Testament of Abraham (selections)

Abraham lived the measure of his life, nine hundred and ninety-five years, and having lived all the years of his life in quietness, gentleness, and righteousness, the righteous one was extremely hospitable; for, pitching his tent in the cross-ways at the oak of Mamre, he received every one, both rich and poor, kings and rulers, the maimed and the helpless, friends and strangers, neighbours and travellers, all alike did the devout, all-holy, righteous, and hospitable Abraham entertain. Even upon him, however, there came the common, inevitable, bitter lot of death, and the uncertain end of life. Therefore the Lord God, summoning his archangel Michael, said to him: "Go down, chief-captain Michael, to Abraham and speak to him concerning his death, that he may set his affairs in order, for I have blessed him as the stars of heaven, and as the sand by the sea-shore, and he is in abundance of long life and many possessions, and is becoming extremely rich. Beyond all men, moreover, he is righteous in every goodness, hospitable and loving to the end of his life; but you, archangel Michael, go to Abraham, my beloved friend, and announce to him his death and assure him thus: 'You shall at this time depart from this vain world, and shall leave your body, and go to your own Lord among the good.'"

And the chief-captain departed from before the face of God, and went down to Abraham to the oak of Mamre, and found the righteous Abraham in the field close by, sitting beside yokes of oxen for plowing, together with the sons of Masek and other servants, numbering twelve. And behold the chief-captain came to him, and Abraham, seeing the chief-captain Michael coming from afar, like a very handsome warrior, arose and met him as was his custom, meeting and entertaining all strangers. And the chief-captain saluted him and said: "Hail, most honored father, righteous soul chosen."

Abraham said to the chief-captain: "Hail, most honored warrior, bright as the sun and most beautiful above all the sons of men; you are welcome; therefore I beseech your presence, tell me from where whence the youth of your age has come; teach me, your suppliant, from where and from what army and from what journey your beauty has come here."

The chief-captain said: "I, O righteous Abraham, come from the great city. I have been sent by the great king to take the place of a good friend of his, for the king has summoned him."

And Abraham said, "Come, my lord, go with me as far as my field."

The chief-captain said: "I come;" and going into the field of the plowing, they sat down beside the company.

And Abraham said to his servants, the sons of Masek: "Go to the herd of horses, and bring two horses, quiet, and gentle and tame, so that I and this stranger may sit on them."

But the chief-captain said, "No, my lord, Abraham, let them not bring horses, for I abstain from ever sitting upon any four-footed beast. Is not my king rich in much merchandise, having power both over men and all kinds of cattle? but I abstain from ever slitting upon any four-footed beast. Let us go, then, O righteous soul, walking lightly until we reach your house."

And Abraham said, "Amen, be it so."

And as they went on from the field toward his house, beside that way there stood a cypress tree, and by the command of the Lord the tree cried out with a human voice, saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God that calls himself to those that love him;" but Abraham hid the mystery, thinking that the chief-captain had not heard the voice of the tree.

And coming near to the house they sat down in the court, and Isaac, seeing the face of the angel, said to Sarah his mother, "My lady mother, behold, the man sitting with my father Abraham is not a son of the race of those that dwell on the earth."

And Isaac ran, and saluted him, and fell at the feet of the Incorporeal, and the Incorporeal blessed him and said, "The Lord God will grant you his promise that he made to your father Abraham and to his seed, and will also grant you the precious prayer of your father and your mother."

Abraham said to Isaac his son, "My son Isaac, draw water from the well, and bring it me in the vessel, that we may wash the feet of this stranger, for he is tired, having come to us from off a long journey." And Isaac ran to the well and drew water in the vessel and brought it to them, and Abraham went up and washed... [missing text]

And Michael inquired of Abraham, saying: "Tell me your name, before I enter your house, lest I be burdensome to you."

Abraham answered and said, "My parents called me Abram, and the Lord named me Abraham, saying: 'Arise and depart from your house, and from your kindred, and go into the land which I shall show to you.' And when I went away into the land which the Lord showed me, he said to me: 'Your name shall no more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham.'"

Michael answered and said to him: "Pardon me, my father, experienced man of God, for I am a stranger, and I have heard of you that you went forty furlongs and brought a goat and slew it, entertaining angels in your house, that they might rest there."

Thus speaking together, they arose and went towards the house. And Abraham called one of his servants, and said to him: "Go, bring me a beast that the stranger may sit upon it, for he is wearied with his journey."

