The Trees of Life, knowledge, good and evil  Part 1

                  “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies

  יהוה Elohim made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. יהוה Elohim took the man and put him in the garden of Ěḏen to work it and to guard it. And יהוה Elohim commanded the man, saying, “Eat of every tree of the garden,  but do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat of it you shall certainly die.” Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of every tree of the garden’?” “We are to eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden,  but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die.’ ” And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, and she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate  And יהוה Elohim said, “See, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever... . which is in the midst of the Paradise of Elohim. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. “Blessed are those¹ doing His commands, so that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city with the choice fruits of the sun, with the choice yield of the months, Better off were those pierced by the sword Than those pierced by hunger; For these pine away, Pierced through for lack of the fruits of the field. “Bear, therefore, fruits worthy of repentance, “By their fruits you shall know them“And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive its fruit To him who overcomes I shall give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of Elohim the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. And they shall be called trees of righteousness, a planting of יהוה, to be adorned. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is winning lives is wise. Expectancy drawn out makes the heart sick, But a longing come true is a tree of life. A healing tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it crushes the spirit. They said to Him, “Evil ones! He shall bring them to evil destruction, and lease the vineyard to other farmers who shall give to him the fruits in their seasons.” Because of this I say to you: the reign of Elohim shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it. But the wisdom from above is first clean, then peaceable, gentle, ready to obey, filled with compassion and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. If they obey and serve, they complete their days in blessedness, and their years in pleasantness. One matter I asked of יהוה – this I seek: To dwell in the House of יהוה All the days of my life, To see the pleasantness of יהוה, And to inquire in His Hĕḵal. And let the pleasantness Of יהוה our Elohim be upon us, And confirm the work of our hands for us; O confirm the work of our hands! They then despised the pleasant land; They did not believe His word, See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity –Praise Yah, for יהוה is good; Sing praises to His Name, for it is pleasant. For wisdom would enter your heart, And knowledge be pleasant to your being, Evil thoughts are an abomination to יהוה, But pleasant words are clean. He who loves cleanness of heart, Whose speech is pleasant, A sovereign is his friend. For they are pleasant If you guard them within you; Let all of them be ready on your lips. And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. But those who rebuke the wrong, It is pleasant, and a good blessing comes on them. And indeed, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but grievous, but afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it

Knowledge

     And the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which יהוה Elohim had made, and he said to the woman, “Is it true that Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We are to eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die.’ ” And the serpent said to the woman, “You shall certainly not die. For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like Elohim, knowing good and evil.” And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, and she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves.  And they heard the sound of יהוה Elohim walking about in the garden in the cool of the day, and Aḏam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of יהוה Elohim among the trees of the garden. And יהוה Elohim called unto Aḏam and said to him, “Where are you?”  And he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.”  And He said, “Who made you know that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”  And the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate.”  And יהוה Elohim said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” And יהוה Elohim said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all livestock and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you are to go, and eat dust all the days of your life. “And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel.” To the woman He said, “I greatly increase your sorrow and your conception – bring forth children in pain. And your desire is for your husband, and he does rule over you.”  And to the man He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘Do not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground because of you, in toil you are to eat of it all the days of your life,  and the ground shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. “By the sweat of your face you are to eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you return.”  And the man called his wife’s name Ḥawwah, because she became the mother of all living.  And יהוה Elohim made coats of skin for the man and his wife and dressed them.  