Chapter 60
1 And the black fifth waters which thou hast seen raining are the works which the Amorites wrought, and the spells of their incantations which they wrought, and the wickedness of their mysteries, and the mingling of their pollution. 2 But even Israel was then polluted by sins in the days of the Judges, though they saw many signs which were from Him Who made them.
Chapter 61
1 And the bright sixth waters which thou didst see, this is the time in which David and Solomon were born.
2 And there was at that time the building of Zion, And the dedication of the sanctuary, And the shedding of much blood of the nations that sinned then, And many offerings which were offered then in the dedication of the sanctuary.
3 And peace and tranquillity existed at that time.
4 And wisdom was heard in the assembly, And the riches of understanding were magnified in the congregations,
5 And the holy festivals were fulfilled in goodness and in much joy,
6 And the judgement of the rulers was then seen to be without guile, And the righteousness of the precepts of the Mighty One was accomplished with truth,
7 And the land [which] was then beloved by the Lord, And because its inhabitants sinned not, it was glorified beyond all lands, And the city of Zion ruled then over all lands and regions.
8 These are the bright waters which thou hast seen.
Chapter 62
1 And the black seventh waters which thou hast seen, this is the perversion (brought about) by the counsel of Jeroboam, who took counsel to make two calves of gold. 2 And all the iniquities which the kings who were after him iniquitously wrought. 3 And the curse of Jezebel, and the worship of idols which Israel practised at that time. 4 And the withholding of rain, and the famines which occurred until women ate the fruit of their wombs. 5 And the time of their captivity which came upon the nine tribes and a half, because they were in many sins. 6 And Salmanasar king of Assyria came and led them away captive. 7 But regarding the Gentiles it were tedious to tell how they always wrought impiety and wickedness, and never wrought righteousness. 8 These are the black seventh waters which thou hast seen.
Chapter 63
1 And the bright eighth waters which thou hast seen, this is the rectitude and uprightness of Hezekiah king of Judah and the grace (of God) which came upon him. 2 For when Sennacherib was stirred up in order that he might perish, and his wrath troubled him in order that he might thereby perish, for the multitude also of the nations which were with him. 3 When, moreover, Hezekiah the king heard those things which the king of Assyria was devising (i. e.) to come and seize him and destroy his people, the two and a half tribes which remained; nay, more, he wished to overthrow Zion also; then Hezekiah trusted in his works, and had hope in his righteousness, and spake with the Mighty One and said: 4 ‘Behold, for lo! Sennacherib is prepared to destroy us, and he will be boastful and uplifted when he hath destroyed Zion.’
5 And the Mighty One heard him, for Hezekiah was wise, And He had respect unto his prayer, because he was righteous.
6 And thereupon the Mighty One commanded Ramiel His angel who speaketh with thee. 7 And I went forth and destroyed their multitude, the number of whose chiefs only was a hundred and eighty-five thousand, and each one of them had an equal number (at his Command). 8 And at that time I burned their bodies within, but their raiment and arms I preserved outwardly, in order that the still more wonderful deeds of the Mighty One might appear, and that thereby His name might be spoken of throughout the whole earth. 9 Moreover, Zion was saved and Jerusalem delivered; Israel also was freed from tribulation. 10 And all those who were in the holy land rejoiced, and the name of the Mighty One was glorified so that it was spoken of. 11 These are the bright waters which thou hast seen.