And Michael said: "Trouble not the youth, but let us go lightly until we reach the house, for I love your company."

And arising they went on, and as they drew close to the city, about three furlongs from it, they found a great tree having three hundred branches, like to a tamarisk tree. And they heard a voice from its branches singing, "Holy are you, because you have kept the purpose for which you were sent." And Abraham heard the voice, and hid the mystery in his heart, saying within himself, "What is the mystery that I have heard?" As he came into the house, Abraham said to his servants, "Arise, go out to the flocks, and bring three sheep, and slay them quickly, and make them ready that we may eat and drink, for this day is a feast for us." And the servants brought the sheep, and Abraham called his son Isaac, and said to him, "My son Isaac, arise and put water in the vessel that we may wash the feet of this stranger."

And he brought it as he was commanded, and Abraham said, "I perceive, and so it shall be, that in this basin I shall never again wash the feet of any man coming to us as a guest."

And Isaac hearing his father say this wept, and said to him, "My father what are you saying, 'This is my last time to wash the feet of a stranger'?"

And Abraham seeing his son weeping, also wept. And Isaac, seeing his father weeping, wept also, and the chief captain, seeing them weeping, also wept with them, and the tears of the chief captain fell upon the vessel into the water of the basin and became precious stones. And Abraham seeing the marvel, and being astonished, took the stones secretly, and hid the mystery, keeping it by himself in his heart.

When Sarah, being inside in her house, heard their weeping, she came out and said to Abraham, "Lord, why are you weeping?"

Abraham answered, and said to her, "It is no evil. Go into your house, and do your own work, lest we be troublesome to the man." And Sarah went away, about to prepare the supper.

And Abraham said to Isaac his son: "Go, my beloved son, into the inner chamber of the house and beautify it. Spread for us there two couches, one for me and one for this man that is guest with us this day. Prepare for us there a seat and a candlestick and a table with abundance of every good thing. Beautify the chamber, my son, and spread under us linen and purple and fine linen. Burn there every precious and excellent incense, and bring sweet-smelling plants from the garden and fill our house with them. Kindle seven lamps full of oil, so that we may rejoice, for this man that is our guest this day is more glorious than kings or rulers, and his appearance surpasses all the sons of men."

And Isaac prepared all things well, and Abraham. taking the archangel Michael, went into the chamber, and they both eat down upon the couches, and between them he placed a table with abundance of every good thing. Then the chief captain arose and went out, as if by constraint of his belly to make issue of water, and ascended to heaven in the twinkling of an eye, and stood before the Lord, and said to him: "Lord and Master, may your power know that I am unable to remind that righteous man of his death, for I have not seen upon the earth a man like him, pitiful, hospitable, righteous, truthful, devout, refraining from every evil deed. And now know, Lord, that I cannot remind him of his death."

And the Lord said: "Go down, chief-captain Michael, to my friend Abraham, and whatever he says to you, you do also, and whatever he eat, eat also with him. And I will send my holy spirit upon his son Isaac, and will put the remembrance of his death into the heart of Isaac, so that even he in a dream may see the death of his father, and Isaac will relate the dream, and you will interpret it, and he himself will know his end."

And the chief-captain said, "Lord, all the heavenly spirits are incorporeal, and neither eat nor drink, and this man has set before me a table with abundance of all good things earthly and corruptible. Now, Lord, what shall I do? How shall I escape him, sitting at one table with him?"

The Lord said: "Go down to him, and take no thought for this, for when you sit down with him, I will send to you a devouring spirit, and it will consume out of your hands and through your mouth all that is on the table. Rejoice together with him in everything, only you shall interpret well the things of the vision, that Abraham may know the sickle of death and the uncertain end of life, and may make disposal of all his possessions, for I have blessed him above the sand of the sea and as the stars of heaven."

Then the chief captain went down to the house of Abraham, and sat down with him at the table, and Isaac served them. And when the supper was ended, Abraham prayed after his custom, and the chief-captain prayed together with him, and each lay down to sleep upon his couch. And Isaac said to his father, "Father, I too would prefer to sleep with you in this chamber, that I also may hear your discourse, for I love to hear the excellence of the conversation of this virtuous man."

Abraham said, "No, my son, but go to your own chamber and sleep on your own couch, lest we be troublesome to this man."

