FIRST BOOK OF AḎAM AND ḤAWWAH 54

1 Then Aḏam and Ḥawwah stood up in the cave and prayed the entire night until the morning dawned. And when the sun came up they both went out of the cave. Their minds were wandering from the heaviness of sorrow and they didn’t know where they were going.

2 And they walked in that condition to the southern border of the garden. And they began to go up that border until they came to the eastern border, which was land’s end.

3 And the keruḇ who guarded the garden was standing at the western gate to guard it from Aḏam and Ḥawwah in case they should attempt to suddenly come into the garden.

4 When Aḏam and Ḥawwah thought the keruḇ was not watching they came to the eastern border of the garden. But as they were standing by the gate, as if they desired to go in, the keruḇ turned around as if to put them to death according to the order Elohim had given him. And the keruḇ suddenly came with a flashing sword of fire in his hand. When he saw them, he went toward them to kill them. For he was afraid that Elohim would destroy him if they went into the garden without Elohim’s order.

5 And the sword of the keruḇ seemed to shoot flames a distance away from it. But when he raised it over Aḏam and Ḥawwah, the flame of the sword did not flash out at them.

6 Because of this the keruḇ thought that Elohim was approving to them and was bringing them back into the garden. And the keruḇ stood wondering.

7 He could not go up to the shamayim to ascertain Elohim’s order regarding Aḏam and Ḥawwah’s entering the garden so continued to stand by them, unable to leave them because he was afraid that if they should enter the garden without permission Elohim would destroy him.

8 When Aḏam and Ḥawwah saw the keruḇ coming towards them with a flaming sword of fire in his hand they fell on their faces from fear, and were as dead.

9 Then, the shamayim and the earth shook, and another keruḇim came down from the shamayim to the keruḇ who guarded the garden, and saw him amazed and silent.

10 Then, again, other messengers came down close to the place where Aḏam and Ḥawwah were. And the keruḇim were split between joy and sorrow.

11 They were joyous because they thought that Elohim was approving to Aḏam, and wished him to return to the garden and wished to return him to the gladness he once enjoyed.

12 But they were sorrowful over Aḏam because he was fallen like a dead man, he and Ḥawwah. And they said to themselves, “Aḏam has not died in this place, but Elohim has put him to death for coming to this place and wishing to enter the garden without His permission.”