After consummation of the military conquest of central Mexico in 1521, the Emperor Charles V, under the authority of the pope, sent 12 Franciscans--the famous "Twelve Apostles"--to undertake the formal conversion of the natives. Soon after their arrival in 1524, they undertook 'coloquios' or debates with native religious and secular leaders. Although Fray Bernardino de Sahagun arrived in New Spain only in 1529, too late to have observed the first debates, he met most of the original frairs, and he had opportunities to observe or participate in similar discussions that took place after his arrival. His strong interest in native thought and religion would have made him familiar with the arguments made by indignes, and with the logical structures and rhetoric of such arguments. The following account of the 1524 dialogues, then, is not a contemporary transcript, but a reconstruction by Sahagun in 1564, based on "papers and memoirs" in his possession, help from his trilingual native students, and information from several older native informants.

For a transcript of the Nahautl version, with interlinear English translation and notes, along with further information on the dialogues and a discussion of translation from and pronunciation of Nahautl, see "The Aztec-Spanish Dialogues of 1524" in Alcheringa: Ethnopoetics, vol. 4, no.2 (1980), pp. 56-193.

DIALOGUES AND CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE BY WHICH THE TWELVE FRIARS OF SAINT FRANCIS SENT BY POPE ADRIAN VI AND THE EMPEROR CHARLES V CONVERTED THE INDIANS OF NEW SPAIN IN THE MEXICAN AND SPANISH LANGUAGE

Here begins the word which instructs,

its name: Christian Doctrine,

this one which they were taught here, the men of New Spain.

They taught them,

the twelve Fathers of Saint Francis,

these he sent hither very recently

this one who, in the world, is the speaker of divine things,

the Holy Father Pope Adrian VI.

There it is told how they recounted something

when first they came near,

there, in the heart of the great city,

Mexico Tenochtitlan,

the twelve Fathers of Saint Francis.

Thus, they assembled them, they summoned them,

all the lords, the speakers,

who were residing there in Mexico

Listen well, our beloved,

you who caused yourselves to bear witness here,

you who came out together here,

you Mexicas, you Tenochcas,

you lords, you speakers,

please approach hither and consider well.

If only it be able to settle where your heart makes a home,

(when we set it forth, when we say it)

the word of the message.

A

Let us not disconcert you as to something,

take care lest you see us as something superior,

indeed, we are only your peers,

likewise, we are only common people,

furthermore, we are men, such like you are,

we are surely not gods.

We are also inhabitants on the earth,

we also drink, we also eat,

we also die of cold, we are also overwhelmed by heat,

we are also mortal, we are also destructible.

Indeed, we are only messengers,

we were only sent here,

to the place of your homeland,

to your water, to your mountain.

We came bearing it,

his honorable breath, his honorable word,

of this one who everywhere in the world, on the earth,

is the great speaker of divine things,

his name is Holy Father Pope.

Indeed, for you he causes himself to grieve,

he says it:

B

Listen to it, comprehend it,

that the heart of my children be full, those

on the new land, the men of New Spain:

the Mexicas, the Tenochcas,

the Aculhuaques, the Tepanecas,

the Tlaxcaltecas, the Michhuaques,

the Huaxtecas,

and those who everywhere possess water, possess mountains,

these diverse men,

who live on the new land,

(this one named West Indies).

Indeed, it has not yet been a long time,

because it was recently I heard of it, I knew of it,

their renown, their reputation.

He made it known to me,

our dear son the Emperor,

King of Spain,

his name is Charles the Fifth,

he told me:

C

Oh, our dear father,

indeed, they my Spanish subjects,

one group of us men on the earth,

on a distant land,

which they saw recently, for the first time,

they discovered them whose name is Indians.

And only they made their own determination

by which they conquered them,

now they are my subjects, now they belong to me.

Greatly I implore you so that you will send them,

you will reckon them as ones who teach people,

so they will teach them the precious word of God,

so they will show the Christian way of life to them who,

indeed, are followers of things as gods,

gentiles who live making gods of the devils.

Verily, this is what you are assigned,

this which you hear.

D

Then after I heard this,

immediately afterward I convened,

then I assembled all my younger brothers, the Cardinals.

Before them I laid it out, I caused them to hear it,

his word, his entreaty,

this one of our beloved son, the Emperor.

Immediately on account of that we agreed among ourselves,

our joint word was made,

by which our messengers would go there,

our chosen ones,

they will teach them the precious words of Our Lord, God,

so that they will instruct them and,

thus, they will be able to save themselves.

And we gave them,

to them we left it, our authority,

so that nothing will impede them,

so that they will be able to accomplish my charge.

E

And now, our beloved,

indeed, here we are,

here you see us, you know about us,

we are those, we messengers,

we envoys,

we chosen ones,

indeed, we ten, we two.

He sent us hither,

the one who on the earth is the great speaker of divine things,

there he resides

in the heart of the great city,

the place whose name is Rome.

And he gave us,

we bore it hither, his sovereignty,

as well as the divine book.

There it lies, there it keeps itself,

His venerable breath, His venerable word, (That is, the Holy Scriptures, the Bible.)

of the One Sole True God,

the Possessor of Heaven, the Possessor of Earth,

He by Whom All Live.

He Whom you never knew.

F

And it is not something else

for which we came,

for which we were sent hither;

only on account of spiritual compassion for you,

for your salvation.

Then, nothing earthly does he desire,

the great speaker of divine things,

hence, neither jade, divine excrement,

nor quetzal plumes,

nor anything precious.

now, only your completely total salvation he desires.

There it is told who as well as how he is,

the great speaker of divine things in the world,

he, the Holy Father Pope.

We told you, our beloved,

indeed, the speaker of divine things in the world

(his name: Holy Father Pope)

sent us hither,

here, to the place of your honorable residence.

And perhaps now you say:

Who in the world, on the earth, is the speaker of divine things?

How is he?

Perchance, is he a god?

Perchance, like us men?

Listen attentively to who and how he is,

so that concerning him

you will not cause yourselves to confuse something.

A

Indeed, on the earth, everywhere in the world,

he is the speaker of divine things, the Holy Father.

He is one man,

a male like us, we,

very good is his heart, his life.

He is a great knower of things,

the venerable representative on the earth,

he guards things for Him, the Speaker, the True God.

He by Whom All Live,

He gave him

from Himself, indeed, His authority.

He is, furthermore, mortal, destructible.

After he dies

another person is installed,

another person is delegated,

he safeguards it, he governs it,

His honorable mat, His honorable seat,

this one of He by Whom All Live.

There he resides,

there from where we came

in the heart of a very great city,

the place whose name is Rome.

B

And it is he who guards them,

all the divine words, the divine book.

Likewise, by him are elected

all the divine guardians,

the ones who teach people,

these who attend to it,

these who work on divine matters.

It is he, the Holy Father,

who, indeed, also authorizes something,

commands it, works for it,

so that the True and Only One God, Speaker,

in this way, will be made known by the divine word,

all over the earth,

to men everywhere in the world.

Thus, they will be able to know Him.

Thus, they will be able to serve Him,

He, God, Speaker.

And other men on the earth,

verily, have been instructed by this,

on account of having heard it, the divine word.

