22.2 Inside it was deep, wide and very smooth. How smooth was what turned, and deep and dark to look at!
22.3 Then Raphael, one of the holy angels who was with me, answered and said to me: “These beautiful places are there, so that the spirits, the souls of the dead, may be gathered therein. They were made for them so that they could gather here the souls of the children of men.
22.4 And they made these places, where they shall abide until the Day of Judgment, and until their appointed time, and the appointed time shall be long, until the great judgment come upon them.”
22.5 I saw the spirits of the sons of men who were dead, and their voices reached heaven and lamented.
22.6 Then I asked Raphael, the angel who was with me, and said to him: "Whose spirit is this, whose voice reaches to heaven and laments like this?"
22.7 He answered me and said to me: This spirit is the one who came from Abel, who was murdered by Cain his brother. And he will complain about him until his descendants are destroyed from the face of the earth, and his descendants perish from among the descendants of men.”
22.8 Then I asked about him, and about the judgment of them all, and I said, "Why is one separated from another?"
22.9 And he answered me, and said unto me: These three places were made thus, that they might part the spirits in death. And the souls of the righteous are separated in this way, this is the fountain of water, and above it the light.
22.10 Also a place has been created for sinners, when they die, and are buried in the earth, and judgment has not yet come upon them in their lifetime.
22.11 But here their souls are separated for this great torment, until the Great Day of Judgment with punishment and torment for those who are cursed for ever, and a vengeance upon their souls. And there He will bind them forever. Verily, He is from the beginning of the world.
22.12 And a place is set aside for the souls of those who complain, and give information about their destruction, about when they were killed, in the days of the sinners.
22:13 Therefore a place has been made for the souls of men who are not righteous, but sinners, who have completed their misdeeds, and they shall share their lot with the unrighteous. But their souls will not be killed on the Day of Judgment, neither will they ascend from here.”
22.14 And I blessed the Lord of glory and said: "Blessed be my Lord, the Lord of Glory and Justice, who reigns over all things forever."

2 Cor. 12, 1-6 But I will go on with visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ. It's been fourteen years and it happened inside or outside the body. I don't know, but God does. That man was taken up to the third heaven. But I know that that man inside or outside the body – I do not know, but God does – was taken up to paradise and heard secret words there that it is not lawful for men to utter. In that man I will boast, but not in myself, except as far as my weaknesses are concerned.”

The Finding of the Revelation Received by Paul

I When did the book become known? During the consulship of Teodosius Augustus de Younger and Kynegius, a great man who then lived in Tarsus in the house that had belonged to Saint Paul had an angel appearing in the night. This revealed to him that he must break open the foundations of the house and make known what he found there. But he thought it was bullshit.
2 But when the angel came a third time, he scourged him and made him break the foundation by force. While digging, he came across a marble box that was written on the sides. In it was the revelation of Saint Paul and the sandals on which he had walked when he had taught the word of God. But the man did not dare to open the box and took it to the judge. The judge took it and sent it sealed as such with lead to Emperor Teodosius because he did not quite trust the matter.
The emperor received it, opened it and found the revelation of Saint Paul. He sent a copy to Jerusalem and kept the original for himself

Man is being sued

3 When I was in the body in which I was taken up to the third heaven, the word of the Lord came to me: "Say to the people, 'How long will you do wrong, and heap sin upon sin, and will you worship the Lord you are children of God and yet you do the work of the devil because of the cares of the world though you trust in Christ So remember that all creation is subject to God but human beings are generation alone sins. It rules over all that is made, but it sins more than all nature."
4 Often the sun, the great light, has addressed the Lord, saying, 'Lord, God Almighty, I look upon the wickedness and iniquity of men. If You allow me I will make my strength feel so that they know that You alone are God. And a voice came and said to her: 'All this is known to Me, for my eye sees it and my ear hears it, but my patience endures them until they repent and do penance. But if they do not return to Me, I will condemn them all

