1 [89:1]
And one of those four went to that white bull and instructed him in a secret, without his being terrified: he was born a bull and became a man, and built for himself a great vessel and dwelt thereon; and three bulls dwelt with him in that vessel and they were covered in.
2 [89:2]
And again I raised mine eyes towards heaven and saw a lofty roof, with seven water torrents thereon, and those torrents flowed with much water into an enclosure.
3 [89:3]
And I saw again, and behold fountains were opened on the surface of that great enclosure, and that water began to swell and rise upon the surface, and I saw that enclosure till all its surface was covered with water.
4 [89:4]
And the water, the darkness, and mist increased upon it; and as I looked at the height of that water, that water had risen above the height of that enclosure, and was streaming over that enclosure, and it stood upon the earth.
5 [89:5]
And all the cattle of that enclosure were gathered together until I saw how they sank and were swallowed up and perished in that water.
6 [89:6]
But that vessel floated on the water, while all the oxen and elephants and camels and asses sank to the bottom with all the animals, so that I could no longer see them, and they were not able to escape, but perished and sank into the depths.
7 [89:7]
And again I saw in the
8
vision till those water torrents were removed from that high roof, and the chasms of the earth were levelled up and other abysses were opened.
9 [89:8a]
Then the water began to run down into these, till the earth became visible;
10 [89:8b]
But that vessel settled on the earth, and the darkness retired, and light appeared.
11 [89:9a]
But that white bull which had become a man came out of that vessel, and the three bulls with him, and one of those three was white like that bull, and one of them was red as blood, and one black:
12 [89:9b]
And that white bull departed from them.
13 [88:10]
¶ And they began to bring forth beasts of the field and birds, so that there arose different genera: lions, tigers, wolves, dogs, hyenas, wild boars, foxes, squirrels, swine, falcons, vultures, kites, eagles, and ravens; and among them was born a white bull.
14 [89:11]
And they began to bite one another; but that white bull which was born amongst them begat a wild ass and a white bull with it, and the wild asses multiplied.
15 [89:12a]
But that bull which was born from him begat a black wild boar and a white sheep;
16 [89:12b]
And the former begat many boars, but that sheep begat twelve sheep.
17 [89:13]
And when those twelve sheep had grown, they gave up one of them to the asses, and those asses again gave up that sheep to the wolves, and that sheep grew up among the wolves.
18 [89:14]
And the Lord brought the eleven sheep to live with it and to pasture with it among the wolves: and they multiplied and became many flocks of sheep.
19 [89:15a]
And the wolves began to fear them, and they oppressed them until they destroyed their little ones, and they cast their young into a river of much water:
20 [89:15b]
But those sheep began to cry aloud on account of their little ones, and to complain unto their Lord.
21 [89:16a]
And a sheep which had been saved from the wolves fled and escaped to the wild asses;
22 [89:16b]
And I saw the sheep how they lamented and cried, and besought their Lord with all their might, till that Lord of the sheep descended at the voice of the sheep from a lofty abode and came to them and pastured them.
23 [89:17]
And He called that sheep which had escaped the wolves, and spake with it concerning the wolves that it should admonish them not to touch the sheep.
24 [89:18]
And the sheep went to the wolves according to the word of the Lord, and another sheep met it and went with it, and the two went and entered together into the assembly of those wolves, and spake with them and admonished them not to touch the sheep from henceforth.
25 [89:19]
And thereupon I saw the wolves, and how they oppressed the sheep exceedingly with all their power; and the sheep cried aloud.
26 [89:20]
And the Lord came to the sheep and they began to smite those wolves: and the wolves began to make lamentation; but the sheep became quiet and forthwith ceased to cry out.
27 [89:21]
And I saw the sheep till they departed from amongst the wolves; but the eyes of the wolves were blinded, and those wolves departed in pursuit of the sheep with all their power.
28 [89:22]
And the Lord of the sheep went with them, as their leader, and all His sheep followed Him: and his face was dazzling and glorious and terrible to behold.
29 [89:23]
But the wolves began to pursue those sheep till they reached a sea of water.
30 [89:24]
And that sea was divided, and the water stood on this side and on that before their face, and their Lord led them and placed Himself between them and the wolves.
31 [88:25]
And as those wolves did not yet see the sheep, they proceeded into the midst of that sea, and the wolves followed the sheep, and those wolves ran after them into that sea.
32 [89:26]
And when they saw the Lord of the sheep, they turned to flee before His face, but that sea gathered itself together, and became as it had been created, and the water swelled and rose till it covered those wolves.
33 [89:27]
And I saw till all the wolves who pursued those sheep perished and were drowned.
34 [89:28a]
¶ But the sheep escaped from that water and went forth into the wilderness, where there was no water and no grass;
35 [89:28b]
And they began to open their eyes and to see;
36 [88:28c]
And I saw the Lord of the sheep pasturing them and giving them water and grass, and that sheep going and leading them.
37 [89:29]
And that sheep ascended to the summit of that lofty rock, and the Lord of the sheep sent it to them.
38 [89:30]
And after that I saw the Lord of the sheep who stood before them, and His appearance was great and terrible and majestic, and all those sheep saw Him and were afraid before His face.
39 [89:31]
And they all feared and trembled because of Him, and they cried to that sheep with them which was amongst them]: We are not able to stand before our Lord or to behold Him.
40 [89:32]
And that sheep which led them again ascended to the summit of that rock, but the sheep began to be blinded and to wander from the way which he had showed them, but that sheep wot not thereof.
41 [88:33]
And the Lord of the sheep was wrathful exceedingly against them, and that sheep discovered it, and went down from the summit of the rock, and came to the sheep, and found the greatest part of them blinded and fallen away.
42 [89:34]
And when they saw it they feared and trembled at its presence, and desired to return to their folds.
43 [89:35a]
And that sheep took other sheep with it, and came to those sheep which had fallen away, and began to slay them;
44 [89:35b]
And the sheep feared its presence, and thus that sheep brought back those sheep that had fallen away, and they returned to their folds.
45 [89:36]
And I saw in this vision till that sheep became a man and built a house for the Lord of the sheep and placed all the sheep in that house.
46 [89:37a]
And I saw till this sheep which had met that sheep which led them fell asleep:
47 [89:37b]
And I saw till all the great sheep perished and little ones arose in their place, and they came to a pasture, and approached a stream of water.
48 [89:38]
Then that sheep, their leader which had become a man, withdrew from them and fell asleep, and all the sheep sought it and cried over it with a great crying.
49 [89:39]
And I saw till they left off crying for that sheep and crossed that stream of water, and there arose the two sheep as leaders in the place of those which had fallen asleep and after he had led them.
50 [89:40]
And I saw till the sheep came to a goodly place, and a pleasant and glorious land, and I saw till those sheep were satisfied; and that house stood amongst them in the pleasant land.