The Ascension of Isaiah

Chapter 2
¹And it came to pass after that Hezekiah died and Manasseh became king, that he did not remember the commands of Hezekiah his father, but forgat them, and Sammael abode in Manasseh and clung fast to him. ²And Manasseh forsook the service of the God of his father, and he served Satan and his angels and his powers. ³And he turned aside the house of his father, which had been before the face of Hezekiah from the words of wisdom and from the service of God. ⁴And Manasseh turned aside his heart to serve Beliar; for the angel of lawlessness, who is the ruler of this world, is Beliar, whose name is Mantanbuchus. And he delighted in Jerusalem because of Manasseh, and he made him strong in apostatizing Israel and in the lawlessness which were spread abroad in Jerusalem. ⁵And witchcraft and magic increased and divination and auguration, and fornication, and adultery, and the persecution of the righteous by Manasseh and Belachira, and Tobia the Canaanite, and John of Anathoth, and by Zadok the chief of the works. ⁶And the rest of the acts, behold they are written in the book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ⁷And, when Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw the lawlessness which was being perpetrated in Jerusalem and the worship of Satan and his wantonness, he withdrew from Jerusalem and settled in Bethlehem of Judah. ⁸And there also there was much lawlessness, and withdrawing from Bethlehem he settled on a mountain in a desert place. ⁹And Micaiah the prophet, and the aged Ananias, and Joel and Habakkuk, and his son Josab, and many of the faithful who believed in the ascension into heaven, withdrew and settled on the mountain. ¹⁰They were all clothed with garments of hair, and they were all prophets. And they had nothing with them but were naked, and they all lamented with a great lamentation because of the going astray of Israel. ¹¹And these eat nothing save wild herbs which they gathered on the mountains, and having cooked them, they lived thereon together with Isaiah the prophet. And they spent 2 years of days on the mountains and hills. ¹²And after this, whilst they were in the desert, there was a certain man in Samaria named Belchira, of the family of Zedekiah, the son of Chenaan, a false prophet, whose dwelling was in Bethlehem. Now Hezekiah the son of Chanani, who was the brother of his father, and in the days of Ahab, king of Israel, had been the teacher of the 400 prophets of Baal, had himself smitten and reproved Micaiah the son of Amada the prophet. ¹³And he, Micaiah, had been reproved by Ahab and cast into prison. And he was with Zedekiah the prophet: they were with Ahaziah the son of Ahab, king in Samaria. ¹⁴And Elijah the prophet of Tebon of Gilead was reproving Ahaziah and Samaria, and prophesied regarding Ahaziah that he should die on his bed of sickness, and that Samaria should be delivered into the hand of Leba Nasr because he had slain the prophets of God. ¹⁵And when the false prophets, who were with Ahaziah the son of Ahab and their teacher Jalerjas of Mount Joel, had heard - ¹⁶now he was a brother of Zedekiah - when they persuaded Ahaziah the king of Aguaron and slew Micaiah.

Chapter 3
¹And Belchira recognized and saw the place of Isaiah and the prophets who were with him; for he dwelt in the region of Bethlehem, and was an adherent of Manasseh. And he prophesied falsely in Jerusalem, and many belonging to Jerusalem were confederate with him, and he was a Samaritan. ²And it came to pass when Alagar Zagar, king of Assyria, had come and captive, and led them away to the mountains of the medes and the rivers of Tazon; ³This Belchira, whilst still a youth, had escaped and come to Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, but he walked not in the ways of his father of Samaria; for he feared Hezekiah. ⁴And he was found in the days of Hezekiah speaking words of lawlessness in Jerusalem. ⁵And the servants of Hezekiah accused him, and he made his escape to the region of Bethlehem. And they persuaded . . ⁶And Belchira accused Isaiah and the prophets who were with him, saying: 'Isaiah and those who are with him prophesy against Jerusalem and against the cities of Judah that they shall be laid waste and against the children of Judah and Benjamin also that they shall go into captivity, and also against thee, O lord the king, that thou shalt go bound with hooks and iron chains': ⁷But they prophesy falsely against Israel and Judah. ⁸And Isaiah himself hath said: 'I see more than Moses the prophet.' ⁹But Moses said: 'No man can see God and live'; and Isaiah hath said: 'I have seen God and behold I live.' ¹⁰Know, therefore, O king, that he is lying. And Jerusalem also he hath called Sodom, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem he hath declared to be the people of Gomorrah. And he brought many accusations against Isaiah and the prophets before Manasseh. ¹¹But Beliar dwelt in the heart of Manasseh and in the heart of the princes of Judah and Benjamin and of the eunuchs and of the counselors of the king. ¹²And the words of Belchira pleased him exceedingly, and he sent and seized Isaiah. ¹³For Beliar was in great wrath against Isaiah by reason of the vision, and because of the exposure wherewith he had exposed Sammael, and because through him the going forth of the Beloved from the 7th heaven had been made known, and His transformation and His descent and the likeness into which He should be transformed that is the likeness of man, and the persecution wherewith he should be persecuted, and the torturers wherewith the children of Israel should torture Him, and the coming of His 12 disciples, and the teaching, and that He should before the sabbath be crucified upon the tree, and should be crucified together with wicked men, and that He should be buried in the sepulchre, ¹⁴and the 12 who were with Him should be offended because of Him: and the watch of those who watched the sepulchre: ¹⁵and the descent of the angel of the Christian Church, which is in the heavens, whom He will summon in the last days. ¹⁶And that Gabriel the angel of the Holy Spirit, and Michael, the