The Adoration of the Angels

8 At the appointed hour, therefore, all the angels joyfully come before God at once, and they appear in time to worship. And behold, suddenly their meeting took place, and the angels came to worship before God, and the Spirit met them. And there was a voice that said, "Angels of us, whence have you come, you who are in charge of reporting?
9 They answered, 'We come from those who have given up this world for your holy name. They roam as strangers and dwell in caves of rock and all the time they dwell on the earth they weep and hunger and thirst for your name. They have girded their loins, and in their hands they have the frankincense of their hearts. Every hour they pray and bless and they control themselves more than any other people on earth. They weep and mourn. And so do we, their angels. So order us to serve them as you see fit. They have chosen poverty more than anyone else on earth.' And the voice of God was heard and said to them, "Know that from now on my grace has been appointed for you, and that my help consists of my very
beloved Son will stand by them and guide them at every hour. Yes, he will rule them and never leave them because they will be his home.
10 Then when these angels had withdrawn, suddenly other angels came forward to worship before the Glory. They cried. And the Spirit of God went out to meet them, and a voice was heard saying, 'Angels of us, whence came you with your burdens, ministers with tidings of the world?' They answered before God: 'We come from those who have called on your name, but the cares of the world have made them unhappy. Every hour they came up with new excuses and they have not uttered a single pure prayer with all their heart in all their lives. Why, therefore, is it necessary to assist sinners?' And the voice of God was heard and said to them, "Yet it is necessary that you help them until they repent and do penance. But if they do not return to Me I will condemn them.' So children of men, know that whatever is done by you is reported to God by angels, both good and evil.

The Judgment on the Righteous and the Sinners

11 And the angel spoke and said to me, 'Follow me and I will show the place of the saints. After their death they are taken there. Then I will take you to the abyss and show you the souls of the sinners who were brought there after their death." And I followed the angel, and he brought me up to heaven, and I saw the expanse, and there I saw the powers and the forgetfulness that is deceitful and draws the heart of man to itself. And I saw the spirit of slander and that of fornication and of wrath and the spirit of impudence. There were the princes of all that is evil. This saw I under the expanse of heaven And again I looked and I saw merciless angels who knew no pity Their face was full of wrath and their teeth were sticking out of their mouths. Their eyes shone like the morning star of the east, and from the hairs on their heads sparked fire as from their mouths.” And I asked the angel, “Who are they, my lord? And the angel answered me, "These are those who are destined for the souls of the wicked in the fateful hour, those who believed not that they had the Lord as a helper, and did not hope in Him."
12 And I looked up and I saw other angels. Their faces shone like the sun, their loins were girded with girdles of gold, and they had palm branches in their hands and the sign of God. They were clothed in robes on which the name of the Son of God was written. And they were full of mildness and mercy. I asked the angel, "Who are they, my lord, who are so fair and merciful?" And the angel answered me: 'These are the righteous angels who are sent forth in the fateful hour to fetch the souls of the righteous, who have believed that they have the Lord as a helper.' And I said to him, 'Is it necessary for the righteous and the sinners to meet witnesses when they are dead? And the angel answered me: 'There is only one way where everyone on the way to God, but the righteous who have a holy helper with them are not disturbed when they pass by this way to appear before God."
13 And I said to the angel: 'I would like to see the souls of the righteous and of the sinners when they leave the world.' And the angel told me to look down on the earth. And I looked down from the sky and I saw the whole world that was almost insignificant in my eyes. I saw the children of men as if they were nothing and had no size. I marveled and said to the angel, "Is this the greatness of the people?" And the angel answered me: 'Indeed, And it is they who do evil from morning to evening. And I looked again and I saw a cloud of fire that spread over all the earth, and I said to the angel, 'Lord, what is this? And he said to me that this is the injustice that the princes of the sinners devise.

