1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11
The Ascension of Isaiah was probably composed sometime in the 1st or 2nd centuries AD and consists of three key parts: “The Martyrdom of Isaiah” (chs. 1–5), “The Testament of Hezekiah” (an insertion in chs. 3–4), and “The Vision of Isaiah” (chs. 6–11). The text revolves around an account of Isaiah’s martyrdom in which he was sawn in two. It also includes prophetic material and a “vision” in which Isaiah is transported through the seven dimensions (or levels) of the heavens.
And it came to pass in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah, that he called his son Manasseh. Now he was his only one. And he called him into the presence of Isaiah, the son of the prophet Amoz, and into the presence of Josab, the son of Isaiah, in order to deliver the words of righteousness to him which the king himself had seen, and of the continuous judgments and torments of Gehenna, and of the prince of this world, and of his messengers, and his authorities and his powers. And the words of the faith of the Beloved which he himself had seen in the fifteenth year of his reign during his sickness. And he delivered the written words to him which Samnas the scribe had written, and also those which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, had given to him, and also to the prophets, that they might write and store up with him what he himself had seen in the king’s house regarding the judgment of the messengers, and the destruction of this world, and regarding the garments of the saints and their going forth, and regarding their transformation and the persecution and ascension of the Beloved. In the twentieth year of the reign of Hezekiah, Isaiah had seen the words of this prophecy and had delivered them to his son Josab. And while he gave commands, Josab, the son of Isaiah, [was] standing by. Isaiah said to Hezekiah the king—but not only in the presence of Manasseh did he say to him—“As the Lord lives, and the Spirit which speaks in me lives, all these commands and these words will be made of no effect by your son Manasseh, and through the agency of his hands I will depart amid the torture of my body. And Sammael Malchira will serve Manasseh, and execute all his desire, and he will become a follower of Belial rather than of me: and he will cause many in Jerusalem and in Judea to abandon the true faith, and Belial will dwell in Manasseh, and by his hands I will be sawn apart.” And when Hezekiah heard these words he wept very bitterly, and tore his garments, and placed earth on his head, and fell on his face. And Isaiah said to him, “The counsel of Sammael against Manasseh is consummated: nothing will avail you.” And on that day, Hezekiah resolved in his heart to slay his son Manasseh. And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “The Beloved has made your design of no effect, and the purpose of your heart will not be accomplished, for with this calling I have been called and I will inherit the heritage of the Beloved.”
And it came to pass after that Hezekiah died and Manasseh became king, [and] that he did not remember the commands of his father Hezekiah, but forgot them, and Sammael abode in Manasseh and clung fast to him. And Manasseh forsook the service of the God of his father, and he served Satan, and his messengers, and his powers. And 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. And Manasseh turned aside his heart to serve Belial; for the messenger of lawlessness, who is the ruler of this world, is Belial, 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. And witchcraft and magic increased, and divination, and portending, and fornication, [[and adultery]], and the persecution of the righteous by Manasseh, [and Belchira,] and Tobia the Canaanite, and John of Anathoth, and by [Zadok] the chief of the works. And the rest of the acts, behold they are written in the scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. And 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 Beth-Lehem of Judah. And there also there was much lawlessness; and withdrawing from Beth-Lehem, he settled on a mountain in a desert place. And 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. They 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. And these eat nothing save wild herbs which they gathered on the mountains, and having cooked them, they lived thereon together with the prophet Isaiah. And they spent two years of days on the mountains and hills. And after this, while 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 Beth-Lehem. 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 four hundred prophets of Ba’al, had himself smitten and reproved Micaiah, the son of Amada the prophet. And 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. And 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. And [this was] when the false prophets, who were with Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, and their teacher Jalerjas of Mount Joel, had heard. Now he was a brother of Zedekiah when they persuaded Ahaziah, the king of Aguaron, and [slew] Micaiah.