chief of the holy angels, on the 3rd day will open the sepulchre: ¹⁷and the Beloved sitting on their shoulders will come forth and send out His 12 disciples; ¹⁸and they will teach all the nations and every tongue of the resurrection of the Beloved, and those who believe in His cross will be saved, and in His ascension into the 7th heaven whence He came: ¹⁹and that many who believe in Him will speak through the Holy Spirit: ²⁰and many signs and wonders will be wrought in those days. ²¹And afterwards, on the eve of His approach, His disciples will forsake the teachings of the 12 Apostles, and their faith, and their love and their purity. ²²And there will be much contention on the eve of His advent and His approach. ²³And in those days many will love office, though devoid of wisdom. ²⁴And there will be many lawless elders, and shepherds dealing wrongly by their own sheep, and they will ravage them owing to their not having holy shepherds. ²⁵And many will change the honour of the garments of the saints for the garments of the covetous, and there will be much respect of persons in those days and lovers of the honour of this world. ²⁶And there will be much slander and vainglory at the approach of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit will withdraw from many. ²⁷And there will not be in those days many prophets, nor those who speak trustworthy words, save one here and there in divers places, ²⁸on account of the spirit of error and fornication and of vainglory, and of covetousness, which shall be in those, who will be called servants of that One and in those who will receive that One. ²⁹And there will be great hatred in the shepherds and elders towards each other. ³⁰For there will be great jealousy in the last days; for everyone will say what is pleasing in his own eyes. ³¹And they will make of none effect the prophecy of the prophets which were before me, and these my visions also will they make of none effect, in order to speak after the impulse of their own hearts.

Chapter 4
¹And now Hezekiah and Josab my son, these are the days of the completion of the world. ²After it is consummated, Beliar the great ruler, the king of this world, will descend, who hath ruled it since it came into being; yea, he will descent from his firmament in the likeness of a man, a lawless king, the slayer of his mother: who himself even this king ³will persecute the plant which the 12 Apostles of the Beloved have planted. Of the 12 one will be delivered into his hands. ⁴This ruler in the form of that king will come and there will come with him all the powers of this world, and they will hearken unto him in all that he desires. ⁵And at his word the sun will rise at night and he will make the moon to appear at the 6th hour. ⁶And all that he hath desired he will do in the world: he will do and speak like the Beloved and he will say: "I am God and before me there has been none." ⁷And all the people in the world will believe in him. ⁸And they will sacrifice to him and they will serve him saying: "This is God and beside him there is no other." ⁹And they greater number of those who shall have been associated together in order to receive the Beloved, he will turn aside after him. ¹⁰And there will be the power of his miracles in every city and region. ¹¹And he will set up his image before him in every city. ¹²And he shall bear sway 3 years and 7 months and 27 days. ¹³And many believers and saints having seen Him for whom they were hoping, who was crucified, Jesus the Lord Christ, after that I, Isaiah, had seen Him who was crucified and ascended and those also who were believers in Him - of these few in those days will be left as His servants, while they flee from desert to desert, awaiting the coming of the Beloved. ¹⁴And after 1,362 days the Lord will come with His angels and with the armies of the holy ones from the 7th heaven with the glory of the 7th heaven, and He will drag Beliar into Gehenna and also his armies. ¹⁵And He will give rest of the godly whom He shall find in the body in this world, and the sun wil be ashamed: ¹⁶And to all who because of their faith in Him have execrated Beliar and his kings. But the saints will come with the Lord with their garments which are now stored up on high in the 7th heaven: with the Lord they will come, whose spirits are clothed, they will descend and be present in the world, and He will strengthen those, who have been found in the body, together with the saints, in the garments of the saints, and the Lord will minister to those who have kept watch in this world. ¹⁷And afterwards they will turn themselves upward in their garments, and their body will be left in the world. ¹⁸Then the voice of the Beloved will in wrath rebuke the things of heaven and the things of earth and the mountains and the hills and the cities and the desert and the forests and the angel of the sun and that of the moon, and all things wherein Beliar manifested himself and acted openly in this world, and there will be [a resurrection and] a judgment in their midst in those days, and the Beloved will cause fire to go forth from Him, and it will consume all the godless, and they will be as though they had not been created. ¹⁹And the rest of the words of the vision is written in the vision of Babylon. ²⁰And the rest of the vision regarding the Lord, behold, it is written in 3 parables according to my words which are written in the book which I publicly prophesied. ²¹And the descent of the Beloved into Sheol, behold, it is written in the section, where the Lord says: "Behold my Son will understand." And all these things, behold they are written in the Psalms in the parables of David, the son of Jesse, and in the Proverbs of Solomon his son, and in the words of Korah, and Ethan the Israelite, and in the words of Asaph, and in the rest of the Psalms also which the angel of the Spirit inspired. ²²Namely in those which have not the name written, and in the words of my father Amos, and of Hosea the prophet, and of Micah and Joel and Nahum and Jonah and Obadiah and Habakkuk and Haggai and Malachi, and in the words of Joseph the Just and in the words of Daniel.

