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The fall of Adam. Why night and day were created.
THEN when God, who is merciful and full of pity, heard Adam's voice, He said unto him:--
2 "O Adam, so long as the good angel was obedient to Me, a bright light rested on him and on his hosts.
3 "But when he transgressed My commandment, I deprived him of that bright nature, and he became dark.
4 "And when he was in the heavens, in the realms of light, he knew naught of darkness.
5 "But he transgressed, and I made him fall from heaven upon the earth; and it was this darkness that came upon him.
6 "And on thee, O Adam, while in My garden and obedient to Me, did that bright light rest also.
7 "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.
8 "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.
9 "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.
10 "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.
11 "Sigh 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.
12 "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.
13 "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 coining from the garden into this land.
14 "For I made thee of the light; and I willed to bring out children of light from thee and like unto thee.
15 "But thou didst not keep one day My commandment; until I had finished the creation and blessed everything in it.
16 "Then I commanded thee concerning the tree, that thou eat not thereof. Yet I knew that Satan, who deceived himself, would also deceive thee.
17 "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.
18 "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.
19 "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.
20 "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.
21 "But little of darkness now remains, O Adam; and daylight will soon appear."