And Belchira recognized and saw the place of Isaiah and the prophets who were with him, for he dwelt in the region of Beth-Lehem 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. And it came to pass when Alagar Zagar, king of Assyria, had come and [made them] captive, and led them away to the mountains of the Medes and the rivers of Tazon; This [Belchira], while still a youth, had escaped and come to Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, but he did not walk in the ways of his father of Samaria; for he feared Hezekiah. And he was found in the days of Hezekiah speaking words of lawlessness in Jerusalem. And the servants of Hezekiah accused him, and he made his escape to the region of Beth-Lehem. And they persuaded . . . And 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 will be laid waste, and [[against the children of Judah, and]] Benjamin also, that they will go into captivity, and also against you, O lord the king, that you will go [bound] with hooks and iron chains, but they prophesy falsely against Israel and Judah. And Isaiah himself has said, I see more than Moses the prophet. But Moses said, No man can see God and live; and Isaiah has said, I have seen God and behold I live. Know, therefore, O king, that he is lying. And he has also called Jerusalem Sodom, and he has declared the princes of Judah and Jerusalem to be the people of Gomorrah.” And he brought many accusations against Isaiah and the prophets before Manasseh. But Belial 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. And the words of Belchira pleased him, and he sent for and seized Isaiah. For Belial was in great wrath against Isaiah by reason of the vision, and because of the exposure with which he had exposed Sammael, and because through him the going forth of the Beloved from the seventh heaven had been made known, and His transformation and His descent and the likeness into which He should be transformed—the likeness of man, and the persecution with which He should be persecuted, and the torturers with which the sons of Israel should torture Him, and the coming of His twelve disciples, and the teaching, and that He should before the Sabbath be crucified on the tree, and should be crucified together with wicked men, and that He should be buried in the grave, and the twelve who were with Him should be offended because of Him, and the watch of those who watched the grave, and the descent of the messenger of the Christian Assembly, which is in the heavens, whom He will summon in the last days. And that [Gabriel], the messenger of the Holy Spirit, and Michael, the chief of the holy messengers, on the third day will open the grave: and the Beloved sitting on their shoulders will come forth and send out His twelve disciples; and 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 seventh heaven from where He came, and that many who believe in Him will speak through the Holy Spirit, and many signs and wonders will be worked in those days. And afterward, on the eve of His approach, His disciples will forsake the teachings of the Twelve Apostles, and their faith, and their love, and their purity. And there will be much contention on the eve of [His advent and] His approach. And in those days, many will love office, though devoid of wisdom. And 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. And many will change the honor 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 honor of this world. And there will be much slander and vainglory at the approach of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit will withdraw from [the] many. And there will not be in those days many prophets, nor those who speak trustworthy words, save one here and there in various places, on account of the spirit of error, and fornication, and of vainglory, and of covetousness, which will be in those who will be called servants of that One and in those who will receive that One. And there will be great hatred in the shepherds and elders toward each other. For there will be great jealousy in the last days; for everyone will say what is pleasing in his own eyes. And they will make of no effect the prophecy of the prophets which were before me, and they will also make these visions of mine of no effect, in order to speak after the impulse of their own hearts.
And now Hezekiah and my son Josab, these are the days of the completion of the world. After it is consummated, the great ruler Belial, the king of this world, will descend, who has ruled it since it came into being; yes, he will descend from his expanse in the likeness of a man, a lawless king, the slayer of his mother: who himself [is even] this king. He will persecute the plant which the Twelve Apostles of the Beloved have planted. Of the Twelve, one will be delivered into his hands. This ruler, in the form of that king, will come, and there will come with him all the powers of this world, and they will listen to him in all that he desires. And at his word the sun will rise at night and he will make the moon to appear at the sixth hour. And all that he has 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.” And all the people in the world will believe in him. And they will sacrifice to him and they will serve him, saying, “This is God and besides Him there is no other.” And the greater number of those who will have been associated together in order to receive the Beloved, he will turn aside after him. And there will be the power of his miracles in every city and region. And he will set up his image before him in every city. And he will bear sway three years and seven months and twenty-seven days. And many believers and saints will have seen Him for whom they were hoping, who was crucified—the Lord Jesus 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. And after [one thousand] three hundred and thirty-two days the Lord will come with His messengers and with the armies of the holy ones from the seventh heaven with the glory of the seventh heaven, and He will drag Belial into Gehenna and also his armies. And He will give rest of the godly whom He will find in the body in this world—[[and the sun wil be ashamed]]— and to all who because of [their] faith in Him have execrated Belial and his kings. But the saints will come with the Lord with their garments which are [now] stored up on high in the seventh heaven: they will come with the Lord, 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. And afterward they will turn themselves upward in their garments, and their body will be left in the world. Then 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 messenger of the sun and that of the moon, and all things wherein Belial 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. And the rest of the words of the vision is written in the vision of Babylon. And the rest of the vision regarding the Lord, behold, it is written in three parables according to my words which are written in the scroll which I publicly prophesied. And 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 parables [[or Psalms]] of David, the son of Jesse, and in the Proverbs of his son Solomon, and in the words of Korah, and Ethan the Israelite, and in the words of Asaph, and also in the rest of the Psalms which the messenger of the Spirit inspired— [namely,] in those which do not have the name written, and in the words of my father Amoz, 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.