14 When I heard this, I sighed and wept, and I said to the angel that I would like to see the souls of the righteous and the sinners, to know in what form they leave the body. And the angel answered me that I should look at the earth again. I looked down and I saw the whole earth and the people were next to nothing and in miserable conditions. I saw a man lay dying, and the angel said to me: He that you see there is a righteous man. And I looked again and I saw all the works that he had done for the name of God and all that he had planned, both that which he remembered and that which he no longer remembered. It all stood before him in the fateful hour. And I saw that the righteous prospered and that he had found grace and confidence. And before he left the world, both the holy and the wicked angels stood before him. And I saw them all, but the wicked did not dwell with him, but the saint ruled over his soul and accompanied her until she had left the body. They urged the soul, saying: 'Soul, you must be able to recognize your body from which you departed, for it is necessary that you return in the same body on the Day of Resurrection.
Then you will receive what has been promised to all the righteous." Then they took the soul from the body, and immediately they kissed her as if they had known her daily, and told her to be of good cheer because she had done the will of God. when she was on earth, and the angel who daily guarded her came to meet her, and said to her, "Be of good cheer, soul. For I rejoice in you because you have done the will of God on earth. For I have all your works reported to God as they are.' Likewise, the spirit came to her and said: "Soul, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed until the moment you have come to a place that you have never known, for I will be your helper. For I found a delightful place in you during the time I lived with you when I was on earth.' And her spirit gave her courage, and her angel took her up and accompanied her to heaven. And an angel said.' Where are you going so fast, soul? Do you dare to enter into heaven? Wait a minute and we'll see if there's anything of us in you. Sorry, we didn't find anything on you. I also see a divine helper and your angel and the spirit are pleased with you because you have done the will of God on earth." They carried her on until she fell down in worship before God. And when they had finished they fell immediately Michael and all the army down and worshiped the footstool of his feet and his gates, saying to the soul that this is the God of them all. He created in his image and likeness. And the angel returned and said: " God, remember her works for this is the soul whose work I reported to You, Lord, as You commanded me.' And so the spirit said: 'I am the quickening spirit that breathed in her. For in her I refreshed myself while I dwelt in her as You commanded me.

15 And he said to me, 'Look down again to the earth, to see how the soul of a wicked man leaves her body, a soul that hath embittered the Lord day and night, making sure that it has nothing else in this world. and that she eats and drinks and enjoys what is in the world. For who has descended to the underworld and ascended again to inform us that there is a sentence of punishment? And I looked again and saw all that the sinner had despised and all that he had done. All this stood before him in the fateful hour. And at the hour when he was to be removed from the body, that would be the cause of his condemnation. And I said it would have been better for him if he hadn't been born. And after that the holy angels and the wicked angels met with the sinner's soul, and the holy angels found no place with her. The wicked angels threatened her, and as they removed her from the body, the angels admonished her three times, saying: 'O wretched soul, look at the flesh you have left. For it is necessary that you return in that flesh on the Day of Resurrection in order to receive an appropriate recompense for your sins and your wicked deeds.”

