ḤANOḴ 22

1 And then I went to another place, and he showed me in the west another great and high mountain of hard rock.

2 And there was in it four hollow places, deep and wide and very smooth. “How smooth are the hollow places and deep and dark to look at.”

3 Then Repha’ĕl answered, one of the qodesh messengers who was with me, and said to me, “These hollow places have been created for this very purpose, that the spirits of the beings of the dead should assemble there, even that all the beings of the children of men should assemble here.

4 “And these places have been made to receive them till the day of their judgment and till their appointed time, till the great judgment upon them.”

5 I saw the spirits of the children of men who were dead, and their voice went forth to the shamayim and petitioned.

6 And I asked Repha’ĕl, the messenger who was with me, and I said to him, “This spirit; whose is it whose voice goes forth and petitions?”

7 And he answered me saying, “This is the spirit which went forth from Heḇel, whom his brother Qayin slew, and he makes his petition against him till his seed is destroyed from the face of the earth, and his seed is annihilated from amongst the seed of men.”

8 Then I asked regarding it, and regarding all the hollow places, “Why is one separated from the other?”

9 And he answered me and said to me, “These three have been made that the spirits of the dead might be separated. And such a division has been made for the spirits of the righteous, in which there is the bright spring of water.

10 “And such has been made for sinners when they die and are buried in the earth and judgment has not been executed on them in their lifetime.

11 “Here their spirits shall be put aside in this great pain till the great day of judgment and punishment and torment of the accursed forever, and retribution for their spirits. There He shall bind them forever.

12 “And such a division has been made for the spirits of those who make their petition, who make disclosures concerning their destruction, when they were slain in the days of the sinners.

13 “Such has been made for the spirits of men who were not righteous, but sinners, who were complete in transgression, and of the transgressors they shall be companions, but their spirits shall not be slain in the day of judgment nor shall they be raised from there.”

14 Then I baraḵ 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 of esteem and said, “baraḵ be Adonai, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 of righteousness, who rules forever.”