But you,

indeed, after you were seen,

after you appeared,

immediately because of it, he likewise sent us hither to you,

so that you also, with the divine word,

we will illuminate you,

we will reveal to you,

we will teach you,

so that you will know Him,

you will revere Him,

and you will obey Him,

He by Whom All Live,

the Possessor of Heaven, the Possessor of Earth.

C

Greatly our heart was filled,

indeed, our eyes,

because we saw it,

not merely that someone told us,

how it is you do not know Him,

you do not revere Him,

you do not honor Him,

He the True God, the Great Speaker.

Indeed, many things,

by night, by day, you do

by which you cause Him an injured heart,

by which you live in His anger, His ire,

very much by your account,

by the injuries of your heart.

Because of it He sent them hither,

these who came before,

His subjects the Spaniards,

these who conquered you,

these who grieved you,

these who afflicted you with tormenting sorrow,

by which you were punished

so that you ceased

these not few injuries to His precious heart,

these in which you were living.

D

And, thus, he sent us hither,

he who on the earth is the speaker of divine things.

Indeed, truly it is, for that reason,

so that we shall teach you

how you will be able to cool the heart

of He by Whom All Live,

so He will not completely destroy you.

Indeed, he desires nothing earthly,

he does not desire to be satisfied with things,

not divine excrement,

nor does he wish to demand them: a variety of riches.

Indeed, only with love,

only with compassion,

he favors you.

Because, indeed, in that way He wants it,

Our God, Our Lord,

that we ourselves will love one another,

we ourselves will be merciful to one another,

we ourselves will favor one another,

we men on the earth,

not on account of this our recompense.

There it is told, from where it came, from where it appeared,

the divine word,

this one which the Holy Father guards.

Indeed, attend to it, our beloved,

how it came to be made our obligation.

He obliged us,

he distributed the responsibilities among us,

our great lord of divine things,

so that with the divine word we will instruct you,

we will hold the light up to you, the ocotl,

we will open your eyes,

we will uncover your ears,

so that you will be able to know Him.

He is that One, the True God,

the True Speaker,

everywhere, in heaven, on the earth,

in the region of the dead.

A

But, perhaps, you ask,

now perhaps, you say,

this one, the divine word

you mention with reverence,

were did it come from? Where did it appear?

who gave it to you?

Who showed it to you?

Where did the great speaker of divine things acquire it?

Be so kind as to raise your ears,

so you will be able to hear,

from where came the divine word

we come to give you,

we come to make you comprehend.

Understand,

and pursue earnestly the truth of it,

that your heart may be properly filled.

Indeed, already it has been a long time,

since He, the True God, Speaker,

Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding,

He by Whom All Live,

showed it

to His most beloved,

to His servants,

these whose heart was very good, upright,

His great knowledge,

His choices,

their name is patriarchs, prophets.

And, indeed, here on the earth a man

He came to make Himself,

He was able, as a man, to appeal to them,

the apostles, the evangelists.

And they are those to whom He gave

His venerable breath, His venerable word,

the divine word.

And He commanded them

so they will paint it, so that it will be preserved on the earth,

so that the men on the earth will be instructed

by the divine word.

And the Holy Father guards

all the divine words,

these they left,

these formerly mentioned, His beloved of Our Lord, God.

All is in the divine book, it lies blackened, it lies colored.

All is there, everything is conserved,

these which now are the very marvelous divine words.

B

And likewise, he made us bear it hither now,

he, the Holy Father,

so that we will give it to you,

we will notify you of it.

Indeed, this one, the divine word,

does not resemble

the speech of the common people on the earth.

Indeed, very marvelous,

indeed, true is His venerable breath, His venerable word,

the Creator of Men's and this one of the Savior of Men,

the One Sole God, the Speaker,

Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding.

On account of that it is properly named divine word;

very truly the one followed.

Absolutely no one will be able to contradict it,

even though he is a great knower of things on earth.

C

Indeed, this is the one we have come to cause you to hear,

the one we have come to give you,

you who are dwellers here,

the one like which you have never heard.

Because, indeed, everywhere,

accordingly, it is completely spread out,

extended on the earth, the world,

there is not another similar to the word,

the one which saves the people.

Verily, only, solely, is the divine word

the one we have borne hither,

the one he had us bear hither,

the great speaker of divine things,

the Pope, the Holy Father.

And not another word

will we tell you,

by which we will advise you,

by which we will instruct you.

Indeed, only that one is the divine word.

Nothing solely from our own creation will we tell you,

nothing solely from our fancy will we say to you.

Oh, that by it your hearts be full!

There it is told Who He is,

the Very True God, the Speaker,

He by Whom All Live,

Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding.

He, the Holy Father on the earth,

the great speaker of divine things,

who sent us hither,

(us twelve side by side)

who commanded us,

by the divine word,

to make known to you

this One, the Only One God, the Very True God,

Speaker, He by Whom All Live,

Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding,

Possessor of Heaven, Possessor of Earth,

He Who created them, He Who made them,

the heaven, the earth,

and the region of the dead

A

And now, perhaps, you say:

Indeed, merely useless,

your message has no value,

you came in vain

because, truly, we also have our god there,

also our lords are there,

we also know him,

we also respect him,

we honor him,

and we obey him,

we serve him,

we also call him he by whom all live.

And before him we eat earth,

we acquit ourselves, we burn copal inside,

burn paper, we fast,

and we cause something to be killed,

we offer him the entrails, the heart,

and also very many other things.

Every twenty days we go to do it,

thus, we celebrate the feasts.

Whatever did you now come to teach us?

Is it that which they did not leave for us

as a custom before they left,

these who came to live on the earth,

the lords, the speakers,

these our makers?

B

Listen please (our beloved),

in truth, we already know it,

we saw it, and we heard it:

Indeed, you,

not only one but very many,

greatly you have regarded a huge quantity of them as gods, (Also, 'greatly you have made a huge quantity of them gods.')

these you honor,

these you serve.

Uncountable are these carved in stone, in wood,

you invented them,

these which you know as gods; you call them:

Tezcatlipoca,

Huitzilopochtli,

Quetzalcoatl,

Mixcoatl,

Tlaloc,

Xiuhtecuhtli,

Mictlantecuhtli,

Cihuacoatl,

Piltzintecuhtli,

Cinteotl,

the Four Hundred Surrounded by Thorns,

the Four Hundred Rabbits,

and others that will not be able to be counted.

And if they were true gods,

if they truly are the ones by whom all live,

why do they ridicule one so much?

Why do they mock one?

Why don't they have pity

on these their own creation?

Why do they also,

many, without number,

diseases, afflictions,

to you they make?

That, indeed, you know well.

And when you are greatly distressed,

when you fight among yourselves,

when you are arrogant,

in your ire, in your anger,

you abandon your god.

You tell him:

Oh, you, whose men we are, oh, you big sodomite,

oh, you big wrinkled old woman,

oh, you enemy of both sides,

you have been cunning,

you have been mocking, you have been tyrannical.

And then, every day,

they demand blood, hearts.

On account of this they are very intimidating to the people,

greatly do they make the people faint.

Their images, their witchcraft,

are very black, very dirty,

very revolting.

In this way is how these, which you consider gods, are,

these you follow as gods, these to whom you make offerings.

Indeed, they tormented the people very much,

and they vomited on people.

C

But He, the True God,

Speaker, the true Creator of Men,

the True One by Whom All Live,

the True Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding,

the One we came to show you,

indeed, He is not like these.