On account of these visions, therefore, Belial was angry with Isaiah, and he dwelt in the heart of Manasseh, and he sawed him apart with a wooden saw. And when Isaiah was being sawn apart, Belchira stood up, accusing him, and all the false prophets stood up, laughing and rejoicing because of Isaiah. And Belchira, with the aid of Mechembechus, stood up before Isaiah, [laughing] deriding; and Belchira said to Isaiah, “Say, I have lied in all that I have spoken, and likewise the ways of Manasseh are good and right. And the ways also of Belchira and of his associates are good.” And this he said to him when he began to be sawn apart. But Isaiah was [entranced] in a vision of the Lord, and though his eyes were open, he [did not] see them. And Belchira spoke thus to Isaiah: “Say what I say to you and I will turn their hearts, and I will compel Manasseh, and the princes of Judah, and the people, and all Jerusalem to give reverence to you.” And Isaiah answered and said, “So far as I have utterance: Damned and accursed are you, and all your powers, and all your house. For you cannot take [from me] anything except the skin of my body.” And they seized and sawed apart Isaiah, the son of Amoz, with a wooden saw. And Manasseh, and Belchira, and the false prophets, and the princes, and the people all stood looking on. And to the prophets who were with him he said before he had been sawn apart, “Go to the region of Tyre and Sidon; for God has only mingled the cup for me.” And when Isaiah was being sawn apart, he neither cried aloud nor wept, but his lips spoke with the Holy Spirit until he was sawn in half. Belial did this 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. And on account of the destruction of Sammael, which he had seen through the Lord while his father Hezekiah was still king. And he did according to the will of Satan.
The Vision which Isaiah the Son of Amoz saw: In the twentieth year of the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah, Isaiah the son of Amoz, and Josab the son of Isaiah, came to Hezekiah to Jerusalem from Galgala. And [having entered,] he sat down on the couch of the king, and they brought him a seat, but he would not sit [thereon]. And 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 forty prophets and sons of the prophets there: 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. And they had come to salute him and to hear his words, and that he might place his hands on them, and that they might prophesy and that he might hear their prophecy: and they were all before Isaiah. And when Isaiah was speaking the words of truth and faith to Hezekiah, they all heard a door which one had opened and the voice of the Holy Spirit. And 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]]. And it came to pass when they had all heard the voice of the Holy Spirit, they all worshiped 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 rests among His holy ones. And they gave glory to Him who had thus bestowed a door in an alien world [and] had bestowed [it] on a man. And 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 did not see the men that stood before him, though his eyes were indeed open. Moreover, his lips were silent and the mind in his body was taken up from him. But his breath was in him, for he was seeing a vision. And the messenger who was sent to make him see was not of this expanse, nor was he of the messengers of glory of this world, but he had come from the seventh heaven. And the people who stood near did [not] think, but the circle of the prophets [did], that the holy Isaiah had been taken up. And the vision which the holy Isaiah saw was not from this world, but from the world which is hidden from the flesh. And after Isaiah had seen this vision, he narrated it to Hezekiah, and to his son Josab, and to the other prophets who had come. But the leaders, and the eunuchs, and the people did not hear, but only Samna the scribe, and Ijoaqem, and Asaph the recorder; for these were also doers of righteousness, and the sweet smell of the Spirit was on them. But the people had not heard, for Micaiah and his son Josab had caused them to go forth when the wisdom of this world had been taken from him and he became as one dead.
