Chapter III

 Concerning the promise of the great five and a half days.

 

 

1 God said to Adam, "I have ordained¹ on this earth days and years, and you and your descendants² shall live and walk in them, until the days and years are fulfilled; when I shall send the Word that created you, and against which you have transgressed³, the Word that made you come out of the garden, and that raised you when you were fallen.

 

2 Yes, the Word that will again save you when the five and a half days are fulfilled."

 

3 But when Adam heard these words from God, and of the great five and a half days, he did not understand the meaning of them.

 

4 For Adam was thinking there would be only five and a half days for him until the end of the world.

 

5 And Adam cried, and prayed to God to explain it to him.

 

6 Then God in his mercy for Adam who was made after His own image and likeness⁴, explained to him, that these were 5,000 and 500 years; and how One would then come and save him and his descendants.

 

7 But before that, God had made this covenant⁵ with our father, Adam, in the same terms, before he came out of the garden, when he was by the tree where Eve took of the fruit and gave it to him to eat.

 

8 Because, when our father Adam came out of the garden, he passed by that tree, and saw how God had changed the appearance of it into another form, and how it shriveled.

 

9 And as Adam went to it he feared, trembled and fell down; but God in His mercy lifted him up, and then made this covenant with him.

 

10 And again, when Adam was by the gate of the garden, and saw the cherub⁶ with a sword of flashing fire in his hand, and the cherub grew angry and frowned at him, both Adam and Eve became afraid of him, and thought he meant to put them to death. So they fell on their faces, trembled with fear.

 

11 But he had pity on them, and showed them mercy; and turning from them went up to heaven, and prayed to the Lord, and said;—

 

12 "Lord, You sent me to watch at the gate of the garden, with a sword of fire.

 

13 But when Your servants, Adam and Eve, saw me, they fell on their faces, and were as dead. O my Lord, what shall we do to Your servants?"

 

14 Then God had pity on them, and showed them mercy, and sent His Angel to keep the garden.

 

15 And the Word of the Lord came to Adam and Eve, and raised them up.

 

16 And the Lord said to Adam, "I told you that at the end of the five and a half days, I will send my Word and save you.

 

17 Strengthen your heart, therefore, and stay in the Cave of Treasures, of which I have before spoken to you."

 

18 And when Adam heard this Word from God, he was comforted with that which God had told him. For He had told him how He would save him.

 

1 ordained   

v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

2 descendants   

n. 后代，后裔 名词descendant的复数形式

参考例句：

• They were the direct descendants of the Dutch settlers. 他们是荷兰移民的直系后裔。
• They are the descendants of Queen Victoria. 他们是维多利亚女王的后裔。

3 transgressed   

v.超越( transgress的过去式和过去分词 )；越过；违反；违背

参考例句：

• You transgressed against the law. 你犯法了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• His behavior transgressed the unwritten rules of social conduct. 他的行为违反了不成文的社交规范。 来自辞典例句

4 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

5 covenant   

n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约

参考例句：

• They refused to covenant with my father for the property.他们不愿与我父亲订立财产契约。
• The money was given to us by deed of covenant.这笔钱是根据契约书付给我们的。

6 cherub   

n.小天使，胖娃娃

参考例句：

• It was easy to see why the cartoonists regularly portrayed him as a malign cherub.难怪漫画家总是把他画成一个邪恶的小天使。
• The cherub in the painting is very lovely.这幅画中的小天使非常可爱。