A rectangular decorative border composed of repeated floral and geometric motifs in black ink, surrounding the main heading of the page.

This is the Prayer of Adam the First Man

Which he prayed at the hour he was expelled from the Garden of Eden, until this holy book was given to him. He pleaded before the Almighty original: "HaGevurah" — literally "The Might," a rabbinic title for God and said: "Lord, God of the universe, You created the whole world for glory, honor, and strength, and You do as You wish. Your kingdom is for eternity, and Your splendor is for all generations. Nothing is hidden from You, and nothing is concealed from Your eyes. You established me by the work of Your hands and gave me dominion over all Your creatures to rule over Your handiwork. But the cunning, cursed serpent enticed me with the tree of desirable craving, and furthermore, the wife of my bosom enticed me. You did not inform me what would be, what would be for my children, and what would come upon me and the generations following me. I know and understand that no living thing is righteous before You. What is my strength to lift my face toward You? I have no mouth to answer or speak, nor eyes to lift up, for I have sinned and acted wickedly, and in my iniquity, I was expelled today. Behold, I am cleaving and plowing the earth to work that from which I was taken. My fear and dread are no longer upon the inhabitants of the earth as they were at the beginning; for since I ate from the Tree of Knowledge and transgressed Your words, my wisdom has been taken from me, and I am ignorant and do not know, foolish and do not understand what shall be."

And now, Merciful and Gracious One, return in Your great compassion to the head of Your creations, to the spirit You breathed into me, and the soul You gave. Precede me with Your kindness, for You are pious, long-suffering, and full of grace. Let my prayer ascend before Your Throne of Glory and let my cry reach the Throne of Your Mercy. Grant me favor; let the words of my mouth be acceptable before You, and do not hide from my supplication. You were and shall be forever; You ruled and shall rule. Have pity now on the work of Your hands. Give me understanding and inform me what will happen to my descendants and my generations, and what will come upon me every single day and every single month. Do not hide from me the wisdom of Your assistance original: "orekh" (עור"ך), possibly a scribal error for "ezrekha" (עזרך) meaning 'your help', I beg, of Your ranks original: "erekh" (עריך) — refers to the orders or arrangements of the heavenly hosts and Your angels.

After three days of his supplications, the Angel Raziel The name Raziel means "Secrets of God" came to him. He sits by the river that flows out of the Garden of Eden. He revealed himself to him in the heat of the sun, with a sapphire In mystical tradition, the book itself was said to be engraved on sapphire stone in his hand. He said to him: "Adam, why are you stunned? Why do you grieve and worry? From the day you stood in prayer and supplication, your words have been heard. I have come to give you understanding of pure utterances and great wisdom, and to make you wise through the words of this holy book. Through them, you shall know what will happen to you until the day of your death. Every wise person who stands in your place, and all later generations who conduct themselves with this holy book in purity, fitness, and humility of spirit, and who do all that is written in it as you do—they shall know what will come in every single month, by day and by night. Everything will be revealed to them, and they will understand and know if there will be evil, or hunger, or heavy swarms original: "arabh" (ערב) — can refer to swarms of insects or wild beasts, or rains, or drought, or if the grain will be parched or diminished, or if the wicked will rule the world, if locusts or grasshoppers will come, or if the tree will cast its fruit, or if the plague of boils will afflict mankind, or if there will be wars, or if there will be sufferings, or if death will rule over man or beast, or if a good decree or an evil one will go forth from on high, or if blood will be shed, or if the slain will groan in the city. And you, Adam, come near and set your heart to this, and I will inform you what the way of this book is and what its holiness is."

The Angel Raziel opened the book and read into the ears of Adam. When he heard the words of this holy book from the mouth of the Angel Raziel, he fell upon his face in trembling. The Angel said: "Adam, arise, be strong, do not be afraid or terrified. Take this book from my hand and guard it, for through it you shall know and gain insight, and you shall inform everyone who is worthy of it and whose portion it shall be." At the moment Adam took this book, a fire blazed on the bank of the river, and the angel ascended to heaven in a flame of fire. Then Adam understood and knew that he was an angel of God, and that this book was sent from before the Holy King. He held it in holiness and purity.

And these are the words of the book: if a person seeks to succeed and perform a matter from it, he should count three days before the coming of the New Moon. He should not eat anything of doubtful impurity, nor anything that produces blood i.e., meat, nor drink wine. He should abstain from the bed of a woman. During those days, he shall wash in water before the rising of the sun. He shall bring two white turtledoves and slaughter them in a copper vessel that has two spouts. He shall slaughter one turtledove in one spout of the blade, and the second on the other side. He shall remove their entrails and wash them in water. He shall bring three shekels A biblical unit of weight of old wine, pure frankincense, and a little...