And יהוה Elohim said, “See, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...” so יהוה Elohim sent him out of the garden of Ěḏen to till the ground from which he was taken,  and He drove the man out. And He placed keruḇim at the east of the garden of Ěḏen, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. ‘See, Ashshur was a cedar in Leḇanon, fair branches and forest shade, and of high stature. And its top was among the thick foliage. From that land he went to Ashshur and built Ninewĕh, and Reḥoḇoth Ir, and Kelaḥ And the sons of Ḥam: Kush, and Mitsrayim, and Put, and Kenaʽan. And the sons of Kush: Seḇa, and Ḥawilah, and Saḇtah, and Raʽmah, and Saḇteḵa. And the sons of Raʽmah: Sheḇa and Deḏan. And Kush brought forth Nimroḏ, he began to be a mighty one on the earth.  He was a mighty hunter before יהוה, therefore it is said, “Like Nimroḏ the mighty hunter before יהוה.”  And the beginning of his reign was Baḇel, and Ereḵ, and Akkaḏ, and Kalnĕh, in the land of Shinʽar. From that land he went to Ashshur and built Ninewĕh, and Reḥoḇoth Ir, and Kelaḥ, and Resen between Ninewĕh and Kelaḥ, the great city. And Mitsrayim brought forth Luḏim, and Anamim, and Lehaḇim, and Naphtuḥim, and Pathrusim, and Kasluḥim, from whom came the Philistines and Kaphtorim.   And it came to be in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, that the word of יהוה came to me, saying, “Son of man, say to Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim and to his crowd, ‘To whom are you to be compared in your greatness?‘See, Ashshur was a cedar in Leḇanon, fair branches and forest shade, and of high stature. And its top was among the thick foliage. ‘The waters made him great, the deep gave it height with its rivers running around its planting, and sent their channels to all the trees of the field.  ‘Therefore its height was lifted up above all the trees of the field, and its boughs were increased, and its branches became long because of the many waters, as it sent them out.  ‘All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs, and under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth. And in its shadow all great nations dwelt.  ‘And it was fair in greatness and in the length of its branches, for its roots reached to many waters.  ‘Cedars in the garden of Elohim did not hide it, fir trees were not like its boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like its branches. No tree in the garden of Elohim was as pretty as it. And at last Dani’ĕl, whose name is Bĕlteshatstsar, according to the name of my elah, came before me. In him is the Spirit of the Set-apart Elah. So I related the dream to him, saying, “Bĕlteshatstsar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Set-apart Elah is in you, and no secret is too difficult for you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.  “Now the visions of my head on my bed were these: I looked, and saw a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height great. “The tree became great and strong, and its height reached to the heavens, and it was visible to the ends of all the earth.  “Its leaves were lovely, and its fruit plenty, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.  “In the visions of my head on my bed, I looked and saw a Watcher, even a set-apart one, coming down from the heavens. “He cried aloud and said this, ‘Hew down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it, and the birds from its branches.  ‘But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. And let it be wet with the dew of the heavens, and let his portion be with the beasts on the grass of the earth.  ‘Let his heart be changed from man’s, let him be given the heart of a beast, and seven times pass over him. ‘This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the command by the word of the set-apart ones, so that the living know that the Most High is ruler in the reign of men, and gives it to whomever He wishes, and sets over it the lowest of men.’  “This dream have I seen, I, Sovereign Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar. And you, Bĕlteshatstsar, reveal its interpretation, since all the wise ones of my reign are unable to make known to me the interpretation. But you are able, for the Spirit of the Set-apart Elah is in you.”  Then Dani’ĕl, whose name was Bĕlteshatstsar, was stunned for a short time, and his thoughts alarmed him. The sovereign responded and said, “Bĕlteshatstsar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” Bĕlteshatstsar answered and said, “My master, the dream is to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies! “The tree you saw, which became great and strong, whose height reached to the heavens and was visible to all the earth,  whose leaves were lovely and its fruit plenty, and in it was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and on whose branches the birds of the heavens sat –  it is you, O sovereign, for you have become great and strong. And your greatness has grown, and has reached to the heavens and your rulership to the end of the earth.  “And as the sovereign saw a Watcher, even a set-apart one, coming down from the heavens, and he said, ‘Hew down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field. And let it be wet with the dew of the heavens, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him’ –  this is the interpretation, O sovereign, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my master the sovereign: “That you are going to be driven away from men, and your dwelling be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like oxen, and you be wetted with the dew of the heavens, and seven times pass over you, till you know that the Most High is ruler in the reign of men, and that He gives it to whomever He wishes.  “And they that gave the command to leave the stump of its roots of the tree: your reign remains yours, from the time you come to know that the heavens are ruling.  “Therefore, O sovereign, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and break off your sins by righteousness, and your crookednesses by showing favour to the poor – your prosperity might be extended.” But what does the answer of Elohim say to him? “I have left for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baʽal.” And Aḥazyah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Shomeron, and was injured, and sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baʽal-Zeḇuḇ, the mighty one of Eqron, if I shall recover from this injury.”  