Chapter 5
¹On account of these visions, therefore, Beliar was wroth with Isaiah, and he dwelt in the heart of Manasseh and he sawed him in sunder with a wooden saw. ²And when Isaiah was being sawn in sunder, Belchira stood up, accusing him, and all the false prophets stood up, laughing and rejoicing because of Isaiah. ³And Belchira, with the aid of Mechembechus, stood up before Isaiah, deriding; ⁴and Belchira said to Isaiah: 'Say, "I have lied in all that I have spoken, and likewise the ways of Manasseh are good and right. ⁵And the ways also of Belchira and of his associates are good." ⁶And this he said to him when he began to be sawn in sunder. ⁷But Isaiah was absorbed in a vision of the Lord, and though his eyes were open, he saw them not. ⁸And Belchira spake thus to Isaiah: "Say what I say unto thee and I will turn their hearts, and I will compel Manasseh and the princes of Judah and the people and all Jerusalem to reverence thee. ⁹And Isaiah answered and said: "So far as I have utterance I say: Damned and accused be thou and all thy powers and all thy house. ¹⁰For thou canst not take from me aught save the skin of my body." ¹¹And they seized and sawed in sunder Isaiah, the son of Amoz, with a wooden saw. ¹²And Manasseh and Belchira and the false prophets and the princes and the people and all stood looking on. ¹³And to the prophets who were with him he said before he had been sawn in sunder: "Go ye to the region of Tyre and Sidon; for for me only hath God mingled the cup." ¹⁴And when Isaiah was being sawn in sunder, he neither cried aloud nor wept, but his lips spake with the Holy Spirit until he was sawn in twain. ¹⁵This, Beliar did to Isaiah through Belchira and Manasseh; for Sammael was very wrathful against Isaiah from the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, on account of the things which he had seen regarding the Beloved. ¹⁶And on account of the destruction of Sammael, which he had seen through the Lord, while Hezekiah his father was still king. And he did according to the will of Satan.

Chapter 6
¹The Vision which Isaiah the Son of Amoz Saw: in the 20th year of the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah, came Isaiah the son of Amoz, and Josab the son of Isaiah to Hezekiah to Jerusalem from Galgala. ²And having entered he sat down on the couch of the king, and they brought him a seat, but he would not sit thereon. ³And when Isaiah began to speak the words of faith and truth with King Hezekiah, all the princes of Israel were seated and the eunuchs and the counselors of the king. And there were there 40 prophets and sons of the prophets: they had come from the villages and from the mountains and the plains when they had heard that Isaiah was coming from Galgala to Hezekiah. ⁴And they had come to salute him and to hear his words. ⁵And that he might place his hands upon them, and that they might prophesy and that he might hear their prophecy: and they were all before Isaiah. ⁶And when Isaiah was speaking to Hezekiah the words of truth and faith, they all heard a door which one had opened and the voice of the Holy Spirit. ⁷And the king summoned all the prophets and all the people who were found there, and they came. and Macaiah and the aged Ananias and Joel and Josab sat on his right hand and on the left. ⁸And it came to pass when they had all heard the voice of the Holy Spirit, they all worshipped on their knees, and glorified the God of truth, the Most High who is in the upper world and who sits on High the Holy One and who rest among His holy ones. ⁹And they gave glory to Him who had thus bestowed a door in an alien world had bestowed it on a man. ¹⁰And as he was speaking in the Holy Spirit in the hearing of all, he became silent and his mind was taken up from him and he saw not the men that stood before him. ¹¹Though his eyes indeed were open. Moreover his lips were silent and the mind in his body was taken up from him. ¹²But his breath was in him; for he was seeing a vision. ¹³And the angel who was sent to make him see was not of this firmament, nor was he of the angels of glory of this world, but he had come from the 7th heaven. ¹⁴And the people who stood near did not think, but the circle of the prophets did, that the holy Isaiah had been taken up. ¹⁵And the vision which the holy Isaiah saw was not from this world but from the world which is hidden from the flesh. ¹⁶And after Isaiah had seen this vision, he narrated it to Hezekiah, and to Josab his son and to the other prophets who had come. ¹⁷But the leaders and the eunuchs and the people did not hear, but only Samna the scribe, and Ijoaqem, and Asaph the recorder; for these also were doers of righteousness, and the sweet smell of the Spirit was upon them. But the people had not heard; for Micaiah and Josab his son had caused them to go forth, when the wisdom of this world had been taken form him and he became as one dead.