Verily, therefore, on account of nothing has He mocked anyone,

nothing untruthful comes from Him, indeed,

nothing of envy,

nothing of hatred,

therefore, nothing black,

therefore, nothing dirty does he desire.

Certainly, He despises it all completely,

what is not good, what is not upright,

(everything which was said).

Indeed, therefore, He is unable to see,

all of that which He has prohibited,

because, verily, He is entirely good,

indeed, entirely upright.

In Him, united in One,

is all that is good, upright,

pure.

He is the very loving One toward people,

He is the very compassionate One toward people,

He is the very merciful One toward people.

And, especially, surpassing all things,

in love for people, in mercy toward people.

For us He made Himself,

indeed, a man here on earth,

a male, He came to make Himself,

such as we, those we are, we common people,

also, likewise, He came to make Himself,

He came to appropriate for Himself, our nature as common people.

Likewise, for us, He came to die,

He came to shed His precious blood for us,

by it He came to save us,

from the hands of these very evil ones,

these who hate people very much,

these very wrathful ones, evil hearted ones,

these who are our enemies, the devils,

(those you falsely forged as gods)

these you call, indeed, gods,

these before whom you bleed yourselves,

you kill one another,

these who live provoking you,

to all the various perversions,

to hatred of one another,

to fight one another,

to eat human flesh,

and other breaches,

very great ones.

D

The One Sole God, Speaker,

He does not mock anyone,

He is the very favorable One toward people,

He is merciful toward all the men on the earth.

Also you, you men here,

you who are named Indians,

thanks to Him you live.

He is merciful toward you,

He is loving toward you,

although you do not know Him,

you are not aware of Him,

you do not regard Him as God,

you do not regard Him as the Speaker,

you do not regard Him as lord.

Indeed, He is the One Who gives you

all earthly things,

the drinkable, the edible,

and the lordship, the dominion,

the noble, the glory.

And now something especially grand,

especially surpassing all things,

especially precious,

by which He desires to favor you,

if, with your whole heart in Him,

you become filled,

if, you will truly regard Him as God,

you will regard Him as the Speaker.

E

And, perhaps, you say,

our beloved:

What is the name of your God,

the One you came to show us?

Let us know Him,

let us hear Him, our beloved.

Indeed, very marvelous,

and very consoling

He is very much the One by Whom one can be saved,

by His precious love.

Indeed, His precious name is Jesus Christ,

True God,

and True Man,

He by Whom All Live,

Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding,

and Savior of Men,

everywhere in the world.

He, as God, never commenced to be,

never began,

always, forever, He exists,

He Who made the heavens,

the earth, the region of the dead.

He also made us, we men,

we common people.

He also made the devils,

those whom today you live imagining to be gods.

As God He is everywhere,

He is able to see everything,

He is able to know everything,

there is nothing similar,

that is so very worthy of esteem.

And as a man,

He is there in the interior of heaven,

in the place of His precious speaker's abode.

And here on the earth, in his precious dominion,

which has lasted not merely 400 years.

And now for you

His precious dominion draws near,

oh, you are fortunate,

oh, you are deserving.

Everything you have heard

is painted in the divine book.

There it is told, indeed, how on the earth,

there, is His precious dominion as a man,

of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

He, the Only True God, Speaker,

Creator of Men, and Savior of Men, Jesus Christ,

here on the earth He founded His precious dominion,

His honorable mat, His honorable seat, He set down,

and it is this whose name is dominion of heaven,

moreover, its name is Holy Catholic Church.

Because of that, it is called the dominion of heaven,

indeed, absolutely no one will enter heaven

if he will not belong to it, the Holy Church.

A

And there, in the place of His precious speaker's abode,

there are very many things, riches,

prosperity.

The celestial things are kept there,

in His precious coffer, His precious hamper,

these which belong

to the Possessor of the Near, the Possessor of the Surrounding,

the well encased precious things,

and well guarded ones.

This, the precious dominion of He by Whom All Live,

which is called the Holy Catholic Church,

he is the one who guards it, he governs it,

the great divine guardian, the Holy Father,

he carries with him

the instrument by which things are opened,

by which it is opened.

Only he alone is able to open it,

not anyone else,

if not by his commanding it.

Furthermore, he guards it,

that by which one enters heaven,

[no one will be able] if he, the Holy Father, does not open it,

or somebody by his honorable mandate,

because, truly he is the venerable representative

of He by Whom All Live,

Our Lord, Our God, Jesus Christ.

B

He, the Holy Father, governs completely,

he directs them all completely,

the great speakers on the earth, those whose name is kings,

also he, the great speaker, the emperor.

And now, for this reason, he sent us,

so that we will cause you to see His precious dominion,

and His precious riches,

His precious prosperity,

that of He by Whom All Live, Jesus Christ.

And, thus, you will also know,

indeed, that in heaven, there, is the entrance,

there is that by which one enters,

by which one goes there.

And the instrument by which things are opened,

verily, he is the one who guards it,

the Holy Father, the venerable representative of God.

C

And you,

if you desire to see it,

if you desire to admire it,

the precious dominion as well as the precious riches

of He by Whom All Live,

these which are kept here on the earth,

furthermore, if you desire to go there,

if you desire to enter there, into heaven,

there where He resides,

He by Whom All Live, Jesus Christ,

it is very necessary for you

that you detest them,

you despise them,

you hate them,

and you spit on them,

these whom you have continually regarded as gods.

These gods which you esteemed,

indeed, are truly not gods,

indeed, they only make a mockery of anyone.

Furthermore, moreover, it is very necessary that you avoid them,

that you abandon them,

all these various transgressions,

these injuries to the heart

of the Possessor of the near, Possessor of the Surrounding,

He by Whom All Live,

which you have continually caused.

And it is necessary

that it be washed, that it be purified,

the darkness within you, the dirtiness within you,

by the precious water of He by Whom All Live.

D

And so that it will be able to be done,

beware of thinking,

beware of saying:

Will we, perhaps, go there,

there where his breath shows itself,

this one of the speaker of divine things, the Pope?

Indeed, it will not be necessary to go there,

indeed, we have come, we have approached,

we are his messengers, we are his chosen ones.

And we received it, his venerable authority,

he gave it to us,

he granted it to us.

Indeed, here we are,

we who will do all on his honorable behalf,

all that is necessary for you,

so that you will be able to deserve

His precious dominion as well as His precious riches,

these of He by Whom All Live,

the Possessor of the Near, the Possessor of the Surrounding,

Jesus Christ,

so that you will be able to be His subjects,

so that you will be able to count as His.

Indeed, only this, before all else, is all,

this you now hear,

this we present to you,

this we raise to your ears.

Calm yourselves, our beloved.

There it is told, how they answered,

these lords, these speakers

After it ended, it terminated,

this the venerable speech of the twelve Fathers,

at once one of those lords, speakers,

stood up, he greeted the divine guardians,

and a little bit, one lip, two lips,

by this he returned their venerable breath, their venerable words.

He said:

A

Our lords, you have endured much,

indeed, when you came to approach us on this land,

indeed, when you came to govern it

from your honorable water, your honorable mountain.

From where?

What kind of place is it, the place of our lords,

there, from where you came?

Indeed, from among the clouds, from among the mist,

you have come out.

