FIRST BOOK OF AḎAM AND ḤAWWAH 1

1 On the third day, Elohim planted the garden in the east of the earth, on the border of the world in the eastward direction toward and beyond the rising sun. There one finds nothing but water that encompasses the whole world and reaches to the borders of the shamayim.

2 And to the north of the garden there is a sea of water, clear and pure to the taste, unlike anything else; so that, through the clearness one may look into the depths of the earth.

3 And when a man washes himself in it, he becomes perfectly clean and perfectly white, even if he were dark.

4 And Elohim created that sea of His own good pleasure, for He knew what would come of the man He would make; so that after he had left the garden, because of his transgression, men should be born in the earth. Among them are righteous ones who will die, whose souls Elohim would raise at the last day when all of them will return to their flesh, bathe in the water of that sea, and repent of their sins.

5 But when Elohim caused Aḏam to go out of the garden, He did not place him on the border of it northward. This was so that he and Ḥawwah would not be able to go near to the sea of water where they could wash themselves in it and be cleansed from their sins and erase the transgression they had committed, so that they be no longer reminded of it in the thought of their punishment.

6 As to the southern side of the garden, Elohim did not want Aḏam to live there either, because, when the wind blew from the north, it would bring to him, on that southern side, the delicious smell of the trees of the garden.

7 So Elohim did not put Aḏam there. This was so that he would not be able to smell the sweet smell of those trees and forget his transgression, and find consolation for what he had done by taking delight in the smell of the trees and yet not be cleansed from his transgression.

8 Also, because Elohim is merciful and of great pity, and governs all things in a way that He alone knows He made our father Aḏam to live in the western border of the garden because on that side the land is very wide.

9 And Elohim commanded him to live there in a cave in a rock. This was the Cave of Treasures, which is below the garden.