Chapter 7
¹And the vision which Isaiah saw, he told to Hezekiah and Josab his son and Micaiah and the rest of the prophets, and said: ²At this moment, when I prophesied according to the words heard which ye heard, I saw a glorious angel not like unto the glory of the angels which I used always to see, but possessing such glory and position that I cannot describe the glory of that angel. ³And having seized me by my hand he raised me on high, and I said unto him: "Who art thou, and what is thy name, and whither art thou raising me on high? For strength was given me to speak with him." ⁴And he said unto me: "When I have raised thee on high through the various degrees and made thee see the vision, on account of which I have been sent, then thou wilt understand who I am: but my name thou dost not know. ⁵Because thou wilt return into this thy body, but whither I am raising thee on high, thou wilt see; for for this purpose have I been sent." ⁶And I rejoiced because he spake courteously to me. ⁷And he said unto me: "Hast thou rejoiced because I have spoken courteously to thee?" And he said: "And thou wilt see how a greater also that I am will speak courteously and peaceably with thee." ⁸And His Father also who is greater thou wilt see; for for this purpose have I been sent from the 7th heaven in order to explain all these things unto thee." ⁹And we ascended to the firmament, I and he, and there I saw Sammael and his hosts, and there was great fighting therein and the angels of Satan were envying one another. ¹⁰And as above so on the earth also; for the likeness of that which is in the firmament is here on the earth. ¹¹And I said unto the angel who was with me: "What is this war and what is this envying?" ¹²And he said unto me: "So has it been since this world was made until now, and this war will continue till He whom thou shalt see will come and destroy him." ¹³And afterwards he caused me to ascend to that which is above the firmament: which is the first heaven. ¹⁴And there I saw a throne in the midst, and on his right and on his left were angels. ¹⁵And the angels on the left were not like unto the angels who stood on the right, but those who stood on the right had the greater glory, and they all praised with one voice, and there was a throne in the midst, and those who were out he left gave praise after them; but their voice was not such as the voice of those on the right, nor their praise like the praise of those. ¹⁶And I asked the angel who conducted me, and I said unto him: "To whom is this praise sent?" ¹⁷And he said unto me: "it is sent to the praise of Him who sitteth in the 7th heaven: to Him who rests in the holy world, and to His Beloved, whence I have been sent to thee. Thither is it sent." ¹⁸And again, he made me to ascend to the 2nd heaven. now the height of that heaven is the same as from the heaven to the earth and to the firmament. ¹⁹And I saw there, as in the first heaven, angels on the right and on the left, and a throne in the midst, and the praise of the angels in the 2nd heaven; and he who sat on the throne in the 2nd heaven was more glorious than all the rest. ²⁰And there was great glory in the 2nd heaven, and the praise also was not like the praise of those who were in the first heaven. ²¹And I fell on my face to worship him, but the angel who conducted me did not permit me, but said unto me: "Worship neither throne nor angel which belongs to the 6 heavens - for for this cause I was sent to conduct thee - until I tell thee in the 7th heaven. ²²For above all the heavens and their angels has thy throne been placed, and thy garments and thy crown which thou shalt see." ²³And I rejoiced with great joy, that those who love the Most High and His Beloved will afterwards ascend thither by the angel of the Holy Spirit. ²⁴And he raised me to the 3rd heaven, and in like manner I saw those upon the right and upon the left, and there was a throne there in the midst; but the memorial of this world is there unheard of. ²⁵And I said to the angel who was with me; for the glory of my appearance was undergoing transformation as I ascended to each heaven in turn: "Nothing of the vanity of that world is here named." ²⁶And he answered me, and said unto me: "Nothing is named on account of its weakness, and nothing is hidden there of what is done." ²⁷And I wished to learn how it is now, and he answered me saying: "When I have raised thee to the 7th heaven whence I was sent, to that which is above these, then thou shalt know that there is nothing hidden from the thrones and from those who dwell in the heavens and from the angels. And the praise wherewith they praised and glory of him who sat on the throne was great, and the glory of the angels on the right hand and on the left was beyond that of the heaven which was below them. ²⁸And again he raised me to the 4th heaven, and