Indeed, before you, about you

we carefully observe,

admire, the possessors of the water, the possessors of the mountain.

Here we acquire it, we seize it,

the new word,

as if it were something celestial,

that which you say.

And here it is shown to us, it is opened for us,

His precious coffer His precious hamper,

that of the Man, Our Lord,

Possessor of Heaven, Possessor of Earth.

And, thus, he sends you hither,

the man, the great speaker,

from where his breath is made known,

from the place of our lords, the Holy Father,

and the Emperor.

Indeed, here before us you place

the turquoise, the bracelet,

here we marvel at it

as if it were a round jade

able to shine,

without its shade, without its defect,

and as if it were a large precious quetzal plume,

extremely green.

Indeed, they left, He destroyed them,

He burnt them, the Man, Our Lord,

the speakers, these who came to be,

these who came to live on the earth,

and who came to guard it, who came to govern it,

your honorable mat, your honorable seat,

for a brief day, for a moment,

here in Mexico, in Tenochtitlan,

and here in Aculhuacan, Tetzcoco,

here in Tlacopan:

Motecuhzomatzin,

Ahuitzotzin,

Axayacatzin,

Tizocicatzin,

and Itzcoatzin,

the elder Motecuhzoma,

and Nezahualcoyotzin,

Nezahualpilli,

Totoquihuaztli,

and the elder Tezozomoctli.

If it had occurred during their time,

indeed, they would have returned

your precious breath, your precious word.

Likewise, they would have entreated you

by reason of your precious love for people,

which we admire here.

But, we,

what now, immediately, will we say?

Supposing that we, we are those who shelter the people,

we are mothers to the people, we are fathers to the people,

perchance, then are we, here before you,

to destroy it, the ancient law;

the one which was greatly esteemed

by our grandparents, our women;

the one which they would go speaking of favorably,

the one which they would go admiring,

the lords, the speakers?

B

And these, oh our lords,

indeed, they are there, they still guide us,

these who carry us, these who govern us,

in relation to these being served,

indeed, these who are our gods, these who have their merit,

that of the tail, of the wing,

the ones who offer things, the ones who offer incense,

and those named the feathered serpents.

These are knowers of the word,

and their charge with which they trouble themselves,

by night, by day,

is the act of burning copal,

the act of offering incense,

thorns, acxoyatl,

the act of blood letting.

These see, these trouble themselves,

with the journey, the orderly course of the heavens,

according to how the night is divided.

And these continually look at it,

these continually relate it,

these continually cause the book to cackle.

The black, the color,

is in the paintings they continually carry.

Indeed, they are the ones who continually carry us,

they guide us, they cause the path to speak to us.

They are the ones who put it in order,

such as how a year falls,

such as how the count of the destinies-feasts follows its path,

and each one of the complete counts.

They trouble themselves with it,

they have their charge, their commission,

their duty which is the divine word.

And we are those,

indeed, who but have as our sole task

(what is called) divine water, fire.

And only we speak on it,

we trouble ourselves with the tribute,

of the tail, the wing;

so that it seizes

its headdress of heron feathers, its jacket of cords,

and its digging stick, its tumpline;

that which is placed in front of the hearth;

in this way people are made "slaves."

Let us, for now, assemble them,

the ones who offer things, the feathered serpents.

Let us give them

His precious breath, His precious word,

this one of the Man, Our Lord.

So that they, perhaps, will restore it,

will return it,

this which we have seized, this which we have grasped,

from your honorable breasts, your honorable heads,

we will elevate it, our lords.

If only you would calm

your precious hearts, your precious flesh;

remain on your honorable mat, your honorable seat.

C

This having been said,

at once all the speakers left.

They called them, they assembled them,

they arranged then all together,

the ones who offer things, the ones who offer incense,

the feathered serpents.

Then immediately, thus, they held a dialogue with one another,

for a very long time, the discourse itself was made with great care,

two times, three times, the words were made to be heard

by the ones who offer incense,

just as the divine guardians say them.

And those who heard this were

greatly disturbed,

greatly saddened,

as if they had fallen and were scared,

frightened.

However, then when the word had been born,

and after the discourse was unified,

it was resolved that the next day

all the men would go together,

would go assembled before the face

of the twelve divine guardians.

At dawn,

then, all the men came out together,

then, because of that, they went there,

there where the Fathers were.

They went to greet, the speakers

and the ones who offer things, they told them:

D

Our lords, indeed, they have come,

these who are our ones who merit something,

and, verily, they have seized it, indeed, they have received it,

your precious breath, your precious word.

They have come,

that they may respond to you,

and that once again their hearts be full,

that once again they may hear it from the beginning,

everything we heard.

Your honorable head, your honorable breast

we will elevate.

And the twelve Fathers,

after they heard this,

then one of them, once again,

truly from the beginning recounted it all to them,

he caused them to hear, these who offer incense,

all the words which were said.

A speaker of Nahuatl made it come out from his lips,

in the same manner as it was heard by the speakers yesterday.

And soon, in this way, the discourse was recited.

Then one man, a feathered serpent, raised himself,

he greeted them, the divine guardians, he implored,

his speech was a little long,

by which he responded to them,

by which he returned the words, he said:

There it is told what they responded,

by which they returned something, the ones who offer things.

Our lords, speakers, beloved gentlemen,

you endured hardships,

indeed, when you came to approach this land.

Indeed, here before you, in front of you,

we see, we common people,

indeed, that he caused you to arrive, this man our lord,

indeed, you came from there to govern

your honorable water, your honorable mountain.

From where, what kind of place is it,

this one from which you came,

the place of our lords, the house of the gods?

Indeed, from among the clouds, from among the mist,

from within the divine waters you came out.

Indeed, He causes you to be the face, He causes you to be the ears,

he causes you to be the lips

of the Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding.

Indeed, here, thus, we see Him as a man,

here, we call to Him as to a man,

this one, He by Whom All Live,

the Night, the Wind,

indeed, you are His representative, you are His substitute.

Indeed, we seized it, we grasped it,

His breath, His word, this one of Our Lord,

Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding,

This one you carried hither,

from this one who in the world, on the earth, is the speaker,

this one who sent you hither on our behalf.

Indeed, here we are astonished by it,

indeed, by that which you carried hither, His book, His painting,

the celestial word, the divine word.

A

And now, what, in what manner,

indeed, what sort of thing will we say,

which we will raise to your honorable ears?

Are we, by chance, something?

Indeed, we are merely insignificant common people,

we are covered with dirt, we are covered with mud,

we are bruised, we are poor,

we are afflicted, we are sorrowful.

Indeed, the man, our lord, merely lent it to us,

by which on the tip of his mat, on the tip of his seat

he placed us.

Indeed, with one lip, two lips we turn it back,

so that we return His breath, His word,

this one of the Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding;

from near His forehead, near His hair we come out.

Because of this we cast ourselves in the river, in the precipice.

By it we search for it, by it we win it,

His anger, His wrath,

perhaps our hole, perhaps our destruction.

Have we, perhaps, been negligent in doing things?

Oh, where, by chance, are we truly to go?

Indeed, we are common people,

we are destructible, we are mortal.

Oh, indeed, let us die.

Oh, indeed, let us perish,

since, indeed, the gods have died!

If only it would settle itself,

your honorable heart, your honorable flesh

(Oh, our lords).