16 And when they brought her out, the angel she trusted came and stood before her, and said to her, 'O wretched soul, I am the angel who was with you, and who daily reported your evil deeds, which you did by night and by day. had done. And if I had mastered my own eyes I would not have served you a day. But I could do nothing: He is merciful and a just judge, and He has commanded us to keep serving the soul until you repent, but you have let the time of repentance pass. That's why we have become strangers to each other. So let's go to the righteous judge before I know further that I have become a stranger to you. The ghost put her to shame and the angel frightened her.
Then when they had come to the (heavenly) powers and were about to enter heaven, one torment after another was inflicted on her. Error, forgetfulness, and gossip met her, and the spirit of fornication and the other powers. They said to her, 'Where do you want to go, unhappy soul? Do you dare to run into heaven? Stand still and we can see if there is something of ourselves in you, for we see no holy helper near you.' Then I heard voices in the high heavens say, 'Bring the wretched soul before God that it may know that it is God whom it has despised. All the angels saw her, thousands of thousands, when she had entered heaven. They all cried in unison: Woe unto thee, wretched soul, for the works thou hast done on earth. What will you answer to God when you have come near to worship Him?" The angel who was with her spoke up and said: "My dearly beloved, weep with me, for in this soul I have found no rest." And the angels answered him, "Let that soul be taken from our midst, for from the moment it entered its stench has penetrated to us angels." Then she was taken to fall down before God in worship. The angel showed her God the Lord who had made her in his image and likeness.
But her angel ran forward and said: Lord, Almighty God, I am the angel of this soul. I have offered you the works of her day and night. Deal with her as you see fit.' And the spirit also said: 'I am the spirit that has dwelt in her since she was created and I know her through and through, but she has not obeyed my will. Judge her, Lord, according to thy judgment.' And the voice of God came and said to her, "Where is the fruit which you have brought forth according to the mercies you have received? Have you perhaps bridged the distance of but one day between you and a righteous man? surely the sun will rise on you and on the righteous?' But she kept silent, for she could not answer. And again the voice came and said, "Justice is the judgment of God, and God favors no one. For he will have mercy on everyone who has shown mercy, and who has not known mercy will nor receive mercy from God. Let it be handed over to the angel Tartaruchus, who is appointed over the punishments, and let him cast her into the utter darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, and let her remain there until the great day of the judgement.' Then I heard a voice of angels and archangels saying that the Lord is just as righteous as his judgment.

17 And I looked again, and behold, there was a soul brought by two angels. She wept and said, "Have mercy on me, righteous God, divine judge, for today is the seventh day since I left my body and I was handed over to these two angels and taken by them to places that I have never seen before." had seen.' And God the righteous judge said to her, "What have you done? For you have never shown mercy. Therefore you have been delivered to these angels who have no mercy. Because you have not done good, therefore they have treated you without love. in the fateful hour. You must therefore confess your sins which you committed while you were in the world." And she answered, "Lord, I have not sinned." And the Lord, the righteous God, was enraged when she said this, for she lied, and God said, "Do you think you are still alive in the world? There they all sin without being caught, and each hides his sin from his neighbor." But here nothing is hidden, for when the souls have come to worship before the throne, each one's works, both his good works and his sins, come to light.” When she heard that, the soul was silent, for she knew not what she had to answer. And I heard the Lord, the righteous God, further say, "Come, angel of this soul, and stand in the midst." And the angel of the sinful soul came with a scripture in his hand and said: 'Lord, here in my hand are all the sins of this soul from its youth to this day, from ten years after its birth. And if You ask "Lord, can I also tell her deeds from the age of fifteen." The Lord God, the righteous judge, said, "I tell you, angel, I expect no record of you from her fifteenth year, but list her sins for the last five years before her death when she came here." And further said the Lord God, the righteous judge: For I swear by Myself and by My holy angels and My strength that if they are five years before had repented her death—yes, if only for one year—all the sins she had committed before would be forgiven, and she would have had remission and forgiveness. But now let her be lost.' And the angel of the sinful soul gave word: 'Lord, let that angel fetch those souls.'
18 And immediately the souls were brought forth, and the soul of the sinner recognized them. And the Lord said to the soul of the sinner I command you to declare openly what you did to the souls you see here when they were in the world And she answered: Lord, not a year ago I killed them and her blood I have shed on the earth, and I have committed fornication with another. And besides, I have grossly harmed her by using up her wealth. And the Lord God, the righteous judge, said: Did you not know that the one who suffered violence and died first are kept here until the culprit dies who harmed the other, and then both come before the judge and that thereupon each one receives that which is in accord with what he has done? And I heard the voice of one who said, 'Let that soul be delivered into the hands of Tartrachus. She must be brought down to the underworld. Let him put her in the prison of the underworld and let her be tortured to remain there until the great day of judgment.' And further I heard thousands of thousands of angels singing a song of praise to the Lord and
cry out, "Righteous art thou, O Lord, and righteous is thy judgment."