the height from the 3rd to the height from the 3rd to the 4th heaven was greater than from the earth to the firmament. ²⁹And there again I saw those who were on the right hand and those who were on the left, and him who sat on the throne was in the midst, and there also they were praising. ³⁰And the praise and glory of the angels on the right was greater than that of those on the left. ³¹And again the glory of him who sat on the throne was greater than that of the angels on the right, and their glory was beyond that of those who were below. ³²And he raised me to the 5th heaven. ³³And again I saw those upon the right hand and on the left, and him who sat on the throne possessing greater glory that those of the 4th heaven. ³⁴And the glory of those on the right hand was greater than that of those on the left from the 3rd to the 4th. ³⁵And the glory of him who was on the throne was greater than that of the angels on the right hand. ³⁶And their praise was more glorious than that of the 4th heaven. ³⁷And I praised Him, who is not named and the Only-begotten who dwelleth in the heavens, whose name is not known to any flesh, who has bestowed such glory on the several heaves, and who makes great the glory of the angels, and more excellent the glory of Him who sitteth on the throne.

Chapter 8
¹And again he raised me into the air of the 6th heaven, and I saw such glory as I had not seen in the 5 heavens. ²For I saw angels possessing great glory. ³And the praise there was holy and wonderful. ⁴And I said to the angel who conducted me: "What is this which I see, my Lord?" ⁵And he said: "I am not thy lord, but thy fellow servant." ⁶And again I asked him, and I said unto him: "Why are there not angelic fellow servants on the left?" ⁷And he said: "From the 6th heaven there are no longer angels on the left, nor a throne set in the midst, but they are directed by the power of the 7th heaven, where dwelleth He that is not named and the Elect One, whose name has not been made known, and none of the heavens can learn His name. ⁸For it is He alone to whose voice all the heavens and thrones give answer. I have therefore been empowered and sent to raise thee here that thou mayest see this glory. ⁹And that thou mayest see the Lord of all those heavens and these thrones. ¹⁰Undergoing successive transformation until He resembles your form and likeness. ¹¹I indeed say unto thee, Isaiah; No man about to return into a body of that world has ascended or seen what thou seest or perceived what thou hast perceived and what thou wilt see. ¹²For it has been permitted to thee in the lot of the Lord to come hither. And from thence comes the power of the 6th heaven and of the air." ¹³And I magnified my Lord with praise, in that through His lot I should come hither. ¹⁴And he said: "Hear, furthermore, therefore, this also from thy fellow servant: when from the body by the will of God thou hast ascended hither, then thou wilt receive the garment which thou seest, and likewise other numbered garments laid up there thou wilt see. ¹⁵And then thou wilt become equal to the angels of the 7th heaven. ¹⁶And he raised me up into the 6th heaven, and there were no angels on the left, nor a throne in the midst, but all had one appearance and their power of praise was equal. ¹⁷And power was given to me also, and I also praised along with them and that angel also, and our praise was like theirs. ¹⁸And there they all named the primal Father and His Beloved, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, all with one voice. ¹⁹And their voice was not like the voice of the angels in the 5 heavens: ²⁰nor like their discourse, but the voice was different there, and there was much light there. ²¹And then, when I was in the 6th heaven I thought the light which I had seen in the 5 heavens to be but darkness. ²²And I rejoiced and praised Him who hath bestowed such lights on those who wait for His promise. ²³And I besought the angel who conducted me that I should not henceforth return to the carnal world. ²⁴I say indeed unto you, Hezekiah and Josab my son and Micaiah, that there is much darkness here. ²⁵And the angel who conducted me discovered what I thought and said: "If in this light thou dost rejoice, how much more wilt thou rejoice, when in the 7th heaven thou seest the light where is the Lord and His Beloved whence I have been sent, who is to be called "Son" in this world. ²⁶Not yet hath been manifested he shall be in the corruptible world] and the garments, and the thrones, and the crowns which are laid up for the righteous, for those who trust in that Lord who will descend in your form. For the light which is there is great and wonderful. ²⁷And as concerning thy not returning into the body thy days are not yet fulfilled for coming here." ²⁸And when I heard that I was troubled, and he said: "Do not be troubled."

