Chapter LVI

 A chapter of divine comfort.

 

 

1 Then came the Word of God to Adam, and said to him:—

 

2 "O Adam, look at that garden of joy and at this earth of toil¹, and behold² the garden is full of angels, but look at yourself alone on this earth with Satan whom you obeyed.

 

3 Yet, if you had submitted, and been obedient to Me, and had kept My Word, you would be with My angels in My garden.

 

4 But when you transgressed³ and obeyed Satan, you became his guests among his angels, that are full of wickedness; and you came to this earth, that brings forth⁴ to you thorns and thistles.

 

5 O Adam, ask him who deceived you, to give you the divine nature he promised you, or to make you a garden as I had made for you; or to fill you with that same bright nature with which I had filled you.

 

6 Ask him to make you a body like the one I made you, or to give you a day of rest as I gave you; or to create within you a reasonable soul, as I created for you; or to take you from here to some other earth than this one which I gave you. But, O Adam, he will not fulfil even one of the things he told you.

 

7 Acknowledge, then, My favor towards you, and My mercy on you, My creature; that I have not avenged⁵ you for your transgression⁶ against Me, but in My pity for you I have promised you that at the end of the great five and a half days I will come and save you."

 

8 Then God said again to Adam and Eve, "Get up, go down from here, before the cherub⁷ with a sword of fire in his hand destroys you."

 

9 But Adam's heart was comforted by God's words to him, and he worshipped before Him.

 

10 And God commanded His angels to escort Adam and Eve to the cave with joy, instead of the fear that had come over them.

 

11 Then the angels took up Adam and Eve, and brought them down from the mountain by the garden, with songs and psalms⁸, until they arrived at the cave. There the angels began to comfort and to strengthen them, and then departed from them towards heaven, to their Creator, who had sent them.

 

12 But after the angels had departed from Adam and Eve, Satan came with shamefacedness, and stood at the entrance of the cave in which were Adam and Eve. He then called to Adam, and said, "O Adam, come, let me speak to you."

 

13 Then Adam came out of the cave, thinking he was one of God's angels that was come to give him some good counsel.

 

1 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

2 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

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 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 avenged   

v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复

参考例句：

• She avenged her mother's death upon the Nazi soldiers. 她惩处了纳粹士兵以报杀母之仇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Indians avenged the burning of their village on〔upon〕 the settlers. 印第安人因为村庄被焚毁向拓居者们进行报复。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 transgression   

n.违背；犯规；罪过

参考例句：

• The price can make an action look more like a transaction than a transgression.罚款让一个行为看起来更像是一笔交易而不是一次违法行为。
• The areas of transgression are indicated by wide spacing of the thickness contours.那幢摩天大楼高耸入云。

7 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。

8 psalms   

n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的)

参考例句：

• the Book of Psalms 《〈圣经〉诗篇》
• A verse from Psalms knifed into Pug's mind: "put not your trust in princes." 《诗篇》里有一句话闪过帕格的脑海：“不要相信王侯。” 来自辞典例句