JACOB
TO
INDEX
The ladder of
1. Jacob
then went to Laban his uncle, and he found a place and laying down his head on a
stone he slept there, and he had a dream. And
behold a ladder was fixed to the earth whose top reached into heaven.
2.
And on
the top of that ladder was the face of a man as if carved out of fire, and
twelve steps led up to the top of the ladder.
3. And on
each step up to the top there were human faces, two on each step, on the right
and the left, twenty-four faces inclusive their chests.
4. And the face in the middle was higher than all that I saw, namely the one of fire, exceedingly terrifying more than those twenty four faces.
5. And while
I looked at it, behold angels of God ascended and descended on it.
And God was standing above its highest face.
And He called to me from there saying; Jacob, Jacob.
6. And I
said; here am I Lord. And He said
to me: The land on which you are sleeping I will give to you and to your seed
after you, and I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand
of the sea.
7. And
through your seed, all the earth and those living on it in the last times of the
years of completion shall be blessed.
8.
My
blessing with which I have blessed you shall flow from you unto the last
generation, to the east and to the west all shall be full of your tribe.
9. And I
hearing this from on high, awe and trembling fell upon me, and I rose up from my
dream and said:
10. How
fearful is this place, (earth) this is none other than the house of God, and
this is the gate of heaven.
11. And I
set-up the stone which had been my pillow, as a pillar, and I poured oil on the
top of it, and called the name of that place, "The house of God."
And I stood and began to sing saying;
12.
Lord God
of Adam Thy creature, and of Abraham and Isaac my fathers, and of all who have
walked in justice before Thee, Thou who sits firmly on the Cherubim and the
fiery throne of Thy glory
13.
... ...
14. Holding
the four faced Cherubim, bearing the many-eyed Seraphim, and carrying the whole
world under Thy arm, yet not being borne by anyone.
15. Thou who
made the sky firm for the glory of Thy name, stretching out the heavens which
gleam under Thee that beneath it Thou may cause the sun to take its course, and
conceal it during the night, so that it may not seem as a god.
16.
Thou made
on them a way for the moon and the stars, and made the moon wax and wane, and
destined the stars to pass on so that they might not seem gods.
17.
Before
Thy face of glory the six winged Seraphim are afraid, and they cover their feet
and faces with their wings while flying with their others, and unceasingly sing
hymns.
18.
Thou O
most holy One, Eternal King, Mighty, Powerful, Most great, Patient, and Blessed
One, Thou who fills heaven and earth the sea and the abysses and all the ages
with Thy glory.
19. Hear my
song, which I have sung, and grant me the request I ask of Thee, and tell me the
interpretation of my dream.
20. For Thou
art a God who is mighty, powerful, and glorious, a God who is holy, my Lord and
Lord of my fathers.
1. And
while I was still saying this prayer, a voice came to me saying; Sariel leader
of the beguiled, you who are in charge of dreams, go and make Jacob understand the meaning
of the dream he has had, and explain to him everything he saw, but first bless
him."
2. And
Sariel the archangel came to me, and his appearance was very beautiful and
awe-some, but I was not astonished by his appearance, since the vision which I
had seen in my dream was more terrible than he, wherefore I did not fear the
vision of the angel.
3. And he
said to me; "What is your name?"
And I said, "Jacob". Then
he announced; "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but your name shall be
similar to mine, and be Israel".
4. And when
I was going from Phandana of Syria to meet Esau my brother, he came to me and
blessed me, and called me Israel. But
he would not tell me his name until I adjured him.
5. And he
said; "You have seen a ladder with twelve steps, each step having two human
faces, which kept changing their appearances. The ladder is this age.
And the twelve steps are the periods of this age.
6. The
twenty-four faces then are the kings of the ungodly nations of this age, under
these, the children of your children, the generations of your sons, will be
interrogated.
7. They will
rise up against the iniquity of your grandsons, and this place will be made
desolate by the four ascends through the sins of your grandsons.
8. And on
the land of your forefathers a palace will be built, a temple in the name of
your God and of the God of your fathers.
9. And in
the provocation of your children it will become deserted by the four ascends of
this age. For you saw the first
four busts which were striking against the steps, and angels ascending and
descending.