Then Isaac, having received the prayer from them, and having blessed them, went to his own chamber and lay down upon Iris couch. But the Lord cast the thought of death into the heart of Isaac as in a dream, and about the third hour of the night Isaac awoke and rose up from his couch, and came running to the chamber where his father was sleeping together with the archangel. Isaac, therefore, on reaching the door cried out, saying, "My father Abraham, arise and open to me quickly, that I may enter and hang upon thy neck, and embrace you before they take you away from me!"

Abraham therefore arose and opened to him, and Isaac entered and hung upon his neck, and began to weep with a loud voice. Abraham therefore being moved at heart, also wept with a loud voice, and the chief-captain, seeing them weeping, wept also. Sarah being in her room, heard their weeping, and came running to them, and found them embracing and weeping.

And Sarah said with weeping, "My lord Abraham, why do you weep? Tell me, my lord, has this brother that has been entertained by us this day brought you tidings of Lot, your brother's son, that he is dead? Is it for this that you grieve thus?"

The chief-captain answered and said to her, "No, my sister Sarah, it is not as you say, but your son Isaac, I believe, beheld a dream, and came to us weeping, and we seeing him were moved in our hearts and wept."

Then Sarah, hearing the excellence of the conversation of the chief-captain, straightway knew that it was an angel of the Lord that spoke. Sarah therefore signalled to Abraham to come out towards the door, and said to him, "My lord Abraham, do you know who this man is?"

Abraham said, "I know not."

Sarah said, "You know, my lord, the three men from heaven that were entertained by us in our tent beside the oak of Mamre, when you killed the kid without blemish, and set a table before them? After the flesh had been eaten, the kid rose again, and sucked its mother with great joy. Do you not know, my lord Abraham, that by promise they gave to us Isaac as the fruit of the womb? Of these three holy men this is one."

Abraham said, "O Sarah, in this you speak the truth. Glory and praise from our God and the Father. For late in the evening when I washed his feet in the basin I said in my heart, 'These are the feet of one of the three men that I washed then'; and his tears that fell into the basin then became precious stones." And shaking them out from his lap he gave them to Sarah, saying, "If you don't believe me, look now at these."

And Sarah receiving them bowed down and saluted and said, "Glory be to God that shows us wonderful things. And now know, my lord Abraham, that there is among us the revelation of some thing, whether it be evil or good!"

And Abraham said to Michael, "Tell me, man of God, and show to me why you have come here."

And Michael said, "Your son Isaac will show you."

And Abraham said to his son, "My beloved son, tell me what you have seen in your dream today, and were frightened. Relate it to me."

Isaac answered his father, "I saw in my dream the sun and the moon, and there was a crown upon my head, and there came from heaven a man of great size, and shining as the light that is called the father of light. He took the sun from my head, and yet left the rays behind with me. And I wept and said, 'I beg you, my lord, take not away the glory of my head, and the light of my house, and all my glory.' And the sun and the moon and the stars lamented, saying, 'Take not away the glory of our power.' And that shining man answered and said to me, 'Weep not that I take the light of your house, for it is taken up from troubles into rest, from a low estate to a high one; they lift him up from a narrow to a wide place; they raise him from darkness to light.' And I said to him, 'I beg you, Lord, take also the rays upon me.'"

The chief-captain said, "Hear, O righteous Abraham; the sun which your son saw is you, his father, and the moon likewise is Sarah, his mother. The man bearing light who descended from heaven, this is the one sent from God who is to take your righteous soul from thee. And now know, O most honored Abraham, that at this time you shall leave this worldly life, and remove to God."

Abraham said to the chief captain, "O strangest of marvels! and now are you he that shall take my soul from me?"

The chief-captain said to him, "I am the chief-captain Michael, that stands before the lord, and I was sent to you to remind you of your death, and then I shall depart to him as I was commanded."

Abraham said, "Now I know that you are an angel of the Lord, and you were sent to take my soul, but I will not go with you; but do whatever you arecommanded."

The chief-captain hearing these words immediately vanished, and ascending into heaven stood before God, and told all that he had seen in the house of Abraham; and the chief-captain said this also to his Lord, "Thus says your friend Abraham, 'I will not go with you, but do whatever you are commanded'; and now, O Lord Almighty, does your glory and immortal kingdom order anything?"