Chapter 9
¹And he took me into the air of the 7th heaven, and moreover I heard a voice saying: "How far will he ascend that dwelleth in the flesh?" And I feared and trembled. ²And when I trembled, behold, I heard from hence another voice being sent forth, and saying: "It is permitted to the holy Isaiah to ascend hither; for here is his garment." ³And I asked the angel who was with me and said: "Who is he who forbade me and who is he who permitted me to ascend?" ⁴And he said unto me: "He who forbade thee, is he who is over the praise-giving of the 6th heaven. ⁵And He who permitted thee, this is thy Lord God, the Lord Christ, who will be called "Jesus" in the world, but His name thou canst not hear till thou hast ascended out of thy body." ⁶And he raised me up into the 7th heaven, and I saw there a wonderful light and angels innumerable. ⁷And there I saw the holy Abel and all the righteous. ⁸And there I saw Enoch and all who were with him, stript of the garments of the flesh, and I saw them in their garments of the upper world, and they were like angels, standing there in great glory. ⁹And there I saw Enoch and all who were with him, stript of the garments of the flesh, and I saw them in their garments of the upper world, and they were like angels, standing there in great glory. ¹⁰But they sat not on their thrones, nor were their crowns of glory on them. ¹¹And I asked the angel who was with me: "How is it that they have received the garments, but have not the thrones and the crowns?" ¹²And he said unto me: "Crowns and thrones of glory they do not receive, till the Beloved will descent in the form in which you will see Him descent [will descent, I say] into the world in the last days the Lord, who will be called Christ. ¹³Nevertheless they see and know whose will be thrones, and whose the crowns when He has descended and been made in your form, and they will think that He is flesh and is a man. ¹⁴And the god of that world will stretch forth his hand against the Son, and they will crucify Him on a tree, and will slay Him not knowing who He is. ¹⁵And thus His descent, as you will see, will be hidden even from the heavens, so that it will not be known who He is. ¹⁶And when He hath plundered the angel of death, He will ascend on the 3rd day, [and he will remain in that world 545 days]. ¹⁷And then many of the righteous will ascend with Him, whose spirits do not receive their garments till the Lord Christ ascend and they ascend with Him. ¹⁸Then indeed they will receive their garments and thrones and crowns, when He has ascended into the 7th heaven." ¹⁹And I said unto him that which I had asked him in the 3rd heaven: ²⁰"Show me how everything which is done in that world is here made known." ²¹And whilst I was still speaking with him, behold one of the angels who stood nigh, more glorious than the glory of that angel, who had raised me up from the world. ²²Showed me a book, [but not as a book of this world] and he opened it, and the book was written, but not as a book of this world. And he gave it to me and I read it, and lo! the deeds of the children of Israel were written therein, and the deeds of those whom I know (not), my son Josab. ²³And I said: "In truth, there is nothing hidden in the 7th heaven, which is done in this world." ²⁴And I saw there many garments laid up, and many thrones and many crowns. ²⁵And I said to the angel: "Whose are these garments and thrones and crowns?" ²⁶And he said unto me: "These garments many from that world will receive, believing in the words of That One, who shall be named as I told thee, and they will observe those things, and believe in them, and believe in His cross: for them are these laid up." ²⁷And I saw a certain One standing, whose glory surpassed that of all, and His glory was great and wonderful. ²⁸And after I had seen Him, all the righteous whom I had seen and also the angels whom I had seen came to Him. And Adam and Abel and Seth and all the righteous first drew near and worshipped Him, and they all praised Him with one voice, and I myself also gave praise with them, and my giving of praise was as theirs. ²⁹And then all the angels drew nigh and worshipped and gave praise. ³⁰And I was (again) transformed and became like an angel. ³¹And thereupon the angel who conducted me said to me: "Worship this One," and I worshipped and praised. ³²And the angel said unto me: "This is the Lord of all the praise-givings which thou hast seen." ³³And whilst he was still speaking, I saw another Glorious One who was like Him, and the righteous drew nigh and worshipped and praised, and I praised together with them. But my glory was not transformed into accordance with their form. ³⁴And thereupon the angels drew near and worshipped Him. ³⁵And I saw the Lord and the 2nd angel, and they were standing. ³⁶And the 2nd whom I saw was on he left of my Lord. And I asked: "Who is this?" and he said unto me: "Worship Him, for He is the angel of the Holy Spirit, who speaketh in thee and the rest of the righteous." ³⁷And I saw the great glory, the eyes of my spirit being open, and I could not thereupon see, nor yet could the angel who was with me, nor all the angels whom I had seen worshipping my Lord. ³⁸But I saw the righteous beholding with great power the glory of that One. ³⁹And my Lord drew nigh to me and the angel of the Spirit and He said: "See how it is given to thee to see God, and on thy account power is given to the angel who is with thee." ⁴⁰And I saw how my Lord and the angel of the Spirit worshipped, and they both together praised God. ⁴¹And thereupon all the righteous drew near and worshipped. ⁴²And the angels drew near and worshipped and all the angels praised.

