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Then when God, who is
merciful and full of pity, heard Adam's voice, He said unto him:—
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"O Adam, so long as the
good angel was obedient to Me, a bright light rested on him and on his
hosts.
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"But when he
transgressed My commandment, I deprived him of that bright nature, and
he became dark.
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"And when he was in the
heavens, in the realms of light, he knew naught of darkness.
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"But he transgressed,
and I made him fall from heaven upon the earth; and it was this
darkness that came upon him.
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"And on thee, O Adam,
while in My garden and obedient to Me, did that bright light rest
also.
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"But when I heard of thy
transgression, I deprived thee of that bright light. Yet, of My
mercy, I did not turn thee into darkness, but I made thee thy body of
flesh, over which I spread this skin, in order that it may bear cold
and heat.
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"If I had let My wrath
fall heavily upon thee, I should have destroyed thee; and had I turned
thee into darkness, it would have been as if I killed thee.
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"But in My mercy, I have
made thee as thou art; when thou didst transgress My commandment, O
Adam, I drove thee from the garden, and made thee come forth into this
land; and commanded thee to dwell in this cave; and darkness came upon
thee, as it did upon him who transgressed My commandment.
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"Thus, O Adam, has this
night deceived thee. It is not to last for ever; but is only of
twelve hours; when it is over, daylight will return.
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"Sign not, therefore,
neither be moved; and say not in thy heart that this darkness is long
and drags on wearily; and say not in thy heart that I plague thee with
it.
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"Strengthen thy heart,
and be not afraid. This darkness is not a punishment. But,
O Adam, I have made the day, and have placed the sun in it to give
light; in order that thou and thy children should do your work.
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"For I knew thou
shouldest sin and transgress, and come out into this land. Yet
would I not force thee, nor be heard upon thee, nor shut up; nor doom
thee through thy fall; nor through thy coming out from light into
darkness; nor yet through thy coming from the garden into this land.
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"For I made thee of the
light; and I willed to bring out children of light from thee and like
unto thee.
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"But thou didst not keep
one day My commandment; until I had finished the creation and blessed
everything in it.
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"Then I commanded thee
concerning the tree, that thou eat not thereof. Yet I knew that
Satan, who deceived himself, would also deceive thee.
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"So I made known to thee
by means of the tree, not to come near him. And I told thee not
to eat of the fruit thereof, nor to taste of it, nor yet to sit under
it, nor to yield to it.
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"Had I not been and
spoken to thee, O Adam, concerning the tree, and had I left thee
without a commandment, and thou hadst sinned—it would have been an
offence on My part, for not having given thee any order; thou wouldst
turn round and blame Me for it.
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"But I commanded thee,
and warned thee, and thou didst fall. So that My creatures
cannot blame me; but the blame rests on them alone.
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"And, O Adam, I have
made the day for thee and for thy children after thee, for them to
work, and toil therein. And I have made the night for them to
rest in it from their work; and for the beasts of the field to go
forth by night and seek their food.
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"But little of darkness
now remains, O Adam; and daylight will soon appear."