God said to the chief-captain Michael, "Go to my friend Abraham yet once again, and speak to him thus: 'Thus says the Lord your God, he that brought you into the land of promise, that blessed you above the sand of the sea and above the stars of heaven, that opened the womb of barrenness of Sarah, and granted you Isaac as the fruit of the womb in old age, Truly I say unto you that blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your seed, and I will give you all that you shall ask from me, for I am the Lord your God, and besides me there is no other. Tell me why you have rebelled against me, and why there is grief in you, and why you rebelled against my archangel Michael? Don't you know that all who have come from Adam and Eve have died, and that none of the prophets has escaped death? None of those that rule as kings is immortal; none of your forefathers has escaped the mystery of death. They have all died, they have all departed into Hades, they are all gathered by the sickle of death. But upon you I have not sent death, I have not allowed any deadly disease to come upon you, I have not permitted the sickle of death to meet you, I have not allowed the nets of Hades to enfold you, I have never wished you to meet with any evil. But for good comfort I have sent my chief-captain Michael to you, that you may know your departure from the world, and set your house in order, and all that belongs to you, and bless Isaac your beloved son. And now know that I have done this not wishing to grieve you. Why then have you said to my chief-captain, "I will not go with you"? Why have you spoken thus? Don't you know that if I give leave to death and he comes upon you, then I should see whether or not you would come?'"

And the chief-captain, receiving the exhortations of the Lord, went down to Abraham, and seeing him the righteous one fell upon his face to the ground as one dead, and the chief-captain told him all that he had heard from the Most High. Then the holy and just Abraham rising with many tears fell at the feet of the Incorporeal, and begged him, saying, "I beg you, chief-captain of the hosts above, since you have wholly deigned to come yourself to me a sinner and in all things your unworthy servant, I beg you even now, O chief-captain, to carry my word yet again to the Most High, and you shall say to him, 'Thus says Abraham your servant, Lord, Lord, in every work and word which I have asked of you you have heard me, and have fulfilled all my counsel. Now, Lord, I resist not your power, for I too know that I am not immortal but mortal. Since therefore to your command all things yield, and fear and tremble at the face of your power, I also fear, but I ask one request of you, and now, Lord and Master, hear my prayer, for while still in this body I desire to see all the inhabited earth, and all the creations which you didst establish by one word, and when I see these, then if I shall depart from life I shall be without sorrow.'"

So the chief-captain went back again, and stood before God, and told him all, saying, "Thus says your friend Abraham: 'I desired to behold all the earth in my lifetime before I died.'"

And the Most High hearing this, again commanded the chief-captain Michael, and said to him, "Take a cloud of light, and the angels that have power over the chariots, and go down, take the righteous Abraham upon a chariot of the cherubim, and exalt him into the air of heaven that he may behold all the earth."

[Here follow several scenes in which Abraham is taken by Michael on a chariot of angels and shown everything on the earth, including sinners being punished; and then asks permission to see everything in heaven, for which Michael also receives permission from God. Abraham is taken to see the judgment of souls at the gates of heaven, with some souls being led into paradise and others into hell. In some versions, Sarah dies while Abraham is on his magical journey.]

And the voice of the Lord said also to the chief-captain Michael, "Michael, my servant, turn back Abraham to his house, for behold his end has come close, and the measure of his life is fulfilled, that he may set all things in order, and then take him and bring him to me."

So the chief-captain, turning the chariot and the cloud, brought Abraham to his house, and going into his chamber he sat upon his couch. And Sarah his wife came and embraced the feet of the Incorporeal, and spoke humbly, saying, "I give you thanks, my lord, that you have brought my lord Abraham, for behold we thought he had been taken up from us."

And his son Isaac also came and fell upon his neck, and in the same way all his men-slaves and women-slaves surrounded Abraham and embraced him, glorifying God. And the Incorporeal one said to them, "Listen, righteous Abraham. Behold your wife Sarah, behold also your beloved son Isaac, behold also all your men-servants and maid-servants round about you. Make disposition of all that you have, for the day has come close in which you shall depart from the body and go to the Lord once for all."

Abraham said, "Has the Lord said it, or do you say this for yourself?"

The chief-captain answered, "Listen, righteous Abraham. The Lord has commanded, and I tell it to you."

Abraham said, "I will not go with you."