But a messenger of יהוה spoke to Ěliyah the Tishbite, “Rise up, go up to meet the messengers of the sovereign of Shomeron, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no Elohim in Yisra’ĕl that you are going to inquire of Baʽal-Zeḇuḇ, the mighty one of Eqron?’  “So therefore, thus said יהוה, ‘You are not going to get out of the bed to which you have gone up, for you shall certainly die.’ ” And Ěliyah went. And the messengers returned to him, and he said to them, “Why have you come back?”  And they said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go, return to the sovereign who sent you, and say to him, “Thus said יהוה, ‘Is it because there is no Elohim in Yisra’ĕl that you are sending to inquire of Baʽal-Zeḇuḇ, the mighty one of Eqron? Therefore you are not going to get out of the bed to which you have gone up, for you shall certainly die.’ But when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This one does not cast out demons except by Beʽelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”  And יהושע knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Every reign divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.  “And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then does his reign stand?  “And if I, by Beʽelzebul, do cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Because of this they shall be your judges.  “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of Elohim, then the reign of Elohim has come upon you. “Or how is one able to enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he shall plunder his house. “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  “Because of this I say to you, all sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven men.” And the scribes who came down from Yerushalayim said, “He has Beʽelzebul,” and, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”  And calling them near He said to them in parables, “How is Satan able to cast out Satan?“And if a reign is divided against itself, that reign is unable to stand.  “And if a house is divided against itself, that house is unable to stand.  “And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he is unable to stand, but has an end.  “No one is able to enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he shall plunder his house. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beʽelzebul, the ruler of the demons,”  and others, trying Him, were seeking from Him a sign from heaven. And He, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every reign divided against itself is laid waste, and a house divided against a house falls.  “So if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his reign stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beʽelzebul. “Now if I cast out demons by Beʽelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Because of this they shall be your judges.  “But if I cast out demons by the finger of Elohim, then the reign of Elohim has come upon you. “When a strong man, having been well armed, watches over his own court, his possessions are in peace. “But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armour in which he trusted, and divides his booty.

      Blessed is the man who has found wisdom, And the man who gets understanding; She is a tree of life to those taking hold of her, And blessed are all who retain her. “The Son of Aḏam came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘See, a man, a glutton and a winedrinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ And wisdom was declared right by her works.” “And because of this the wisdom of Elohim said, ‘I shall send them prophets and emissaries, and some of them they shall kill and persecute,’ “Because of this, see, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scholars of Scripture Some of them you shall kill and impale, and some of them you shall flog in your congregations and persecute from city to city, And He said to them, “Therefore every scholar of Scripture taught in the reign of the heavens is like a householder who brings out of his treasure matters, renewed, and old.”.so that on you should come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Heḇel to the blood of Zeḵaryah, son of Bereḵyah, whom you murdered between the Dwelling Place and the altar.  “Truly, I say to you, all this shall come upon this generation. but to those who are called – both Yehuḏim and Greeks – Messiah the power of Elohim and the wisdom of Elohim.  For the foolishness of Elohim is wiser than men, and the weakness of Elohim is stronger than men.  For look at your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.  But Elohim has chosen the foolish matters of the world to put to shame the wise, and Elohim has chosen the weak of the world to put to shame the strong. And Elohim has chosen the low-born of the world and the despised, and the ones that are not, that He might bring to naught the ones that are,  so that no flesh should boast in His presence.  And of Him you are in Messiah יהושע, who became for us wisdom from Elohim, righteousness also, and set-apartness and redemption,

(YAHUSHUA)

