1 The chief-captain hearing these words immediately vanished, and ascending into heaven stood before God, and told all that he had seen in the house of Abraham;
2 and the chief-captain said this also to his Lord, “Thus says your friend Abraham, I will not go with you, but do whatever you are commanded;
3 and now, O Lord Almighty, does your glory and immortal kingdom order anything?”
4 God said to the chief-captain Michael, “Go to my friend Abraham yet once again, and speak to him thus,
5 Thus says the Lord your God, he that brought you into the land of promise, that blessed you above the sand of the sea and above the stars of heaven,
6 that opened the womb of barrenness of Sarah, and granted you Isaac as the fruit of the womb in old age,
7 Verily I say unto you that blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your seed, and I will give you all that you shall ask from me, for I am the Lord your God, and besides me there is no other.
8 Tell me why you have rebelled against me, and why there is grief in you, and why you rebelled against my archangel Michael?
9 Do you not know that all who have come from Adam and Eve have died, and that none of the prophets has escaped death? None of those that rule as kings is immortal; none of your forefathers has escaped the mystery of death. They have all died, they have all departed into Hades, they are all gathered by the sickle of death.
10 But upon you I have not sent death, I have not suffered any deadly disease to come upon you, I have not permitted the sickle of death to meet you, I have not allowed the nets of Hades to enfold you, I have never wished you to meet with any evil.
11 But for good comfort I have sent my chief-captain Michael to you, that you may know your departure from the world, and set your house in order, and all that belongs to you, and bless Isaac your beloved son. And now know that I have done this not wishing to grieve you.
12 Wherefore then have you said to my chief-captain, ‘I will not go with you?’ Wherefore have you spoken thus? Do you not know that if I give leave to death and he comes upon you, then I should see whether you would come or not?”