The chief-captain, hearing these words, straightway went forth from the presence of Abraham, and went up into the heavens, and stood before God the Most High, and said, "Lord Almighty, behold I have listened to your friend Abraham in all he has said to you, and have fulfilled his requests. I have shown him your power, and all the earth and sea that is under heaven. I have shown to him judgment and recompense by means of cloud and chariots, and again he says, 'I will not go with you.'"

And the Most High said to the angel, "Does my friend Abraham say thus again, 'I will not go with you?'"

The archangel said, "Lord Almighty, he says this, and I refrain from laying hands on him, because from the beginning he is your friend, and has done all things pleasing in your sight. There is no man like him on earth, not even Job the wondrous man, and therefore I refrain from laying hands on him."

Then the Most High said, "Bring to me here Death that is called the shameless countenance and the pitiless look."

And Michael the Incorporeal went and said to Death, "Come here; the lord of creation, the immortal king, calls you." And Death, hearing this, shivered and trembled, being possessed with great terror, and coming with great fear it stood before the invisible father, shivering, groaning and trembling, awaiting the command of the Lord.

Therefore the invisible God said to Death, "Come here, you bitter and fierce name of the world, hide your fierceness, cover your corruption, and cast away your bitterness from your, and put on your beauty and all your glory, and go down to Abraham my friend, and take him and bring him to me. But now also I tell you not to terrify him, but bring him with fair speech, for he is my own friend." Having heard this, Death went out from the presence of the Most High, and put on a robe of great brightness, and made his appearance like the sun, and became fair and beautiful above the sons of men, assuming the form of an archangel, having his cheeks flaming with fire, and he departed to Abraham.

Now the righteous Abraham went out of his chamber, and sat under the trees of Mamre, holding his chin in his hand, and awaiting the coming of the archangel Michael. And behold, a smell of sweet odor came to him, and a flashing of light, and Abraham turned and saw Death coming towards him in great glory and beauty, And Abraham arose and went to meet him, thinking that it was the chief-captain of God, and Death beholding him saluted him, saying, "Rejoice, precious Abraham, righteous soul, true friend of the Most High God, and companion of the holy angels."

Abraham said to Death, "Hail you, who of appearance and form is like the sun, most glorious helper, bringer of light, wondrous man, from where does your glory come to us, and who are you, and where do you come from?"

Then Death said, "Most righteous Abraham, behold I tell you the truth. I am the bitter lot of death."

Abraham said to him, "No, but you are the beauty of the world, you are the glory and beauty of angels and men, you are fairer in form than every other, and you say, 'I am the bitter lot of death,' and not rather, 'I am fairer than every good thing.'"

Death said, "I'm telling you the truth. What the Lord has named me, that also I tell you."

Abraham said, "Why have you come here?"

Death said, "For your holy soul have I come."

Then Abraham said, "I know what you mean, but I will not go with you"; and Death was silent and answered him not a word.

Then Abraham arose, and went into his house, and Death also accompanied him there. And Abraham went up into his chamber, and Death went up with him. And Abraham lay down upon his couch, and Death came and sat by his feet. Then Abraham said, "Depart, depart from me, for I desire to rest upon my couch."

Death said, "I will not depart until I take your spirit from you."

Abraham said to him, "By the immortal God I charge you to tell me the truth. Are you death?"

Death said to him, "I am Death. I am the destroyer of the world."

Abraham said, "I beg you, since you are Death, tell me if you come thus to all in such fairness and glory and beauty?"

Death said, "No, my lord Abraham, for your righteousnesses, and the boundless sea of your hospitality, and the greatness of your love towards God has become a crown upon my head, and in beauty and great peace and gentleness I approach the righteous, but to sinners I come in great corruption and fierceness and the greatest bitterness and with fierce and pitiless appearance."

Abraham said, "I beg you, listen to me, and show me you fierceness and all your corruption and bitterness."

And Death said, "You cannot behold my fierceness, most righteous Abraham."

Abraham said, "Yes, I shall be able to behold all your fierceness by means of the name of the living God, for the might of my God that is in heaven is with me."

