Genesis Apocryphon

Lamech's troubled heart concerning the birth of Noah — his suspicion that the child is of the Watchers, his wife Bitenosh's solemn oath, and Methuselah's journey to inquire of Enoch.

1Behold, then I considered that the conception was from the Watchers, and the seed from the holy ones; and to the Nephilim it pertained. And my heart was troubled within me because of this child.

2Then I, Lamech, was sore afraid; and I went unto Bitenosh my wife, and said unto her: Swear unto me by the Most High, the great Lord, the King of all the worlds, the ruler of the children of heaven — that thou shalt tell me in truth: Is this seed from me, or from the Watchers, or from the Nephilim?

3Then Bitenosh my wife answered me with great heat, and wept, and said: O my brother and my lord! Remember, I pray thee, my pleasure with thee at the time of conception. I swear unto thee by the Most Holy One, by the King of the heavens, that this seed is of thee, and from thee was this conception. From thee is the planting of this fruit; not of any stranger, nor of any Watcher, nor of any son of heaven.

4Then I, Lamech, ran unto Methuselah my father, and told him all these things. And I asked him to journey unto Enoch his father, that he might know all things in truth — for the favour of God was with him, and his lot was with the holy ones. He spake with the holy ones, and they made known unto him the mysteries of the heavens.

5And Methuselah went unto Parwain — that is, the place where Enoch was — and he said unto him: O my father, hearken; for I am come unto thee with a hard matter. Be not angry with me that I have come hither. For my son Lamech is in dread because of the child which his wife Bitenosh hath borne. The form of the child is not as the form of men; he is more like to the children of the angels of heaven.

6His face is glorious, and his eyes are as the rays of the sun. The light shineth from his eyes upon the whole house. And as soon as he came forth from the womb, he opened his mouth, and blessed the Lord of eternity. Therefore Lamech is afraid, lest perhaps he be of the Watchers.

7Now I, Methuselah, am come unto thee that thou mayest declare the truth unto me. And Enoch made answer, saying: The Lord shall do a new thing in the earth in the days of this child. He shall be just; he shall be perfect; he shall be the deliverer in the day of the great flood. He shall escape; he shall continue; he shall be the father of three sons; and from his sons shall the earth be replenished.

8Now go thy way, and tell Lamech my son: This child is thine; the child is no Watcher's, but is of thy seed. Take heed unto him; preserve him; teach him in the ways of the Most High. He is the chosen of the Lord; and his name is Noah. For he shall give comfort unto the earth from the toil thereof.

Noah's birth, his righteousness, the Flood, and the dividing of the earth among his sons. The vision of the cedar and the olive tree.

1And I, Noah, was a son of justice; and the Lord had set me apart from the womb. I was born; and I grew up; and I walked in the ways of the Most High; and I held fast unto the truth, even all my days.

2I took unto myself a wife of the daughters of mine uncles. She bore me three sons: Shem, and Ham, and Japheth. And after the days of my sons, I gave unto each of them wives of the daughters of my brothers; and they bore unto them sons and daughters.

3And the wickedness of men multiplied upon the earth. The sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and bare children. The Watchers came down out of heaven, and lay with the daughters of men, and begat the giants — them whose number filled the earth.

4And the Lord said unto me: Noah, the days of all flesh are come up before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I shall destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark; and thou shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

5And I made the ark, even according unto all that the Lord commanded me. And I entered into the ark — I, and my sons, and my wife, and my sons' wives. And the Lord brought the flood upon the earth; and every living thing that was upon the dry land died.

6But the ark floated upon the waters; and after a hundred and fifty days the waters subsided. The ark rested upon the mountains of Hurarat. And we came forth out of the ark; and I built an altar unto the Lord; and I offered burnt offerings upon it. And the Lord smelled the sweet savour; and He blessed me, and my sons, and the seed of my sons.

7And He divided the earth among us. To Shem He gave all the lands of the centre — the land of Eber, and Asshur, and India, and Babylon. To Ham He gave the south — the land of Egypt, and Cush, and Put, and Canaan. To Japheth He gave the north — the lands of the islands, and the lands beyond the great rivers.

8And I beheld in a vision a cedar of great height, and an olive tree growing beside it. The cedar reached up to the heavens; the olive tree spread out its branches over all the earth. And the cedar was cleft in twain by a great wind; but the olive tree was not moved. And the olive tree bore fruit; and the fruit fed the children of men. And I knew that the cedar was the wickedness of the children of men, that should be cleft in the day of judgement; and the olive tree was the seed of the righteous, that should preserve the earth.

Abraham's sojourn in Canaan and Egypt — the dream of the cedar and the palm, the saving of Sarai by her cunning, and Abraham's blessing of the king of Egypt.

1And I, Abraham, came down with Sarai my wife into the land of Egypt, because of the famine. And as I drew nigh unto the river of Egypt, I dreamed a dream in the night of our entrance into the land. And I saw in my dream a cedar tree and a palm tree growing together. And men came; and they sought to cut down the cedar and to leave the palm by itself. But the palm cried out, saying: Cut not down the cedar, for he and I are of one root.

2And the cedar was spared because of the cry of the palm. And I awoke from my dream, and I told it unto Sarai my wife. And I said: I know in my heart that the men of this land shall seek to slay me, that they may take thee unto them; for thou art exceeding fair. Therefore say thou unto them, when they ask thee, that thou art my sister; that they may not slay me.

3And we came into the land of Egypt. And the princes of Pharaoh saw Sarai; and they praised her exceedingly before Pharaoh. And they took her unto Pharaoh's house. And Pharaoh dealt well with me for her sake — even with sheep and oxen and asses and camels and silver and gold and menservants and maidservants.

4But I, Abraham, prayed unto the Lord with great weeping; and I said: Blessed art Thou, O Most High God, the Lord of all the worlds. For Thou art the Lord and the Master of all things; and Thou rulest over all the kings of the earth, that Thou mayest judge them all. Now I cry unto Thee, O Lord, against Pharaoh, and against all the men of his house, because of Sarai my wife — that they have taken her away from me by force.

5Render unto him judgment, O my Lord, and let Thy great hand be against him, and against all his house. May he not have power this night to defile my wife from me. Let him learn, O Lord, that Thou art the Lord of all the kings of the earth. And I wept; and I was sore distressed.

6And in that night the Lord sent a spirit of plague to afflict Pharaoh and all the men of his house. The plague was very evil; and there was none that could heal it. And after two years the plague continued; and Pharaoh sent for all the wise men of Egypt, and for all the magicians, with all the physicians of Egypt — that they might heal him and his household. But they could not.

7And Pharaoh sent for Lot my brother's son. And Lot said unto him: Thy plague shall not depart from thee, until thou restore Sarai unto Abraham her husband; for she is his wife, and not his sister. And Pharaoh sent for me, and said: What is this thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not say unto me that she was thy wife? Take her, and go thy way.

8And he restored Sarai unto me; and he gave me much silver and gold and apparel. And he asked me to lay my hands upon him, and to pray for him. And I laid my hands upon him; and I prayed for him; and the plague departed from him. And he sent us forth in peace.

9And we came up out of the land of Egypt with great riches; and we returned unto the land of Canaan, even unto the place where mine altar was, between Bethel and Ai. And I called there upon the name of the Lord; for He had delivered me out of the hand of Pharaoh.

10Glory be unto the Most High God, the King of all the worlds. Glory be unto Him that delivered Lamech, and Noah, and Abraham. Glory be unto Him that hath kept the seed of the righteous through every generation. Forever and ever. Amen.