Indeed, on account of this, we open it very little,

his coffer, his hamper, this one of the man, our lord.

B

You tell them,

indeed, that we do not know Him,

the Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding,

the Possessor of Heaven, Possessor of Earth.

You tell them,

indeed, that our gods are not real gods.

It is a new word,

this one you tell them,

and because of it we are distressed,

because of it we are extremely frightened.

Indeed, these our makers,

these who came to be, these who came to live on the earth,

did not speak in this way.

Verily, they gave us

their law.

They followed them as true,

they served them,

they honored them, the gods.

They taught us

all their forms of serving,

their modes of honoring.

Thus, before them we eat earth,

thus, we bleed ourselves,

thus, we discharge the debt ourselves,

thus, we burn copal,

and, thus, we cause something to be killed.

They used to say that,

verily, they, the gods, by whose grace one lives, they merited us.

When? Where? While it was still night.

And they used to say,

indeed, they give us

our supper, our breakfast,

and all that is drinkable, edible,

this our meat, the corn, the bean,

the wild amaranth, the lime-leaved sage.

They are those from whom we request

the water, the rain,

by which the things of the earth are made.

C

Furthermore, they are rich themselves,

they are happy themselves,

they are possessors of goods, they are owners of goods,

by which always, forever,

it germinates there, it grows green there,

in their house.

Where? What kind of place is it, the place of Tlaloc?

Hunger never occurs there,

nothing is diseased,

nothing is poor.

And also, they give to the people

prowess, courage,

the chase, and the lip-grass,

the instrument by which something is bound, the loincloth, the mantle,

the flowers, the tobacco,

the precious green stones, the fine plumes,

the divine excrement.

D

And when, where were these thus summoned,

when implored, when held as gods,

when honored?

It is already a very long time.

When? At another time it was in Tula.

When? At another time it was in Huapalcalco.

When? At another time it was in Xuchatlapan (Xochitlalpan?).

When? At another time it was in Tlamohuanchan (Tamoanchan?).

When? At another time it was in Yohualichan (Yoallichan?).

When? At another time it was in Teotihuacan.

Indeed, they, everywhere in the world,

they caused the people to construct with stones

their mat, their seat.

They gave to the people

the lordship, the dominion,

the fame, the glory.

E

And, perchance, now, are we those

who will destroy it,

the ancient law?

The law of the Chichimecs?

The law of the Toltecs?

The law of the Colhuaque?

The law of the Tepanecs?

Already our heart is this way:

through him one is made to live,

through him one is given birth,

on account of him one is made to grow,

on account of him one is made to mature,

by means of this one who is summoned,

by means of this one who is implored.

F

Hear, our lords,

beware of doing something to them,

this your precious tail, your precious wing,

so much the more so that it will be abandoned,

so much the more so that it will be destroyed.

In this way also the old man,

in this way also the old woman had her growth,

had her increase in age.

Oh, that the gods be not angry with us.

Oh, that their anger,

their wrath, not come.

And let us beware that on account of that

it not rise before us, on us,

the tail, the wing.

Let us beware that on account of that we not stir it up,

let us beware that on account of that we not provoke it,

by saying to it:

no longer will it summon them,

no longer will it implore them.

G

In the meantime, calmly, peacefully,

consider it, our lords,

whatever is necessary.

Indeed, our heart is not able to be full.

And, indeed, absolutely we do not yet agree to it ourselves,

we do not yet make it true for ourselves.

We ourselves will cause you injury to the heart.

Indeed, here they lie,

the possessors of water, the possessors of mountains,

the lords, the speakers,

these who carry it, these who bear it,

the world.

It is enough that we have already left it alone,

we have lost it, we have had it taken away,

we have had it prohibited,

the mat, the seat.

Indeed, [if] we will only remain there,

we will only cause them to be restricted.

Do it to us,

whatever it is you will desire.

Indeed, we return it all by this,

by this we respond to it,

your precious breath,

your precious word,

our lords.

There it is told how they,

the twelve Fathers,

responded to them,

those who offer incense.

When it finished, their word having ended,

the response of the ones who offer things,

they, the twelve divine guardians,

at once said it:

If only you would not torment yourselves,

our beloved,

if only you would not understand it as an evil omen,

our word, the one we told you:

how, in what manner,

not one of the gods is real,

all these whom you regard as gods,

these whom you have continually implored.

A

Please hear it.

If the gods were truly real gods,

perchance, would we not also regard them as gods?

Perchance, would we not also request from them

our supper, our breakfast?

And, likewise, would they not everywhere on the earth

be summoned,

be implored?

Indeed, we are not merely inventing it,

this which we now tell you.

Indeed, we know it well,

who they are, how they are,

those whom you regard as gods,

these whom you have continually implored;

where, and in what manner

they began, they commenced,

who they were,

beyond there, at first;

and of what sort is their being, their heart,

their function, their will,

and from where they came.

Indeed, we will tell you everything,

we will cause you to hear it,

if you desire it.

And we will be able to cause you to have a full heart,

because we guard it,

the divine book, the divine word,

there where it lies visible, it lies painted,

it lies arranged

all that which is His precious word,

this one of the Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding.

This took place a very long time ago.

And that divine word

is very properly real, properly upright,

properly that which is followed as true.

And everywhere on the earth, in the world,

it has been heard, it has been followed as true.

There, from where we came,

there they lie not a few

possessors of water, possessors of mountains,

and lords, speakers,

the ones who are very old,

the ones who are very strong,

the ones who are very wealthy,

the ones who are very much in possession of things.

B

And you, on its account,

you do not regard them as God,

you do not know to abandon them,

these wicked ones,

this one who is a deceiver of people.

Because, indeed, you never heard it,

the precious word of God.

You did not guard it, the divine book,

the divine word.

It never came to reach you,

His precious breath, His precious word,

this one of the Possessor of Heaven, the Possessor of Earth.

And, then, you are blind,

you are deaf,

as if in darkness,

in gloom, you live.

On account of this your faults are, furthermore, not very great.

But now, if you do not desire to hear it,

the precious breath, the precious word of God

(this one He gives to you),

you will be in much danger.

And God, Who has commenced your destruction,

will conclude it,

you will be completely lost.

When they heard it thus,

these speakers,

at once they implored them, the divine guardians,

they said to them:

Our lords,

indeed, here we grasp it,

here we take it,

as it is, your precious word.

Let your precious heart, perhaps, permit something,

that our heart may be full:

who are they, of what sort are they,

from where did they come,

these whom we regard as gods,

these whom we implore?

And the twelve Fathers

said it:

Our beloved,

so that you will be able to hear it rightly,

that which you desire,

likewise, so that your heart will be able to be full,

it is necessary that first we will cause you to hear,

we will manifest to you,

of what precious sort is

Our Lord God,

He by Whom All Live,

This One we came to show you.

And, indeed, already it is late,

now, already, the time to eat is distant.

Tomorrow at dawn,

when the sun comes out,

everybody will come hither,

here one will be assembled, something will be heard.

For now all may depart,

please go,

eat something.

For now rest,

let your heart be settled.

There it is told of what precious sort is

He by Whom All Live, Our Lord, God.

You have endured it, our beloved,

He caused it to dawn for you,

Our Lord, God.

You have caused yourselves to come hither

(just as we settled our word upon it yesterday),

so that you will hear it,

His precious word,

this one of the Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding,

the divine word, the one by which all are saved.