The first visit to paradise

19 The angel spoke and said to me if I had seen all this, and I said, "Yes, sir." And he told me to follow him again to take me and show me the places where the righteous dwell. I went after the angel and he carried me up to the third heaven and he set me down at the door of the gate And I looked around and saw that it was a gate of gold. Before it stood two pillars of gold, and on the pillars were two tables of gold, which were written all over with letters of gold. And the angel again turned to me and said: " Blessed are you when you have entered these gates, for it is only lawful to enter with a good and innocent body. I asked the angel about everything and said: 'Lord, tell me in view of which these letters are written on those tables. .' The angel answered that these were the names of the righteous who dwell on the earth and serve God with all their hearts, And I said further, Lord, so their name is written in heaven.'" And he replied, 'Not only their name but also their faces, the image of those who serve God, are in heaven, and they are known to the angels. After all, they know who are servants of God with all their hearts before they have left the world.'
20 And when I had entered the gate and the paradise there met me an old man whose face shone like the sun. He hugged me and said, "Hail, Paul, dearly beloved friend of God." And he kissed me with a happy face. He cried and I said, 'Brother, why are you crying?' And he sighed again and crying he said: 'We are bothered by all the people and they make us very sad. For the good things which the Lord has prepared are many and His promise is great, but many do not get to them.' And I asked the angel, 'Who is this, sir?' And he said it was Enoch, the scribe of righteousness. I went inside and immediately saw the sun. He came to greet me with joy and gladness. And when he saw me, he turned away from me and wept. He said to me: 'Paul, may you be rewarded for the efforts you have made among men. As for me, I have seen many great and good things which God has prepared for the righteous, and the promises of God are great, but most receive them not. Hardly a single person enters despite a great deal of effort.'

Through the fire 1 Corinthians 3:13 - 15

31 When he had finished speaking, he led me out of the city, through the trees, far from the places of the land where the good dwell. And he set me on the bank of the river of milk and honey, Then he brought me to the ocean that bears the foundations of heaven. The angel asked if I noticed that I had gone from there. I said it was. He told me to follow him. Then he would show me the souls of the wicked and the sinners, that I might know what a place that was. I went away with the angel and he carried me to the west and I saw the beginning of heaven which was founded on a great river. And I asked what was this river of water. He said it was the ocean that surrounds the whole earth. And when I got to the very tip of the ocean, I looked, but I saw no light in that place, but only darkness, sadness, and gloom. I sighed.
I saw there a raging river of fire, and in it a multitude of men and women plunged to their knees, others to their navels, and others to their lips, and others to their hair. I asked the angel: Lord, who are they in that river of fire?' And the angel answered, "They are neither hot nor cold, for they are not found among the number of the righteous nor among the wicked. For they have spent their time on earth in such a way that they spent some days in prayer, but others in sin and fornication unto death followed.
And I asked, 'Who are they, my lord, who are knee-deep in fire?' He replied to me that these are the people who indulge in inappropriate conversation as soon as they get out of church. “Those who are submerged up to their navels are those who begin to commit fornication and have not ceased to sin until they die, as soon as they have received the body and blood of Christ. And those who are submerged to their lips are the people who have slandered one another during the meetings in the church of God. And those who are submerged to their eyebrows are the people who beckon one another and plot evil against their neighbor.
32 In the north I saw a place where various punishments were meted out. It was full of men and women and a river of fire flowed out on it. And I looked and saw exceedingly deep pits in which very many souls were gathered. The depth of that place was about three thousand cubits. I saw how they sighed and howled, and they said, 'Have pity on us, my lord.' But no one felt sorry for them. And I asked the angel: Who are they, my lord? And the angel answered me that these are the people who did not expect their Lord to be their help. And I asked, "Lord, if those souls have been so plunging upon each other for thirty or forty generations, I think these pits cannot contain them, even though that pit is still so deep. And he said to me that that abyss is beyond measure. .
For after that there is yet another abyss beneath it. It's like someone takes a rock and throws it into a very deep well and then after many hours it ends up at the bottom. So is the abyss. For when the souls are thrown in there, they only just reach the bottom after five hundred years.
33 When I heard this, I wept and sighed for the gender of the people. The angel spoke and said to me: "Why are you weeping? Are you sometimes more merciful than God? Since God is good and knows that there are punishments, He patiently bears the race of men and allows each to act according to his own will in the time that he lives on earth."