Chapter 10
¹And thereupon I heard the voices and the giving of praise, which I had heard in each of the 6 heavens, ascending and being heard there: ²And all were being sent up to that Glorious One whose glory I could not behold. ³And I myself was hearing and beholding the praise (which was given) to Him. ⁴And the Lord and the angel of the Spirit were beholding all and hearing all. ⁵And all the praises which are sent up from the 6 heavens are not only heard, but seen. ⁶And I heard the angel who conducted me and he said: "This is the Most High of the high ones, dwelling in the holy world, and resting in His holy ones, who will be called by the Holy Spirit through the lips of the righteous the Father of the Lord." ⁷And I heard the voice of the Most High, the Father of my Lord, saying to my Lord Christ who will be called Jesus: ⁸"Go forth and descent through all the heavens, and thou wilt descent to the firmament and that world: to the angel in Sheol thou wilt descend, but to Haguel thou wilt not go. ⁹And thou wilt become like unto the likeness of all who are in the 5 heavens. ¹⁰And thou wilt be careful to become like the form of the angels of the firmament [and the angels also who are in Sheol]. ¹¹And none of the angels of that world shall know that Thou art with Me of the 7 heavens and of their angels. ¹²And they shall not know that Thou art with Me, till with a loud voice I have called (to) the heavens, and their angels and their lights, (even) unto the 6th heaven, in order that you mayest judge and destroy the princes and angels and gods of that world, and the world that is dominated by them: ¹³For they have denied Me and said: "We alone are and there is none beside us." ¹⁴And afterwards from the angels of death Thou wilt ascend to Thy place. And Thou wilt not be transformed in each heaven, but in glory wilt Thou ascend and sit on My right hand. ¹⁵And thereupon the princes and powers of that world will worship Thee." ¹⁶These commands I heard the Great Glory giving to my Lord. ¹⁷And so I saw my Lord go forth from the 7th heaven into the 6th heaven. ¹⁸And the angel who conducted me [from this world was with me and] said unto me: "Understand, Isaiah, and see the transformation and descent of the Lord will appear." ¹⁹And I saw, and when the angels saw Him, thereupon those in the 6th heaven praised and lauded Him; for He had not been transformed after the shape of the angels there, and they praised Him and I also praised with them. ²⁰And I saw when He descended into the 5th heaven, that in the 5th heaven He made Himself like unto the form of the angels there, and they did not praise Him (nor worship Him); for His form was like unto theirs. ²¹And then He descended into the forth heaven, and made Himself like unto the form of the angels there. ²²And when they saw Him, they did not praise or laud Him; for His form was like unto their form. ²³And again I saw when He descended into the 3rd heaven, and He made Himself like unto the form of the angels in the 3rd heaven. ²⁴And those who kept the gate of the (3rd) heaven demanded the password, and the Lord gave (it) to them in order that He should not be recognized. And when they saw Him, they did not praise or laud Him; for His form was like unto their form. ²⁵And again I saw when He descended into the 2nd heaven, and again He gave the password there; those who kept the gate proceeded to demand and the Lord to give. ²⁶And I saw when He made Himself like unto the form of the angels in the 2nd heaven, and they saw Him and they did not praise Him; for His form was like unto their form. ²⁷And again I saw when He descended into the first heaven, and there also He gave the password to those who kept the gate, and He made Himself like unto the form of the angels who were on the left of that throne, and they neither praised nor lauded Him; for His form was like unto their form. ²⁸But as for me no one asked me on account of the angel who conducted me. ²⁹And again He descended into the firmament where dwelleth the ruler of this world, and He gave the password to those on the left, and His form was like theirs, and they did not praise Him there; but they were envying one another and fighting; for here there is a power of evil and envying about trifles. ³⁰And I saw when He descended and made Himself like unto the angels of the air, and He was like one of them. ³¹And He gave no password; for one was plundering and doing violence to another.