10. The Most
High will raise up kings from the grandsons of your brother Esau, and they will
hail all the officials of the tribes of the earth who have maltreated your seed.
11.
And your
seed will be delivered into their hands and be vexed by them, and held by force,
and they will rule over them. And
your seed will not be able to oppose him until the day that his thoughts will go
out against them to serve idols and sacrifice to the dead.
12.
And he
will do violence to all those in the kingdom who refuse to be known in such
guilt, up to the highest one of your tribe.
13. Know
therefore Jacob that your descendants shall be exiles in a strange land, and
these will afflict them with slavery and wounds every day.
But the Lord will judge the people for whom they slaved.
14. And when
the King arises, judgment will come upon that place.
Then your seed will go out of slavery from the nations that hold them by
force, and they will be free from any rebuke of your enemies.
15.
For this
King (the Lord) is the Head of all revenge and retaliation against those who
have done evil to you Israel, all the way to the end of the age.
16. For
bitter times will arise and they will cry out, and the Lord will hear them and
accept their pleas. And the Mighty
One will repent because of their sufferings.
17. And the
angels and archangels will hurl their bolts of lightning before them for the
sake of the salvation of your tribe, and you will gain the mercy of the Most
High.
18.
Then
their wives will bear many children, and afterwards, the Lord will fight for
your tribe with great and terrible signs against those who made them slaves.
19.
Their
filled storehouses will be found empty, their land will swarm with reptiles and
all sorts of deadly things, and there will be earthquakes and much destruction.
20. And the
Lord will pour out his wrath against Leviathan the sea dragon.
He will kill the lawless falcon with the sword, for by his pride he will
raise the wrath of "the God of gods".
21. Then your
justice will be revealed and that of your children who are to be after you, and
who will walk in your justice.
22.
Then
your seed will sound the horn, and all the kingdoms of Edom will perish together
with the people of Moab.
1. And as for the angels you saw descending and ascending the ladder, in the "last years" there will be a Man from the Most High (the Lord), and He will desire to join the upper with the lower.
2. And
before His coming, your sons and daughters will tell about Him, and your young
men will have visions concerning Him. Such
will be the signs at the time of his coming.
3. And a
tree cut with an ax will bleed, three months old babies will speak with
under-standing, a baby in the womb of his mother will speak of his way, a youth
will be like an old man. Then the
expected One will come, who path will not be noticed by anyone.
4. Then the
earth will be glorified, receiving heavenly glory.
What was above will also be below, and from your seed will bloom a root
of kings.
5. It will
emerge and overthrow the power of evil, and He himself will be the Savior for
every land, and rest for those who toil, and a cloud shading the whole world
from the burning heat.
6. For if He
did not come, the uncontrolled will not be controlled, nor could the lower
things be joined with the upper.
7. At His
coming, the idols of brass, stone, and of any sort of carving, will voice for
three days, they will give wise men news of Him, to let them know what will be
on earth.
8. And by
star, those on earth who wish to see Him whom angels above do not see, will find
the way to Him. Then the Almighty
will be on earth in body, and embraced by corporal arms.
9.
He will
restore human matter, and He will revive Eve who died by the fruit of the tree.
Then the deceit of the impious will be exposed, and all the idols will
fall face down.
10.
For a
Dignitary will put them to shame, because they lied by means of hallucinations,
and henceforth they will not be able to rule or prophesy.
Honor will be taken from them, and they will remain without glory.
11. For He
who comes will take power and might, and He will give Abraham the truth, as he
previously had been told. Everything
sharp He will make dull, and the rough will be made smooth.
12.
And He
will cast all the iniquities into the depths of the sea.
He will work wonders in heaven and on earth, and He will be
wounded in His beloved house.
13. And when He is wounded, then salvation will be ready, and be the end of all perdition. And those who have wounded Him will themselves receive a wound, which will not be cured in them forever.
14. And all
creation will bow to Him who was wounded, and many will trust Him, and He will
become known everywhere in all lands.
And those who acknowledge His name will not be ashamed. His own dominion and years will be unending forever.