And the vision which Isaiah saw, he told to Hezekiah, and his son Josab, and Micaiah, and the rest of the prophets, [and] said: At this moment, when I prophesied according to the [words] heard which you heard, I saw a glorious messenger not like to the glory of the messengers which I used to always see, but possessing such glory and position that I cannot describe the glory of that messenger. And having seized me by my hand he raised me on high, and I said to him, “Who are you, and what is your name, and to where are you raising me on high?” For strength was given me to speak with him. And he said to me, “When I have raised you on high and made you see the vision, on account of which I have been sent, then you will understand who I am, but you do not know my name, because you will return into this body of yours; but to where I am raising you on high, you will see; for this purpose I have been sent.” And I rejoiced because he spoke courteously to me. And he said to me, “Have you rejoiced because I have spoken courteously to you?” And he said, “And you will see how [one] greater than I am will also speak courteously and peaceably with you. And His Father who is greater you will also see; for this purpose I have been sent from the seventh heaven in order to explain all these things to you.” And we ascended to the expanse, he and I, and there I saw Sammael and his hosts, and there was great fighting therein and the messengers of Satan were envying one another. And as above so on the earth also; for the likeness of that which is in the expanse is here on the earth. And I said to the messenger [who was with me], “[[What is this war and]] what is this envying?” And he said to me, “So has it been since this world was made until now, and this war [will continue] until He, whom you will see will come and destroy him.” And afterward he caused me to ascend [to that which is] above the expanse, which is the [first] heaven. And there I saw a throne in the midst, and on his right and on his left were messengers. And [those on the left were] not like to the messengers 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 on the 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. And I asked the messenger who conducted me, and I said to him, “To whom is this praise sent?” And he said to me, “[It is sent] to the praise of [Him who sits in] the seventh heaven: to Him who rests in the holy world, and to His Beloved, from where I have been sent to you.” And again, he made me to ascend to the second heaven. Now the height of that heaven is the same as from the heaven to the earth. And [I saw there, as] in the first heaven, messengers on the right and on the left, and a throne in the midst, and the praise of the messengers in the second heaven; and he who sat on the throne in the second heaven was more glorious than all [the rest]. And there was great glory in the second heaven, and the praise also was not like the praise of those who were in the first heaven. And I fell on my face to worship him, but the messenger who conducted me did not permit me, but said to me, “Worship neither throne nor messenger which belongs to the six heavens—for this reason I was sent to conduct you until I tell you in the seventh heaven. For above all the heavens and their messengers your throne has been placed, and your garments and your crown which you will see.” And I rejoiced with great joy, that those who love the Most High and His Beloved will afterward ascend there by the messenger of the Holy Spirit. And he raised me to the third heaven, and in like manner I saw those on the right and on the left, and there was a throne there in the midst; but the memorial of this world is there unheard of. And I said to the messenger 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.” And he answered me, and said to me, “Nothing is named on account of its weakness, and nothing is hidden there of what is done.” And I wished to learn how it is known, and he answered me, saying, “When I have raised you to the seventh heaven from where I was sent, to that which is above these, then you will know that there is nothing hidden from the thrones and from those who dwell in the heavens and from the messengers.” And the praise with which they praised and [the] glory of him who sat on the throne was great, and the glory of the messengers on the right hand and on the left was beyond that of the heaven which was below them. And again he raised me to the fourth heaven, and the height from the third to the height from the third to the fourth heaven was greater than from the earth to the expanse. And there I again 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. And the praise and glory of the messengers on the right was greater than that of those on the left. And again the glory of him who sat on the throne was greater than that of the messengers on the right, and their glory was beyond that of those who were below. And he raised me to the fifth heaven. And again I saw those on the right hand and on the left, and him who sat on the throne possessing greater glory that those of the fourth heaven. And the glory of those on the right hand was greater than that of those on the left [from the third to the fourth]. And the glory of him who was on the throne was greater than that of the messengers on the right hand. And their praise was more glorious than that of the fourth heaven. And I praised Him who is not named, and the Only-begotten who dwells in the heavens, whose Name is not known to any flesh, who has bestowed such glory on the several heavens, and who makes great the glory of the messengers, and more excellent the glory of Him who sits on the throne.