A

And now, please listen well,

because He is God, the Speaker,

He is called, He is named, He by Whom All Live.

And this name,

indeed, is fitting for His precious nature

because, indeed, all these that are born,

these that live in the heavens, on the earth,

and in the region of the dead,

have life by His precious grace.

Indeed, He gives it to the people:

birth, life,

the root of life,

the fountain of life.

He created it all,

He made all that is visible,

and what is not visible.

And He never began,

He never commenced.

Before beginning,

before commencing,

the earth, the world,

already he eternally exists.

And, because of this, He will not end,

never will He terminate,

He will never tire,

He will never alter,

He will never cause Himself to become old.

And all that is good, upright,

all that is joy,

prosperity,

all that is riches,

are united in Him.

And His precious riches,

His precious prosperity,

His lordship, His dominion,

His fame, His glory,

Never began, never commenced,

neither, because of this, will it end,

never will it terminate.

All that on the earth is affliction, grief:

poverty, sadness,

discontent, envy,

hatred,

and all other things that now are a torment,

absolutely none of that is in Him,

absolutely never does it come into Him.

Indeed, verily, His is birth, life,

joy, prosperity,

riches, eternal truth.

B

He goes from nowhere,

He strays to nowhere,

solely, eternally, solely everywhere He exists,

from nowhere is His precious divinity remote.

He never sleeps,

always, eternally, He sees,

all that is visible and what is not visible,

everything is thus in the palm of His hand, in the precious heart,

He is carrying it,

he is clutching it,

He is embracing it,

He bears along with Him seeing for its care.

Absolutely nothing, although it be a very small thing,

does He neglect.

Being all powerful,

no matter what it is He desires for Himself,

at once it is done,

no one hinders Him,

nothing obstructs Him.

C

Indeed, truly He is God,

Creator of Men, all powerful,

He created it, He made it,

the heavens, the earth, the region of the dead,

not by laboring,

solely by His precious word, He said:

Let it be made - immediately it was made.

Perfectly good, much in the habit of loving people,

He loves it, all this He created,

He made.

Especially we, He loves us,

we men, we common people.

Indeed, all that He made,

everything, He made for us,

everything to favor us, everything necessary for us,

everything for [us] that serves us.

D

The sun, the moon, the stars,

the heavens, the land, the world,

the great waters, the wind,

the deer, the rabbits,

the birds, these that live flying,

and the fishes,

these that live in the water,

the trees, the herbs,

these that germinate, these that pale,

the divine excrement,

the jade, the quetzal plumes,

the bracelets

- everything He made for each of us.

E

Furthermore, also comprehend,

indeed, that He, He by Whom All Live,

is a complete knower of things,

He knows it all,

no matter what happened,

is happening,

and that which will happen.

And always

He is clutching it,

before Him is our heart,

of each one of us,

our thoughts,

our faults,

our works,

He is remembering it all,

He is reckoning it.

And all that is knowledge,

in the heavens, on the earth;

everything, He is the One

Who gives it to people.

This one which we guard, the divine word,

He gave it to us.

All this,

everything, is the divine word,

on it, in the divine book,

it lies painted.

There it is told how He made them,

the angels, He by Whom All Live, God.

Let it consider it well,

your face, your heart,

our beloved.

Because, indeed, never have you known it,

never have your heard it,

this we now want to tell you,

the divine word.

A

He,

He by Whom All Live,

Our Lord, God,

when it had not yet commenced to exist,

the earth, the world

(just as you first heard it there),

before then, always, forever, He exists,

with cheer, with prosperity.

And when He desired it,

that he will make the world,

at the very first he made it,

His precious lordly mansion, His precious speaker's dwelling,

very admirable, very resplendent,

very brilliant,

and very large, very spacious,

properly, there are united all the riches,

the delights,

the name of the place is empyrean heaven.

It does not appear hither, we are not able to see it there,

it is much above things.

And then He made them,

these uncountable things,

His nobles, His speakers,

there in His precious speaker's dwelling

(their name is Angels).

One is not able to say

how very admirable they are,

very resplendent,

very good,

and very strong,

very wise.

We are not able to see them, we,

indeed, they are not possessors of flesh like we are,

their name is spirits.

B

But one of them,

this one who was fully the principal one,

this one who had been developing in front of them,

he was surpassing them with purity,

with strength, and with knowledge of things

(his name is Lucifer),

when he saw

how much he surpasses them,

all the angels,

for this reason he was haughty, for this reason he was presumptuous,

he wanted to be the most important;

he said:

I will be equal to Him,

this One Who completely surpasses things, God,

He by Whom All Live.

My mat, my seat,

if I construct them,

to His precious mat, His precious seat,

we will be equals.

I will reach Him there.

But as one,

very many gave themselves to his side,

they willingly heard him,

they honored him,

they saw it with pleasure, his word,

they made him their speaker.

And there, another great angel,

whose name is Saint Michael,

at once he angrily went to meet him,

he made war on him. He said:

Absolutely it will not be possible,

that someone will be equal to Him, God,

He by Whom All Live;

no one will be able to reach Him,

because solely, He alone, is God, Speaker,

He completely surpasses things, the Honored One,

absolutely no one by force.

On account of this they divided,

they split, these angels.

They came out in two parts, they went to meet one another's face,

war was made,

there in the interior of heaven.

On one side was Lucifer,

and all who counted themselves with him.

On the other side was Saint Michael,

and all his friends;

very great, dreadful,

when because of this they fought each other.

C

And Our Lord, God,

He by Whom All Live,

helped him

and fortified him,

His war chief, Saint Michael.

By this, he was able to surpass the others,

he jostled them, he destroyed them,

these wicked ones.

But they are angels

indeed, not ones who die,

although war was made,

simply no one died,

no one was forever destroyed.

They who were surpasses,

these who were defeated,

indeed, they were despoiled,

indeed, they were deprived,

of their lordship, their dominion,

their fame, their glory,

these which He had given them,

the Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding.

And they were exiled hither,

they were flung hither,

from there, the empyrean heaven.

They were taken

to where forever there is darkness,

to the place where things are endured,

they were placed, they were sent,

they were condemned forever,

they were forever to remain confined.

They became devils,

these you name

tzitzimime culeletin,

(indeed, these you also name

tzontemoc, piyoche,

tzonpachpul, cuezal).

They are very black ones, very dirty ones,

very dreadful ones,

very haughty one, very envious one,

very great one who causes people harm,

very great mocker of anyone,

very furious ones,

and very angry-hearted ones.

D

They, everywhere in the world,

on the earth, have mocked anyone,

they have counterfeited something,

they feigned gods.

Many followed them as true,

they regarded them as gods,

just as also here they did it to you.

Because of this,

now may your hearts be extremely full.

Indeed, of all these, which you regard as gods,

absolutely no one is a god,

no one is He by Whom All Live,

indeed, all are devils.

You have heard it,

how they commenced,

and of what sort are your gods.

And this we say to you,

indeed, all exists in the divine book,

all is His precious divine words,

these of He by Whom All Live,

Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding,

This One we came to show you.

There it is told how they plotted with one another;

these devils distributed the tasks among themselves,

by which they will always continually cause them to be deceived,

these men on the earth.

And you want, thus, to make yourselves similar to them.

Oh, our beloved!