      Does not wisdom call, And understanding lift up her voice? On the top of the heights along the way, Between the paths she has taken her stand. Beside the gates, leading to the city, At the entrances, she shouts: “O men, I call, to you, And my voice is to the sons of men. “You simple ones, understand insight, And you fools, be of an understanding heart.“Listen, for I speak noble words, And the opening of my lips is about straightness; “For my mouth speaks truth; And wrongness is an abomination to my lips. “All the words of my mouth are in righteousness, None of them twisted or crooked, “All of them plain to him who understands, And straight to those who find knowledge. “Accept my discipline, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold;“For wisdom is better than rubies, And all delights are not comparable to her “I, wisdom, have dwelt with insight, And I find knowledge, foresight. “The fear of יהוה is to hate evil. I have hated pride and arrogance, And the evil way, And the perverse mouth “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, mightiness is mine.“By me sovereigns reign, And rulers make righteous decrees. “By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth. “I love those who love me, And those who earnestly seek me do find me. “Riches and esteem are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness. “My fruit is better than gold and fine gold, And my increase than choice silver. “I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of right- ruling, “To bestow substance on those who love me, And to fill their treasuries “יהוה possessed me, The beginning of His way, As the first of His works of old. “I was set up ages ago, at the first, Before the earth ever was. “When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no springs heavy with water. “Before mountains were sunk, Before the hills, I was brought forth, “Before He had made the earth and the fields, Or the first dust of the world.“When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He decreed a vault on the face of the deep, “When He set the clouds above, When He made the fountains of the deep strong, “When He gave to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He decreed the foundations of the earth,“Then I was beside Him, a master workman, And I was His delight, day by day Rejoicing before Him all the time, “Rejoicing in the world, His earth; And my delights were with the sons of men. “And now, listen to me, you children, For blessed are they who guard my ways.“Listen to discipline and become wise, And do not refuse it.“Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. “For whoever finds me shall find life, And obtain favour from יהוה “But he who sins against me injures himself; All who hate me love death!”A healing tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it crushes the spirit. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. who Himself bore our sins in His body on the timber, so that we, having died to sins, might live unto righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed. Therefore, since Messiah suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,Or do you not know that as many of us as were immersed into Messiah יהושע were immersed into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through immersion into death, that as Messiah was raised from the dead by the esteem of the Father, so also we should walk in newness of life. For if we have come to be grown together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also of the resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was impaled with Him, so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, to serve sin no longer.  For he who has died has been made right from sin.  And if we died with Messiah, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Messiah, having been raised from the dead, dies no more – death no longer rules over Him For in that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in that He lives, He lives to Elohim. So you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to Elohim in Messiah יהושע our Master. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, to obey it in its desires, neither present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to Elohim as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to Elohim.  For sin shall not rule over you, for you are not under the law but under favour.  What then? Shall we sin because we are not under Torah but under favour? Let it not be!  Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves servants for obedience, you are servants of the one whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?  But thanks to Elohim that you were servants of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of teaching to which you were entrusted.  And having been set free from sin, you became servants of righteousness.  I speak as a man, because of the weakness of your flesh. For even as you did present your members as servants of uncleanness, and of lawlessness resulting in lawlessness, so now present your members as servants of righteousness resulting in set-apartness. For when you were servants of sin, you were free from righteousness.  What fruit, therefore, were you having then, over which you are now ashamed? For the end thereof is death.  But now, having been set free from sin, and having become servants of Elohim, you have your fruit resulting in set-apartness, and the end, everlasting life. so that he no longer lives the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but  For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your lives. according to the desire of Elohim.Let it not be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?For if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live.  For you have died, and your life has been hidden with Messiah in Elohim.  who Himself bore our sins in His body on the timber, so that we, having died to sins, might live unto righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. Expectancy drawn out makes the heart sick, But a longing come true is a tree of life. And יהוה shall roar from Tsiyon, and give forth His voice from Yerushalayim. And the heavens and earth shall shake, but יהוה shall be a refuge for His people, and a stronghold for the children of Yisra’ĕl.  an emissary of יהושע Messiah, according to a command of Elohim our Saviour, and of the Master יהושע Messiah, our expectation, remembering without ceasing your work of the belief, and the labour of love, and the endurance of the expectation in our Master יהושע Messiah in the presence of our Elohim and Father, “And now I stand and am judged for the expectation of the promise made by Elohim to our fathers, through whom also we have access by belief into this favour in which we stand, and we exult in the expectation of the esteem of Elohim. For in this expectation we were saved, but expectation that is seen is not expectation, for when anyone sees, does he expect it?  