Chapter 64
1 And the black ninth waters which thou hast seen, this is all the wickedness which was in the days of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah. 2 For he wrought much impiety, and he slew the righteous, and he wrested judgement, and he shed the blood of the innocent, and wedded women he violently polluted, and he overturned the altars, and destroyed their offerings, and drave forth the priests lest they should minister in the sanctuary. 3 And he made an image with five faces; four of them looked to the four winds, and the fifth on the summit of the image as an adversary of the zeal of the Mighty One. 4 And then wrath went forth from the presence of the Mighty One to the intent that Zion should be rooted out, as also it befell in your days. 5 But also against the two tribes and a half went forth a decree that they should also be led away captive, as thou hast now seen. 6 And to such a degree did the impiety of Manasseh increase, that it removed the praise of the Most High from the sanctuary. 7 On this account Manasseh was at that time named ‘the impious,’ and finally his abode was in the fire. 8 For though his prayer was heard with the Most High, finally, when he was cast into the brazen horse and the brazen horse was melted, it served as a sign unto him at the time. 9 For he did not live perfectly, for he was not worthy — but that thenceforward he might know by whom finally he should be tormented. 10 For he who is able to benefit is also able to torment.
Chapter 65
1 Thus, moreover, did Manasseh act impiously, and thought that in his time the Mighty One would not inquire into these things. 2 These are the black ninth waters which thou hast seen.
Chapter 66
1 And the bright tenth waters which thou hast seen: this is the purity of the generations of Josiah king of Judah, who was the only one at that time who submitted himself to the Mighty One with all his heart and with all his soul. 2 And he cleansed the land from idols, and hallowed all the vessels which had been polluted, and restored the offerings to the altar, and raised the horn of the holy, and exalted the righteous, and glorified all that were wise in understanding, and brought back the priests to their ministry, and destroyed and removed the magicians and enchanters and necromancers from the land. 3 And not only did he slay the impious that were living, but they also took from the sepulchres the bones of the dead and burned them with fire. 4 [And the festivals and the sabbaths he established in their sanctity], and their polluted ones he burnt in the fire, and the lying prophets which deceived the people, these also he burnt in the fire, and the people who listened to them when they were living, he cast them into the brook Cedron, and heaped stones upon them. 5 And he was zealous with the zeal of the Mighty One with all his soul, and he alone was firm in the Law at that time, so that he left none that was uncircumcised, or that wrought impiety in all the land, all the days of his life. 6 Therefore he shall receive an eternal reward, and he shall be glorified with the Mighty One beyond many at a later time. 7 For on his account and on account of those who are like him were the honourable glories, of which thou wast told before, created and prepared. 8 These are the bright waters which thou hast seen.
Chapter 67
1 And the black eleventh waters which thou hast seen: this is the calamity which is now befalling Zion.
2 Dost thou think that there is no anguish to the angels in the presence of the Mighty One, That Zion was so delivered up, And that lo! the Gentiles boast in their hearts, And assemble before their idols and say: ‘She is trodden down who ofttimes trod down, And she hath been reduced to servitude who reduced (others)?’
3 Dost thou think that in these things the Most High rejoiceth, Or that His name is glorified?
4 [But how will it serve towards His righteous judgement?]
5 Yet after these things shall the dispersed among the Gentiles be taken hold of by tribulation, And in shame shall they dwell in every place.
6 Because so far as Zion is delivered up, And Jerusalem laid waste, And idols prosper in the cities of the Gentiles, And the vapour of the smoke of the incense of righteousness which is by the Law is extinguished in Zion, And in the region of Zion, in every place, lo! there is the smoke of impiety.
7 But the king of Babylon will arise who hath now destroyed Zion, And he will boast over the people, And he will speak great things in his heart in the presence of the Most High.
8 But he also shall fall at last.
9 These are the black waters.
Chapter 68
1 And the bright twelfth waters which thou hast seen: this is the word. 2 For after these things a time shall come when thy people shall fall into distress, so that they shall all run the risk of perishing together. 3 Nevertheless, they shall be saved, and their enemies shall fall in their presence.
4 And they shall have in (due) time much joy.
5 And at that time after a little interval Zion shall again be builded, and its offerings shall again be restored, and the priests shall return to their ministry, and again the Gentiles shall come to glorify it.
6 Nevertheless, not fully as in the beginning. 7 But it shall come to pass after these things that there shall be the fall of many nations. 8 These are the bright waters which thou hast seen.