And again he raised me into the air of the sixth heaven, and I saw such glory as I had not seen in the five heavens. For I saw messengers possessing great glory. And the praise there was holy and wonderful. And I said to the messenger who conducted me, “What is this which I see, my Lord?” And he said, “I am not your lord, but your fellow servant.” And again I asked him, and I said to him, “Why are there not angelic fellow servants [on the left]?” And he said, “From the sixth heaven there are no longer messengers on the left, nor a throne set in the midst, but [they are directed] by the power of the seventh heaven, where dwells He that is not named and the Chosen One, whose Name has not been made known, and none of the heavens can learn His Name, for it is He alone to whose voice all the heavens and thrones give answer. I have therefore been empowered and sent to raise you here that you may see this glory, and that you may see the Lord of all those heavens and these thrones, undergoing [successive] transformation until He resembles your form and likeness. I indeed say to you, Isaiah, no man about to return into a body of that world has ascended or seen what you see or perceived what you have perceived and what you will see. For it has been permitted to you in the lot of the Lord to come here. [[And from there comes the power of the sixth heaven and of the air]].” And I magnified my Lord with praise, in that through His lot I should come here. And he said, “Hear, furthermore, therefore, this also from your fellow servant: when from the body by the will of God you have ascended here, then you will receive the garment which you see, and likewise other numbered garments laid up you will see. And then you will become equal to the messengers of the seventh heaven.” And he raised me up into the sixth heaven, and there were no [messengers] on the left, nor a throne in the midst, but all had one appearance and their [power of] praise was equal. And [power] was given to me also, and I also praised along with them and that messenger also, and our praise was like theirs. And there they all named the primal Father and His Beloved, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, all with one voice. And [their voice] was not like the voice of the messengers in the five heavens, but the voice was different there, and there was much light there. And then, when I was in the sixth heaven, I thought the light which I had seen in the five heavens to be but darkness. And I rejoiced and praised Him who has bestowed such lights on those who wait for His promise. And I implored the messenger who conducted me that I should no longer return to the carnal world. I indeed say to you, Hezekiah, and my son Josab, and Micaiah, that there is much darkness here. And the messenger who conducted me discovered what I thought and said, “If you rejoice in this light, how much more will you rejoice when you see the light in the seventh heaven where the Lord and His Beloved are, [[from where I have been sent, who is to be called Son in this world. It has not been manifested [when] He will 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. And as concerning your not returning into the body, your days are not yet fulfilled for coming here.” And when I heard, I was troubled, and he said, “Do not be troubled.”
And he took me into the air of the seventh heaven, and moreover I heard a voice, saying, “How far will he ascend that dwells in the flesh?” And I feared and trembled. And when I trembled, behold, I heard from there another voice being sent forth, and saying, “It is permitted to the holy Isaiah to ascend here; for here is his garment.” And I asked the messenger who was with me and said, “Who is he who forbade me and who is he who permitted me to ascend?” And he said to me, “He who forbade you is he who is over the praise-giving of the sixth heaven. And He who permitted you, this is your Lord God, the Lord Christ, who will be called Jesus in the world, but His Name you cannot hear until you have ascended out of your body.” And he raised me up into the seventh heaven, and I saw there a wonderful light and innumerable messengers. And there I saw the holy Abel and all the righteous. And there I saw Enoch and all who were with him, stripped of the garments of the flesh, and I saw them in their garments of the upper world, and they were like messengers, standing there in great glory. But they did not sit on their thrones, nor were their crowns of glory on them. And I asked the messenger who was with me: “How is it that they have received the garments, but do not have the thrones and the crowns?” And he said to me, “They do not receive crowns and thrones of glory until the Beloved will descend in the form in which you will see Him descend into the world in the last days—the Lord, who will be called Christ. Nevertheless, they see and know whose thrones will be, 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. And 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. And thus His descent, as you will see, will be hidden even from the heavens, so that it will not be known who He is. And when He has plundered the messenger of death, He will ascend on the third day. And then many of the righteous will ascend with Him, whose spirits do not receive their garments until the Lord Christ ascends and they ascend with Him. Then they will indeed receive their [garments, and] thrones, and crowns when He has ascended into the seventh heaven.” And I said to him that which I had asked him in the third heaven: “Show me how everything which is done in that world is made known here.” And while I was still speaking with him, behold, one of the messengers who stood near, more glorious than the glory of that messenger who had raised me up from the world, showed me a scroll, and he opened it, and the scroll was written, but not as a scroll of this world. And he gave [it] to me and I read it, and behold, the deeds of the sons of Israel were written therein, and the deeds of those whom I [do not] know, my son Josab. And I said, “In truth, there is nothing hidden in the seventh heaven, which is done in this world.” And I