34 I looked again into the river of fire and saw a man being strangled by the angels who guard the underworld. In their hands they had a three-pointed iron with which they pierced that old man's entrails. I asked the angel who was that old man who was being tortured like that. And the angel said that there I saw a priest who had not performed his service well. While eating, drinking and committing fornication, he had offered the sacrifice to the Lord on the holy altar.

35 Not far away I saw another old man. Four evil angels rushed him and lowered him to his knees in the river of fire. They beat him with stones and wounded his face as if it were a gust of storm, did not allow him to ask for pity. And at my question the angel told me that it was a bishop who had not performed his ministry properly. He had been given a great name, but all his life he had not acted in accordance with the holiness of Him who had given him his name, for he had not judged righteous judgment and had had no compassion on widows and orphans. "But now it is recompensed to him according to his iniquity and his works."
36 And I saw another man in the river of fire who was knee-deep in fire. He had his hands outstretched and he was covered in blood. Worms crawled out of his mouth and nose. He sighed and cried and shouted, 'Have pity on me, for I am being punished more severely than the others who suffer this punishment. And I asked: Who is that, sir? And he said that the one I saw there was a deacon who had eaten offerings, and committed fornication, and done no good before God, 'Therefore he suffers this punishment continuously.' And I noticed that on his other side was another human that they hurriedly brought. They threw him into the river of fire. He was up to his knees in it. The angel who was appointed over the punishments came with a great fiery razor, and with it he cut the man's lips and his tongue. And I sighed and wept and asked, "Who is that, sir?" He told me that the one I saw there was a reader reading to the people, but he himself did not keep God's commandments, “But now he will receive his just punishment.
37 And I saw more pits in that place, and in the midst of them was a river full of a multitude of men and women. Worms ate them. And I wept and sighing I asked the angel: 'Lord, who are they?' And he said these are people who demand interest on interest. They trust in their wealth, but they don't expect God to be their helper.' And then I saw another scary place. There was something like a wall and a fire around it. Inside I saw men and women biting their tongues, and I asked, 'Who are they, my lord?' He told me that these are the people in the church who despise the word of God by not paying attention to it. "They regard the Lord and his angels as nothing. That is why they are now also getting an appropriate punishment."
38 And I saw another old man down in the pit, and he looked like blood. I asked, "Lord, what kind of place is this?" And he said that in this pit all the punishments come in. And I saw men and women submerged up to their lips. I asked, 'Who are they, sir?' He said these were the wizards who had exposed men and women to magical wizardry. "It has been seen that they did not stop until they died." And further I saw men and women with pitch-black faces in a pit full of fire. I sighed and cried and asked, 'Who are they, sir?' And he said that these are fornicators and adulterers. They had their own wives, but they had committed fornication. Likewise, women have committed adultery even though they are their own husbands had. Therefore, they undergo punishment incessantly.

39 And I saw there maidens in black clothes, and four terrible angels with chains of fire in their hands. They put it around her neck and led them into the darkness. And again I weeping asked the angel, "Who are they, my lord?" And he told me that these were virgins who had defiled their virginity without their parents knowing. Therefore, they constantly undergo the just punishment. And suddenly there I saw men and women with their hands and feet cut off. They stood naked in a place full of ice and snow, and worms ate them. When I saw that, I wept and asked, 'Who are they, sir?' He said, "These are the people who have wronged orphans, widows, and the poor." They have not set their expectation on the Lord, so they continually undergo their appropriate punishment.' And I saw how others hung over a stream of water. Their tongues were dried up. Before their eyes was much fruit, but it was not lawful for them to partake of it. And I asked him, "Who are these, sir?" He told me that these are the people who ended the fast before the appointed hour. That's why they get this punishment incessantly. I also saw men and women hung by their eyebrows and hair. A river of fire swept them along. And I said, "Who are they, my lord? He told me that these are the people who associate not with their own husband or wife, but with adulterers. Therefore they are incessantly being punished justly. I also saw men and women with dust They looked like blood and they dwelt in a pit full of pitch and brimstone and went down to the river of fire And I asked, "Who are they, my lord?" He told me that these are the people who committed the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. men with men." Therefore, they undergo constant punishment.