Indeed, then they,

the wicked ones, the devils,

from the interior of heaven, were flung hither,

then they saw,

how He had completely scorned them,

He by Whom All Live, God.

And they completely lost Him,

besides, they were forever to remain despoiled

of the heavenly mat, seat,

the dominion.

Therefore, they were very jealous of Him,

Our Lord, God.

They caused Him very much harm,

Their Creator.

They spoke very badly of Him.

Thus, on a particular day, they assembled,

they called together all,

and their principal one,

their chief, Lucifer,

told them:

A

Now you see it,

my younger brothers,

what has happened to us,

how we have been scorned forever,

and we were taken

from there, heaven.

On account of it, it is very necessary

that we now make war on them,

the creations of God.

Especially those men on the earth,

His common people.

Because, in truth, on account of it they were made,

so that they will go in order to take it,

they will go in order to appropriate them, our mat, our seat,

our dominion.

It is necessary that we disconcert them,

so that they will not be able to know Him,

This One Who is Their Creator.

B

You,

who truly have faces that know something:

that it is necessary that you will live causing them to remember,

that you will live causing them to be compelled,

these men on the earth,

[so that] these which are of earth, clay things,

[by] this one, the act of following things as gods,

they will regard them as gods,

they will implore them,

the sun, the moon, the stars,

the stone, the tree,

the bird, the serpent,

and all the creations of God.

And us, they will regard us as gods.

Thus, they will always injure His heart,

this one of Their Creator,

so that also, along with us, always, forever,

they will be scorned.

You will show yourselves to them,

you will converse with them as humans,

somewhere on the tops of mountains, in the ravines,

in the plains, in the caves,

in this way you will be able to disconcert them.

C

And you,

you who are strong,

you will provoke them one against the other,

you will trouble the hearts of them,

you will incite them to rise against each other,

the men on the earth,

so that they will live making war on one another,

so that they will live mutually hating each other,

so that they will mutually kill each other;

they will never love each other,

they will never live contentedly.

And, in this way, all of you,

I dispatch you,

so that you will always live troubling them,

you will live causing them to remember,

these various faults,

these with which the heart of God is injured:

the act of coveting after dominion,

the act of desiring to be the most important,

the act of coveting wealth,

the act of being jealous,

the act of living debauchedly,

gluttony,

the act of drinking too much,

the act of being idle,

the act of only living in vain,

by that they will always live causing Him injuries to the heart,

This One Who is Their Creator.

D

Everywhere disperse,

spread yourselves out on the earth.

This is the storm

which you will bring to life on the earth,

on the wind,

and on the great waters,

so that there will be death.

Keep awake,

be prudent in your task.

Whoever will much more deceive the people,

will also be much more honored,

he will be exalted.

E

Please consider it,

please satisfy your precious hearts,

our beloved.

Indeed, they are the ones who live causing themselves to mock you,

these who domineer you,

these who lord over you,

these whom you implore,

these whom you follow as gods;

these before whom you eat earth,

you yourselves discharge the debt,

you cause something to be killed.

You yourselves think,

indeed, that you live by their grace,

indeed, that they give you

your supper, your breakfast,

and all the other worldly things.

But, it is not true,

indeed, they are only your enemies,

your foes,

your villages' ravagers,

indeed, they are the ones who deceive the people, wicked ones,

the ones who mock anyone,

the inhuman devils.

There it is told how they are fortunate,

the good angels,

and how He dispatched them,

Our Lord, so that they will help us.

They, the good upright angels,

these, His sons of Our Lord, God,

when they overcame them,

they chased them hither,

from there, the heavens, these wicked ones.

Then before His precious visage,

this one of He by Whom All Live, Jesus Christ,

they were very grateful to Him,

they implored Him,

they said to Him:

A

Our Lord, Our Precious Speaker,

indeed, You, You strengthened us,

You helped us,

so that we overcame them, our enemies,

these wicked ones,

these who scorned You,

indeed, we have our strength not by our own means,

indeed, only by means of your mercy

we will subjugate them.

Because of this we are very grateful to You,

indeed, we who are your common people,

we who are your creations.

What You desire,

let it happen to us,

indeed, our power is nothing,

what we are is incapable ones, our strength is nothing.

B

And Our Lord, Jesus Christ,

then told them:

Come here,

my beloved children,

come take it,

come receive it,

the everlasting dominion

I also prepared for you,

always, forever, at my side, near me,

you will be happy, you will prosper,

you will be considered speakers.

And but presently, I have a job for all of you,

by which you will serve me.

You will help them,

you will guard them,

these who are on the earth, these my creations,

so that nothing will be done to them

by the wicked ones, the devils.

Because, indeed, they called themselves together,

as one they settled it, their word,

by which they will always live making war on them,

they will disconcert them.

Indeed, many are there,

my chosen ones,

the men on the earth,

these, with you, will be considered speakers,

here, always, forever,

in my precious residence.

C

A few of you always near me

you will be,

never will you go toward some place,

you seraphims,

you cherubims,

you thrones,

you will remain always before my precious visage.

You seraphims,

I give you

great love for people.

You cherubims,

I give you

great knowledge of things.

You thrones,

I bestow on you

great strength.

You dominations,

I give as personal property to you

the command,

You principalities,

I give as a reward to you

the administration.

You powers,

I have a task for you,

by which you will confront the devils,

you will obstruct them

so that they will not damage it,

the earth.

You virtues,

it will be your task,

you will instruct the guide on divine things

so that he will be able to do it,

his task.

And you archangels,

only, solely, you yourselves will go as messengers, at that time

when a great embassy is necessary,

the word will be there.

You angels, in this you will serve me:

as embassies,

and you will guard them,

you will care for them, the men on earth,

you, each one,

each one you will guard.

D

Oh, indeed, thus, our beloved,

He rewarded them,

He honored them,

This One, Our Lord, God, Speaker,

those good, upright angels,

these who counted themselves on His side,

these who respected Him,

and, thus, He gave them a task:

that they will strengthen us,

they will guard us,

against these wicked ones, these devils,

our enemies, the ones who cause people harm.

There it is told how He,

He by Whom All Live, made it,

all that is visible.

But, please listen to it,

our beloved,

indeed, it is very necessary that first of all

you yourselves know Him,

He by Whom All Live,

He, the True God, the Speaker,

This One Who made it,

all that is visible, that which is not visible,

so that afterwards you will be able to know

of what sort are these your gods.

A

Please listen to it,

indeed, He, He by Whom All Live,

made it,

all that is visible and that which is not visible.

Properly, on the first whole day

(this one whose name is Sunday),

He made it, all that is visible,

that which we do not see;

and He made it,

the light, this one we see.

And on the second day

(this one whose name is Monday),

He made it, the heaven,

the one which here appears above;

we see it.

On the third day

(we call it Tuesday),

He made it, the great water,

this one you name divine water,

heavenly water;

and the earth,

and all the trees,

herbs, flowers.

On the fourth day

(this one whose name is Wednesday),

He created it, He made it, He by Whom All Live,

the sun, the moon,

and the stars.

And on the fifth day

(this one whose name is Thursday),

He created them, He made them,

all the large fishes,

which live in the heavenly waters,

and the various birds,

these that live flying.

And on the sixth whole day

(this one, Friday),

He made them, all the ones

that go about on their hands, the large ones

and the small ones.

