The Cave of Treasures 37

A¹🔗nd the seed of Japhet became thirty-seven nations and kingdoms, viz. Gamar (Gomer), and Yawan, and Mádhài, and Tibil, and Mashékh, and Tirés, and all the kingdoms of the Alanayé; all these are the children of Japhet. And the sons of Hàm—Küsh (Nubia), and Mesrim (Egypt), and Pót, and Canaan, and all their children.

²🔗 And the sons of Shem—‘Ílàm (Elamites), and Áshór (Assyrians), and Arpakhshar (Persians?), and Lódh (Lud), and Árám (Arameans, Damascenes, and Harranites), and all their children. Now the children of Japhet clung to the borders of the east, from the Mountain of Nódh, which is on the confines of the east, to the Tigris and the confines of the north, and from Baktórónós (Bactria?) as far as Gadhrión (Gadarea?).

³🔗 And the children of Shem held from Persia [in] the east as far as the sea of Tadhrasnkés in the west; unto them belongeth the middle of the earth, and they held sovereignty and dominion therein. The children of Shem occupy all the southern and a little of the western quarter. And Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug.

⁴🔗 And in the days of Reu, in his one hundred and thirtieth year, Nimrod, the mighty man, the first king on the earth, reigned, and he reigned sixty-nine years; and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel. This Nimrod saw the figure of a crown in the heavens, and he called Sisán, the weaver, who wore a crown like unto it, and he set it on his head.

⁵🔗 And because of this men used to say that the crown came down to him from heaven. In the days of Reu the third thousand years came to an end. And in the days of Reu the Mesrayé, who are the Egyptians, appointed their first king; his name was Puntos, and he reigned over them sixty-eight years. And in the days of Reu a king reigned in Shebha (Saba), and in Ophir, and in Havilah.

⁷🔗 And the children of Havilah appointed to be their king Havil, who built Havilah, that is, Hend (India?). And Reu died, being two hundred and thirty-nine years old, and Serug his son, and Náhór and Tarah (Terah) buried him in Aor’in, the city which he built after his own name. And Serug lived thirty years and begot Nahor, and all the days of his life were two hundred and thirty years.

⁸🔗 And in the days of Serug the worship of idols entered the world. And in his days the children of men began to make themselves graven images, and it was at this time that the introduction of idols into the world took place. For the children of men were scattered all over the earth, and they had neither teachers nor lawgivers, and no one to show them the way of truth wherein they should walk, and for this reason they became confused and fell into error.

⁹🔗 Some of them through their error adored the heavens, and some of them worshipped the sun, and moon and stars, and some of them the earth, and wild beasts, and birds, and creeping things, and trees, and stones, and the creatures of the sea, and the waters, and the winds. Now Satan had blinded their eyes so that they might walk in the darkness of error, because they had no hope of a resurrection.

¹⁰🔗 For when one of them died they used to make an image of him, and set it up upon his grave, so that the remembrance [of his appearance] might not pass from before their eyes. And error having been sown broadcast in all the earth, the land became filled with idols in the form of men and women. And then Serug died, being two hundred and thirty years old, and Náhór, and Tarah, and Abraham his sons, buried him in Sarghin, the city which he built after his own name.

¹¹🔗 And Náhór was twenty-nine years old when he begot Terah. And in the days of Náhór, in the seventieth year of his life, when God looked upon the children of men, and saw that they were worshipping idols, a great earthquake took place, and all their houses were overturned and fell down; but the people did not understand within themselves, and they added to their wickedness.

¹²🔗 And Nahor died when he was one hundred and forty-seven years old, and Terah his son and Abraham buried him. Terah was seventy-five years old when he begot Abraham. And Terah was seventy-five years old when he begat Abraham. And in the days of Terah, in his ninetieth year, sorcery appeared on the earth in the city of Aór (Ur), which Horon, the son of ‘Abhar, built.

¹³🔗 Now, there was in the city a certain man who was very rich, and he died at that time. And his son made an image of him in gold, and set it up upon his grave, and he appointed there a young man to keep guard over it. And Satan went and took up his abode in that image, and he spake to that youth (i.e. the son of the rich man) after the manner of his father.

¹⁴🔗 And thieves went into [his house], and took everything that the youth possessed, and he went out to the tomb of his father weeping. And Satan spake unto him, saying, “Weep not in my presence, but go and fetch thy little son, and slay him here as a sacrifice to me, and forthwith everything which thou hast lost shall be returned to me here.”

¹⁵🔗 And straightway the youth did as Satan told him, and he slew his son, and bathed in his blood. And Satan went forth immediately from that image [of gold], and entered into the youth, and taught him sorcery, and enchantments, and divination, and the lore of the Chaldeans, and [how to tell] fortunes, and [how to forecast] events, and [how to foretell] destinies.

¹⁶🔗 And behold, from that time the children of men began to sacrifice their sons to devils and to worship idols, for the devils entered into ‘the images, and took up their abodes therein. And in the one hundredth year of the life of Náàhór, when God saw that the children of men were sacrificing their sons to devils, and worshipping idols, He opened the storehouses of the wind, and the gate of the whirlwind, and a blast of wind went forth in all the earth.

¹⁷🔗 And it uprooted the images, and the places where offerings were made to devils, and it swept together the idols, and the images, and the pillared buildings in a heap, and piled up great mounds [of earth] over them; [and they are there] to this day. Now to this blast of wind learned men have given the name of “Wind-Flood”; but certain who have erred have said, “These mounds existed [already] in the days of the Flood [of waters]. Now those who have said these things have erred greatly from the truth; for before the Flood [of waters] there were no idols in the earth, and it was not because of idols that the Flood came, but because of the fornication of the daughters of Cain. And, moreover, at that time there were no men on this earth, which was a waste and a desert. And our fathers were cast forth in days of old, as it were, into exile, because they were not worthy to be neighbours of Paradise.

¹⁸🔗 And through the Ark they were driven forth to the mountains of Kardó, and from there they were scattered about throughout all the earth. For these mounds came into being because of idols, and in them are buried all the idols of that time, and all the devils also who dwell in them are in these mounds, and there is no mound which hath not devils in it.