Then Death put off all his comeliness and beauty, and all his glory and the form like the sun with which he was clothed, and put upon himself a tyrant's robe, and made his appearance gloomy and fiercer than all kind of wild beasts, and more unclean than all uncleanness. And he showed to Abraham fiery heads of serpents and fourteen faces, (one) of flaming fire and of great fierceness, and a face of darkness, and a most gloomy face of a viper, and a face of a most terrible precipice, and a face fiercer than an asp, and a face of a terrible lion, and a face of a cerastes and basilisk. He showed him also a face of a fiery scimitar, and a sword-bearing face, and a face of lightning, lightening terribly, and a noise of dreadful thunder. He showed him also another face of a fierce stormy sea, and a fierce rushing river, and a terrible three-headed serpent, and a cup mingled with poisons, and in short he showed to him great fierceness and unendurable bitterness, and every mortal disease as of the odor of Death. And from the great bitterness and fierceness there died servants and maid-servants in number about 7000, and the righteous Abraham came into indifference of death so that his spirit failed him.

And the all-holy Abraham, seeing these things thus, said to Death, "I beg you, all-destroying Death, hide your fierceness, and put on your beauty and the shape which you had before." And straightway Death hid his fierceness, and put on his beauty which he had before. And Abraham said to Death, "Why have you done this, that you have slain all my servants and maidservants? Has God sent you here for this end this day?"

Death said, "No, my lord Abraham, it is not as you say, but on your account was I sent here."

Abraham said to Death, "How then have these died? Has the Lord not spoken it?"

Death said, "Believe, most righteous Abraham, that this also is wonderful, that you also were not taken away with them. Nevertheless I tell you the truth, for if the right hand of God had not been with you at that time, you also would have had to depart from this life."

The righteous Abraham said, "Now I know that I have come into indifference of death, so that my spirit fails, but I beg you, all-destroying Death, since my servants have died before their time, come let us pray to the Lord our God that he may hear us and raise up those who died by your fierceness before their time."

And Death said, "Amen, be it so." Therefore Abraham arose and fell upon the face of the ground in prayer, and Death together with him, and the Lord sent a spirit of life upon those that were dead and they were made alive again. Then the righteous Abraham gave glory to God.

And going up into his chamber he lay down, and Death came and stood before him. And Abraham said to him, "Depart from me, for I desire to rest, because my spirit is in indifference."

Death said, "I will not depart from you until I take you soul."

And Abraham with an austere countenance and angry look said to Death, "Who has ordered you to say this? You speak these words of yourself boastfully, and I will not go with you until the chief-captain Michael comes to me, and I shall go with him. But this also I tell you, if you want me to accompany you, explain to me all your changes, the seven fiery heads of serpents and what the face of the precipice is, and what the sharp sword, and what the loud-roaring river, and what the tempestuous sea that rages so fiercely. Teach me also the unendurable thunder, and the terrible lightning, and the evil-smelling cup mingled with poisons. Teach me concerning all these."

[Death then answers all of Abraham's questions about his appearance, and begins to describe the 72 types of death for Abraham, before breaking off in exasperation.]

"Behold, I have told you all that you asked, now I tell you, most righteous Abraham, to dismiss all counsel, and cease from asking anything once for all, and come, go with me, as the God and judge of all has commanded me."

Abraham said to Death, "Depart from me yet a little, that I may rest on my couch, for I am very faint at heart, for since I have seen you with my eyes my strength has failed me, all the limbs of my flesh seem to me a weight as of lead, and my spirit is distressed exceedingly. Depart for a little; for I have said I cannot bear to see your shape."

Then Isaac his son came and fell upon his breast weeping, and his wife Sarah came and embraced his feet, lamenting bitterly. There came also his men slaves and women slaves and surrounded his couch, lamenting greatly. And Abraham came into indifference of death, and Death said to Abraham, "Come, take my right hand, and may cheerfulness and life and strength come to you."

For Death deceived Abraham, and he took his right hand, and straightway his soul adhered to the hand of Death. And immediately the archangel Michael came with a multitude of angels and took up his precious soul in his hands in a divinely woven linen cloth, and they tended the body of the just Abraham with divine ointments and perfumes until the third day after his death, and buried him in the land of promise, the oak of Mamre, but the angels received his precious soul, and ascended into heaven, singing the hymn of "thrice holy" to the Lord the God of all, and they set it there to worship the God and Father.

And after great praise and glory had been given to the Lord, and Abraham bowed down to worship, there came the undefiled voice of the God and Father saying thus, "Take therefore my friend Abraham into Paradise, where are the tabernacles of my righteous ones, and the abodes of my saints Isaac and Jacob in his bosom, where there is no trouble, nor grief, nor sighing, but peace and rejoicing and life unending."

This translations has been adapted from the digital version