B

And when He was completely finished,

everything having been made,

this one, the precious creation of God,

the one that was mentioned,

afterwards He made it,

a man, a common person;

but immediately, also on the sixth whole day,

the one that was mentioned, whose name is Friday,

first he was made, the male,

our complete father of we all,

we men on the earth,

He named him Adam.

And afterwards she was born, she was made,

our first mother,

He named her Eve.

Of earth, clay, He made it,

his flesh, this one of our first father.

And then in him He inserted it,

the one thing by which people have life,

its name is soul,

by it there is life.

Then, a great knower of the face of things, a discreet one,

one with a knowing heart, clean,

not mortal,

thus He made him, He by Whom All Live.

And afterwards was made

our first mother, also in this way:

a great knower of the face of things,

a discreet one, clean,

not mortal.

C

And then, having made for them

a very good place, a very upright place,

a very profitable place,

He set them in His precious flowering place,

a place named earthly paradise.

On it He established them as speakers

of all His creations,

these that were mentioned.

And He ordered them briefly:

they will eat it,

the various edible flowers

growing there,

indeed, the many things,

and very savory, very pleasing.

But, verily, one tree of edible flowers

He prohibited it to them,

He rigorously ordered them

so that they will not eat it,

its fruit, its edible flower.

And if they are able to continually safeguard

His precious breath, His precious word,

this one of He by Whom All Live,

no one would live here who would be pursued by someone.

We, we men on the earth,

indeed, all would live there,

in His precious flowering place,

there in the earthly paradise,

likewise, no one would die.

Only we all, we would live

there in the interior of heaven.

Nothing of death, nothing of sickness,

nothing of the burdens that crush one another,

would happen to people.

Only joyously, peacefully,

would one go there, to heaven.

D

This one is, indeed, the very straight word,

by which it appears how we were made,

we, we men on the earth.

Indeed, all are divine words,

and, verily, we know it,

indeed, many are your careless mistakes,

these they caused to be left with you,

the ones who already left, your fathers.

In what concerns these,

nothing is straight,

nothing is real,

nothing is a following of truth,

all that is only frivolous words.

But all this we tell you,

it is all in the divine book,

there it lies painted.

There it was told how very envious,

very great causers of harm to people, are the devils.

Fixedly consider well, our beloved,

so that you will be able to hear it,

of what sort are these you regard as gods.

Those devils, on their head they knew it,

they themselves had their hearts well filled,

how those men on the earth,

whom He made, He by Whom All Live,

will, thus, go there, into the interior of heaven,

they would go to take it,

they would go to govern it,

their mat, their seat,

this one which had been seized from them.

And also, how they,

they were forever to remain scorned,

never once more will they enter there

in the precious speaker's mansion of God, Speaker,

in heaven.

Because of this, they were very jealous,

because of this, the previously mentioned, they said:

They are good,

always, forever, we will go to cause them harm,

we will make war on them,

the men, the common people,

extremely are they our enemies,

never will it be calm,

our heart against them.

A

And because of this which they had resolved,

accordingly he, their chief, Lucifer,

will go there to the earthly paradise,

he will tempt them,

he will compel them to commit faults,

our first father,

our first mother,

he will raise the hearts of them,

he will win them over,

so that they will eat it, the edible flower,

which He had forbidden them,

he by Whom All Live.

He went to tempt them,

and he was able to deceive them,

they obeyed him,

they ate it, the edible flower,

this one He, God, caused them to safeguard

so they would not eat it.

They considered it as nothing,

His precious mandate.

How he put it in order,

the temptation of Lucifer,

further on we will cause you to hear.

B

He was very irritated,

He was extremely injured in the precious heart,

of He by Whom All Live, God, Speaker.

Immediately, because of this, He seized them,

that very great, that very precious thing,

which He had given them,

whose name is original justice.

And He caused them to be very afraid

much did He reproach them,

very painful was the word

He said to them,

by which He scorned them.

He condemned them to die,

so that they will die,

so that it will become earth, their bodies,

and to the region of the dead He will cast them,

their souls;

also we, we all,

we their children.

And He pulled them out towards here

from there, the interior of the place of the precious land,

to here, on the earth, where ravines abound,

in the midst of mountains, plains,

He chased them hither.

C

And they,

because of this, they were very impoverished,

they cried considerably, they were sad,

nevermore did they rejoice,

nevermore was their heart content,

their flesh,

here on the earth.

Thus, in truth, misery,

all of it, on us he cast it,

our enemy Lucifer,

his friends, all these

you call gods.

And they had children,

their two children were born,

it happened that the name of one was Cain, the elder brother,

and the other's name was Abel, the younger brother.

And the one who causes people harm, the devil,

he deceived him, Cain,

so that he secretly killed him,

his younger brother who was Abel.

Because of this He was very irritated,

He by Whom All Live,

He completely scorned Cain,

and He caused him great fear,

great misery He made upon him.

And he, he fled from before his precious father Adam,

he went far, he went with this one who was his woman.

And he made himself a very wicked one,

he disconcerted himself considerably,

he himself desired to be furious against Him,

the Possessor of the Near, Possessor of the Surrounding,

in his anger he tired himself considerably.

D

And quickly also they, the devils,

they disconcerted them, they deceived them,

these, the children of Cain.

Indeed, they made themselves followers of things as gods,

they regarded it for themselves as god,

the precious creations of God.

With them began, with them commenced to be,

the act of following things as gods.

But Adam and his children,

these who were born afterwards,

separately, they lived withdrawn,

they lived as one thing.

He is that precious one, they were regarding Him as God,

they were imploring Him,

the True God, Speaker, God.

They were troubling themselves with it,

so that they would do nothing

that was an injury to His precious heart.

And when he died,

the first man, Adam,

accordingly the very jealous devils

then disconcerted them,

deceived them,

these, the children of Adam

who had mixed with them,

these the children of Cain.

They had made them their women, these their girls,

thus, they together increased it,

they together augmented it, their wickedness,

this was injury to the heart of He by Whom All Live.

On account of it, He was very irritated,

He Himself was injured in the precious heart,

this one of the Sole God.

[With] a great satiation of water,

thus He exterminated them,

all the men in the world.

He only, solely, left him,

He pardoned him,

He saved him,

this one who was his precious one,

this one who, in truth, was his servant

(his name, Noah),

and his woman,

and his three young sons,

and these who were his daughters-in-law.

In the interior of one large wooden chest

they escaped;

also others of His creations,

they were introduced into the wooden chest

by His precious order of Our Lord, God.

E

And when, once again,

they increased,

these men on earth,

although already these were very many,

before, only one was their speech,

by which they were speaking everywhere on the earth.

But the wicked ones, our enemies the devils,

one more time, by one thing,

they disconcerted them,

the men of the world.

They caused them heart, (That is, 'they inspired them.')

so that they will build it,

a very high mountain,

by which from there they will climb to heaven.

And when already they are continually near it,

already they raise it, the very high mountain,

by this He Himself was injured in the precious heart,

This One, He by Whom All Live.

And He,

because of this, He punished them,

in this way He obstructed it,

thus He divided the language,

not only one language,

very many ones came to be,

because of this they were very disconcerted

and they abandoned the mountain.

Oh, indeed, so many things

by which they afflict us,

these our enemies, the devils,

indeed, they which you regard as gods.