And if we expect what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.  And in the same way the Spirit does help in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray, but the Spirit Himself pleads our case for us with groanings unutterable.  And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the set-apart ones according to Elohim.  And we know that all matters work together for good to those who love Elohim, to those who are called according to His purpose.  Because those whom He knew beforehand, He also ordained beforehand to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, for Him to be the first-born among many brothers.  And whom He ordained beforehand, these He also called, and whom He called, these He also declared right. And whom He declared right, these He also esteemed.  What then shall we say to this? If Elohim is for us, who is against us?  Truly, He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up on behalf of us all – how shall He not, along with Him, freely give us all else?  Who shall bring any charge against Elohim’s chosen ones? It is Elohim who is declaring right.  Who is he who is condemning? It is Messiah who died, and furthermore is also raised up, who is also at the right hand of Elohim, who also makes intercession for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of the Messiah? Shall pressure, or distress, or persecution, or scarcity of food, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it has been written, “For Your sake we are killed all day long, we are reckoned as sheep of slaughter.” But in all this we are more than overcomers through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor messengers nor principalities nor powers, neither the present nor the future, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of Elohim which is in Messiah יהושע our Master. if indeed you continue in the belief, founded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the expectation of the Good News which you heard, which was proclaimed to every creature under the heaven, of which I, Sha’ul, became a servant, to whom Elohim desired to make known what are the riches of the esteem of this secret among the gentiles: which is Messiah in you, the expectancy of esteem But we who are of the day should be sober, putting on the breastplate of belief and love, and as a helmet the expectation of deliverance. that having been declared right by His favour we should become heirs according to the expectation of everlasting life. And if Messiah is proclaimed that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Messiah has not been raised.  And if Messiah has not been raised, then our proclaiming is empty, and your belief also empty,  and we are also found false witnesses of Elohim, because we have witnessed of Elohim that He raised up Messiah, whom He did not raise up, if then the dead are not raised.  For if the dead are not raised, then neither Messiah has been raised.  And if Messiah has not been raised, your belief is to no purpose, you are still in your sins!  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Messiah have perished. If in this life only we have expectation in Messiah, we are of all men the most wretched. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.They are those who were not defiled with women, for they are maidens. They are those following the Lamb wherever He leads them on. They were redeemed from among men, being first-fruits to Elohim and to the Lamb.  And in their mouth was found no falsehood, for they are blameless before the throne of Elohim. “And I give them everlasting life, and they shall by no means ever perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. And no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. “I and My Father are one. “And I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Set-apart Father, guard them in Your Name which You have given Me, so that they might be one” “I and My Father are one. so that they all might be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so that they too might be one in Us, so that the world might believe that You have sent Me. “And the esteem which You gave Me I have given them, so that they might be one as We are one,  “I in them, and You in Me, so that they might be perfected into one, so that the world knows that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me Again the Yehuḏim picked up stones to stone Him.  יהושע answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. Because of which of these works do you stone Me?”  The Yehuḏim answered Him, saying, “We do not stone You for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself Elohim.” יהושע answered them, “Is it not written in your own Torah, ‘I said, “You are elohim” ’?  “If He called them elohim, to whom the word of Elohim came – and it is impossible for the Scripture to be broken –  do you say of Him whom the Father set apart and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of Elohim’?  “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, but He went forth out of their hand, and went once more to the other side of the Yardĕn to the place where Yoḥanan was immersing at first, and there He stayed.  And many came to Him and said, “Yoḥanan indeed did no sign, yet all that Yoḥanan said about this Man was true.” And many believed in Him there. said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. And they heard the sound of יהוה Elohim walking about in the garden in the cool of the day, and Aḏam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of יהוה Elohim among the trees of the garden.

To be continues