “Why doth thy heart trouble thee, Baruch, and why doth thy thought disturb thee?
5 For if owing to the report which thou hast only heard of judgement thou art so moved, what (wilt thou be) when thou shalt see it manifestly with thine eyes? 6 And if with the expectation wherewith thou dost expect the day of the Mighty One thou art so overcome, what (wilt thou be) when thou shalt come to its advent? 7 And, if at the word of the announcement of the torment of those who have done foolishly thou art so wholly distraught, how much more when the event will reveal marvellous things? 8 And if thou hast heard tidings of the good and evil things which are then coming, and art grieved, what (wilt thou be) when thou shalt behold what the majesty will reveal, which will convict these and cause those to rejoice?”
Chapter 56
1 “Nevertheless, because thou hast besought the Most High to reveal to thee the interpretation of the vision which thou hast seen, I have been sent to tell thee. 2 And the Mighty One hath assuredly made known to thee the methods of the times that have passed, and of those that are destined to pass in His world from the beginning of its creations even unto its consummation, of those things which (are) deceit and of those which (are) in truth. 3 For as thou didst see a great cloud which ascended from the sea, and went and covered the earth, this is the duration of the world (= αἰών) which the Mighty One made when He took counsel to make the world. 4 And it came to pass when the word had gone forth from His presence, that the duration of the world had come into being in a small degree, and was established according to the multitude of the intelligence of Him Who sent it. 5 And as thou didst previously see on the summit of the cloud black waters which descended previously on the earth, this is the transgression wherewith Adam the first man transgressed.
6 For since when he transgressed Untimely death came into being, And grief was named, and anguish was prepared, And pain was created, And trouble consummated, And disease began to be established, And Sheol to demand that it should be renewed in blood, And the begetting of children was brought about, And the passion of parents produced, And the greatness of humanity was humiliated, And goodness languished.
7 What therefore can be blacker or darker than these things? 8 This is the beginning of the black waters which thou hast seen. 9 And from these black (waters) again were black derived, and the darkness of darkness produced 10 For he became a danger to his own soul, even to the angels became he a danger, 11 For, moreover, at that time when he was created, they enjoyed liberty. 12 And some of them descended, and mingled with women. 13 And then those who did so were tormented in chains.
14 But the rest of the multitude of the angels, of which there is (no) number, restrained themselves.
15 And those who dwelt on the earth perished together (with them) through the waters of the deluge. 16 These are the black first waters.
Chapter 57
1 And after these (waters) thou didst see bright waters: this is the fount of Abraham, also his generations and advent of his son, and of his son’s son, and of those like them. 2 Because at that time the unwritten Law was named amongst them, And the works of the commandments were then fulfilled, And belief in the coming judgement was then generated, And hope of the world that was to be renewed was then built up, And the promise of the life that should come hereafter was implanted.
3 These are the bright waters, which thou hast seen.
Chapter 58
1 And the black third waters which thou hast seen, these are the mingling of all sins, which the nations afterwards wrought after the death of those righteous men, and the wickedness of the land of Egypt, wherein they did wickedly in the service wherewith they made their sons to serve. 2 Nevertheless, these also perished at last.
Chapter 59
1 And the bright fourth waters which thou hast seen are the advent of Moses and Aaron and Miriam and Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb and of all those like them. 2 For at that time the lamp of the eternal Law shone on all those who sat in darkness, which announced to them that believe the promise of their reward, and to them that deny, the torment of fire which is reserved for them. 3 But also the heavens at that time were shaken from their place, and those who were under the throne of the Mighty One were perturbed, when He was taking Moses unto Himself. 4 For He showed him many admonitions together with the principles of the Law and the consummation of times, as also to thee, and likewise the pattern of Zion and its measures, in the pattern of which the sanctuary of the present time was to be made. 5 But then also He showed to him the measures of the fire, also the depths of the abyss and the weight of the winds and the number of the drops of rain. 6 And the suppression of anger, and the multitude of longsuffering, and the truth of judgement. 7 And the root of wisdom, and the riches of understanding, and the fount of knowledge; 8 And the height of the air, and the greatness of Paradise, and the consummation of the ages, and the beginning of the day of judgement; 9 And the number of the offerings, and the earths which have not yet come. 10 And the mouth of Gehenna, and the station of vengeance, and the place of faith, and the region of hope; 11 And the likeness of future torment, and the multitude of innumerable angels, and the flaming hosts, and the splendour of the lightnings, and the voice of the thunders, and the orders of the chiefs of the angels, and the treasuries of light, and the changes of the times, and the investigations of the Law. 12 These are the bright fourth waters which thou hast seen.