Chapter 11
¹After this I saw, and the angel who spoke with me, who conducted me, said unto me: "Understand, Isaiah son of Amoz; for for this purpose have I been sent from God." ²And I indeed saw a woman of the family of David the prophet, named Mary, and Virgin, and she was espoused to a man named Joseph, a carpenter, and he also was of the seed and family of the righteous David of Bethlehem Judah. ³And he came into his lot. And when she was espoused, she was found with child, and Joseph the carpenter was desirous to put her away. ⁴But the angel of the Spirit appeared in this world, and after that Joseph did not put her away, but kept Mary and did not reveal this matter to any one. ⁵And he did not approach May, but kept her as a holy virgin, though with child. ⁶And he did not live with her for 2 months. ⁷And after 2 months of days while Joseph was in his house, and Mary his wife, but both alone. ⁸It came to pass that when they were alone that Mary straight-way looked with her eyes and saw a small babe, and she was astonished. ⁹And after she had been astonished, her womb was found as formerly before she had conceived. ¹⁰And when her husband Joseph said unto her: "What has astonished thee?" his eyes were opened and he saw the infant and praised God, because into his portion God had come. ¹¹And a voice came to them: "Tell this vision to no one." ¹²And the story regarding the infant was noised broad in Bethlehem. ¹³Some said: "The Virgin Mary hath borne a child, before she was married 2 months." ¹⁴And many said: "She has not borne a child, nor has a midwife gone up (to her), nor have we heard the cries of (labour) pains." And they were all blinded respecting Him and they all knew regarding Him, though they knew not whence He was. ¹⁵And they took Him, and went to Nazareth in Galilee. ¹⁶And I saw, O Hezekiah and Josab my son, and I declare to the other prophets also who are standing by, that (this) hath escaped all the heavens and all the princes and all the gods of this world. ¹⁷And I saw: In Nazareth He sucked the breast as a babe and as is customary in order that He might not be recognized. ¹⁸And when He had grown up he worked great signs and wonders in the land of Israel and of Jerusalem. ¹⁹And after this the adversary envied Him and roused the children of Israel against Him, not knowing who He was, and they delivered Him to the king, and crucified Him, and He descended to the angel (of Sheol). ²⁰In Jerusalem indeed I was Him being crucified on a tree: ²¹And likewise after the 3rd day rise again and remain days. ²²And the angel who conducted me said: "Understand, Isaiah": and I saw when He sent out the 12 Apostles and ascended. ²³And I saw Him, and He was in the firmament, but He had not changed Himself into their form, and all the angels of the firmament and the Satans saw Him and they worshipped. ²⁴And there was much sorrow there, while they said: "How did our Lord descend in our midst, and we perceived not the glory [which has been upon Him], which we see has been upon Him from the 6th heaven?" ²⁵And He ascended into the 2nd heaven, and He did not transform Himself, but all the angels who were on the right and on the left and the throne in the midst. ²⁶Both worshipped Him and praised Him and said: "How did our Lord escape us whilst descending, and we perceived not?" ²⁷And in like manner He ascended into the 3rd heaven, and they praised and said in like manner. ²⁸And in the 4th heaven and in the 5th also they said precisely after the same manner. ²⁹But there was one glory, and from it He did not change Himself. ³⁰And I saw when He ascended into the 6th heaven, and they worshipped and glorified Him. ³¹But in all the heavens the praise increased (in volume). ³²And I saw how He ascended into the 7th heaven, and all the righteous and all the angels praised Him. And then I saw Him sit down on the right hand of that Great Glory whose glory I told you that I could not behold. ³³And also the angel of the Holy Spirit I saw sitting on the left hand. ³⁴And this angel said unto me: "Isaiah, son of Amoz, it is enough for thee; . . for thou hast seen what no child of flesh has seen. ³⁵And thou wilt return into thy garment (of the flesh) until thy days are completed. Then thou wilt come hither." ³⁶These things Isaiah saw and told unto all that stood before him, and they praised. And he spake to Hezekiah the King and said: "I have spoken these things." ³⁷Both the end of this world; ³⁸And all this vision will be consummated in the last generations. ³⁹And Isaiah made him swear that he would not tell (it) to the people of Israel, nor give these words to any man to transcribe. ⁴⁰ . . such things ye will read. and watch ye in the Holy Spirit in order they ye may receive your garments and thrones and crowns of glory which are laid up in the 7th heaven. ⁴¹On account of these visions and prophecies Sammael Satan sawed in sunder Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, by the hand of Manasseh. ⁴²And all these things Hezekiah delivered to Manasseh in the 26th year. ⁴³But Manasseh did not remember them nor place these things in his heart, but becoming the servant of Satan he was destroyed. Here endeth the vision of Isaiah the prophet with his ascension.