saw there many garments laid up, and many thrones and many crowns. And I said to the messenger, “Whose are these garments, and thrones, and crowns?” And he said to me, “Many from that world will receive these garments, believing in the words of that One who will be named as I told you, and they will observe those things, and believe in them, and believe in His Cross; these are laid up for them.” And I saw a certain One standing, whose glory surpassed that of all, and His glory was great and wonderful. And after I had seen Him, all the righteous whom I had seen and also the messengers whom I had seen came to Him. And Adam, and Abel, and Seth, and all the righteous first drew near and worshiped 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. And then all the messengers drew near and worshiped and gave praise. And I was transformed and became like a messenger. And thereon the messenger who conducted me said to me, “Worship this One,” and I worshiped and praised. And the messenger said to me, “This is the Lord of all the praise-givings which you have seen.” And while he was still speaking, I saw another glorious One who was like Him, and the righteous drew near and worshiped and praised, and I praised together with them. But my glory was not transformed into accordance with their form. And thereon the messengers drew near and worshiped Him. And I saw the Lord and the second messenger, and they were standing. And the second whom I saw was on the left of my Lord. And I asked, “Who is this?” and he said to me, “Worship Him, for He is the Messenger—the Holy Spirit, who speaks in you and the rest of the righteous.” And I saw the great glory, the eyes of my spirit being open, and I could not thereon see, nor yet could the messenger who was with me, nor all the messengers whom I had seen worshiping my Lord. But I saw the righteous beholding with great power the glory of that One. And my Lord drew near to me and the Messenger—the Spirit—and He said, “See how it is given to you to see God, and on your account, power is given to the messenger who is with you.” And I saw how my Lord and the Messenger—the Spirit—worshiped, and they both together praised God. And thereon all the righteous drew near and worshiped. And the messengers drew near and worshiped, and all the messengers praised.
And thereon I heard the voices and the giving of praise, which I had heard in each of the six heavens, ascending and being heard there: and all were being sent up to that glorious One whose glory I could not behold. And I myself was hearing and beholding the praise [which was given] to Him. And the Lord and the Messenger—the Spirit—were beholding all and hearing all. And all the praises which are sent up from the six heavens are not only heard, but seen. And I heard the messenger 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.” And I heard the voice of the Most High, the Father of my Lord, saying to my Lord Christ who will be called Jesus: “Go forth and descend through all the heavens, and You will descend to the expanse and that world; You will descend to the messenger in Sheol, but You will not go to Haguel. And You will become like to the likeness of all who are in the five heavens. And You will be careful to become like the form of the messengers of the expanse [[and the messengers who are also in Sheol]]. And none of the messengers of that world will know that You are with Me of the seven heavens and of their messengers. And they will not know that You are with Me, until I have called with a loud voice [to] the heavens, and their messengers and their lights—to the sixth heaven, in order that You may judge and destroy the princes, and messengers, and gods of that world, and the world that is dominated by them, for they have denied Me and said, We are alone and there is none besides us. And afterward from the messengers of death You will ascend to Your place. And You will not be transformed in each Heaven, but You will ascend in glory and sit on My right hand. And thereon the princes and powers of that world will worship You.” I heard the Great Glory giving these commands to my Lord. And so I saw my Lord go forth from the seventh heaven into the sixth heaven. And the messenger who conducted me said to me, “Understand, Isaiah, and see [how] the transformation and descent of the Lord will appear.” And I saw, and when the messengers saw Him, thereon those in the sixth heaven praised and lauded Him; for He had not been transformed after the shape of the messengers there, and they praised Him, and I also praised with them. And I saw when He descended into the fifth heaven, that in the fifth heaven He made Himself like to the form of the messengers there, and they did not praise Him [nor worship Him], for His form was like to theirs. And then He descended into the fourth heaven and made Himself like to the form of the messengers there. And when they saw Him, they did not praise or laud Him, for His form was like to their form. And again I saw when He descended into the third heaven, and He made Himself like to the form of the messengers in the third heaven. And those who kept the gate of the [third] 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 to their form. And again I saw when He descended into the second heaven, and again He gave the password there; and those who kept the gate proceeded to demand the Lord to give [it]. And I saw when He made Himself like to the form of the messengers in the second heaven, and they saw Him, and they did not praise Him, for His form was like to their form. And 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 to the form of the messengers who were on the left of that throne, and they neither praised nor lauded Him, for His form was like to their form. But as for me, no one asked me on account of the messenger who conducted me. And again He descended into the expanse where the ruler of this world dwells, 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. And I saw when He descended and made Himself like to the messengers of the air, and He was like one of them. And He gave no password, for one was plundering and doing violence to another.
1 After this I saw, and the messenger who spoke with me, who conducted me, said to me, “Understand, Isaiah, son of Amoz, for I have been sent from God for this purpose.” 2 And I indeed saw a woman of the family of the prophet David, named Mary, and Virgin, and she was espoused to a man named Joseph, a carpenter, and he was also of the seed and family of the righteous David of Beth-Lehem [in] Judah. 3 And 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. 4 But the messenger 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 anyone. 5 And he did not approach Mary, but kept her as a holy virgin, though with child. 6 And he did not live with her for two months. 7 And after two months of days while Joseph was in his house, and Mary his wife, but both alone, 8 it came to pass that when they were alone that Mary immediately looked with her eyes and saw a small baby, and she was astonished. 9 And after she had been astonished, her womb was found as formerly before she had conceived. 10 And when her husband Joseph said to her, “What has astonished you?” his eyes were opened and he saw the Infant and praised God, because God had come into his portion. 11 And a voice came to them: “Tell this vision to no one.” 12 And the story regarding the Infant was spread widely in Beth-Lehem. 13 Some said, “The Virgin Mary has borne a child before she was married two months.” 14 And many said, “She has not borne a child, nor has a midwife gone up [to her], nor have we heard the cries of [labor] pains.” And they were all blinded respecting Him and they all knew regarding Him, though they did not know where He was from. 15 And they took Him and went to Nazareth in Galilee. 16 And I saw, O Hezekiah and my son Josab, and I declare to the other prophets who are also standing by, that [this] has escaped all the heavens, and all the princes, and all the gods of this world. 17 And I saw: in Nazareth He sucked the breast as a baby and as is customary in order that He might not be recognized. 18 And when He had grown up, He worked great signs and wonders in the land of Israel and of Jerusalem. 19 And after this the adversary envied Him and roused the sons of Israel against Him, not knowing who He was, and they delivered Him to the king, and crucified Him, and He descended to the messenger [of Sheol]. 20 I indeed saw Him being crucified on a tree in Jerusalem: 21 and likewise after the third day rise again and remain [forty] days. 22 And the messenger who conducted me said, “Understand, Isaiah”: and I saw when He sent out the Twelve Apostles and ascended. 23 And I saw Him, and He was in the expanse, but He had not changed Himself into their form, and all the messengers of the expanse and the adversaries saw Him, and they worshiped. 24 And there was much sorrow there, while they said, “How did our Lord descend in our midst, and we did not perceive the glory which we see has been on Him from the sixth heaven?” 25 And He ascended into the second heaven, and He did not transform Himself, but all the messengers who were on the right, and on the left, and the throne in the midst 26 both worshiped Him and praised Him and said, “How did our Lord escape us while descending, and we did not perceive [it]?” 27 And in like manner He ascended into the third heaven, and they praised and said in like manner. 28 And in the fourth heaven and also in the fifth they said precisely after the same manner. 29 But there was one glory, and from it He did not change Himself. 30 And I saw when He ascended into the sixth heaven, and they worshiped and glorified Him. 31 But in all the heavens the praise increased. 32 And I saw how He ascended into the seventh heaven, and all the righteous and all the messengers 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. 33 And also the Messenger—the Holy Spirit—I saw sitting on the left hand. 34 And this messenger said to me, “Isaiah, son of Amoz, it is enough for you; for you have seen what no child of flesh has seen. 35 And you will return into your garment [of flesh] until your days are completed. Then you will come here.” 36 Isaiah saw these things and told [it] to all that stood before him, and they praised. And he spoke to Hezekiah the king and said, “I have spoken these things; 37 both the end of this world 38 and all this vision will be consummated in the last generations.” 39 And 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 you will read. And watch in the Holy Spirit in order they you may receive your garments, and thrones, and crowns of glory, which are laid up in the seventh heaven. 41 On account of these visions and prophecies Sammael, Satan, sawed apart Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, by the hand of Manasseh. 42 And Hezekiah delivered all these things to Manasseh in the twenty-sixth year. 43 But Manasseh did not remember them nor place these things in his heart, but becoming the servant of Satan, he was destroyed. Here ends the vision of Isaiah the prophet with his ascension.