40 And I saw men and women clothed in shining robes, but their eyes were blind. They were in a pit. And I asked: Who are they, my lord?' He told me that these were Gentiles who had given alms but had not known the Lord God. That is why they constantly undergo a just punishment. And I saw other men and women hanging over a fiery rod. Animals tore them to pieces and they were not allowed to say: Have pity on us, lord! And I saw the punishing angel who punished them with great power and said: 'Recognize the Son of God. For it has been told you, but when the divine writings were read to you, you did not pay attention. Therefore, God's judgment is just. you bad deeds have caught you and brought you to these punishments.' And I sighed and wept and I asked who were these men and women who were strangled in the fire and suffered punishment. And he answered me that these are the women who defile the creation of God by removing children from their wombs and it is the men who slept with her. Their children cried to the Lord God and to the angels in charge of the punishment, saying, "Defend us from our parents, for they have defiled the creation of God. They knew the name of God, but they kept not his commandments, and they gave us as food for the dogs and let the pigs trample us underfoot. Others threw them into the river." Those children were handed over to the angels of the underworld who are over the punishments, to take them to a spacious place of mercy. But the fathers and the mothers were strangled as a punishment forever. And I saw men and women clothed in rags. pitch-wrapped their necks, shoulders, and feet, and they were held by angels with horns of fire, and they smote them and pinched their nostrils. They said to them, "Why don't you have the time? Considered what it would have been right to repent, to go and serve God and have you not done it? And I asked: Who are they, my lord?' And he told me that these were the people who had apparently renounced the world to God by putting on our robes. But they have become unhappy with the cares of the world. They held no love feasts, they had no pity on widows and orphans, they did not take in strangers and pilgrims, they made no sacrifices, and they had no pity on their neighbor. Not even a day did their prayer ascend to the Lord God cleanly. But they were engrossed in the cares of the world, and they were unable to do good for the face of God, and in the place of the punishment angels were about them. There were other punished men who saw them and said to them, "When we were on earth we neglected God just as you have done. We knew when we were on earth that we were sinners, but you were said to be righteous and servants of God. Now we know that you were called only by the name of the Lord. Therefore you also suffer due punishment, And I sighed and wept, and said: "Woe unto men, woe to sinners, to what are they born?" And the angel answered me, "Why are you weeping? Are you sometimes more merciful than the Lord God, who is blessed for ever, who has pronounced judgment and has permitted each person to choose good and evil according to his own will and to do as he pleases? ?' But again I wept profusely and he said to me, "Are you crying now that you have not seen even the most severe punishments? Come and you shall see some seven times heavier than these."

Hell

41 And he carried me from the north, and set me over a well, and it turned out to be sealed with seven seals. The angel who was with me spoke up and told the angel of that place to open the lid of the well to allow God's dearly beloved friend Paul to see therein, because he had been given permission to take all the punishments of the underworld. to see. The angel told me to stand at a distance to endure the stench of that place.
When the well was open, there immediately came up some foul, very vile stench that was beyond all punishment. I looked into the well and saw clumps of fire burning on all sides and a narrow opening. And the space of that opening of the well was so narrow that only one man could pass through. The angel began to speak and said to me that if anyone was thrown into this pit of the abyss and the entrance was sealed over him, he was never heard of again before the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and the holy angels. And I said, "Who are they, lord, that are thrown into this pit. He said to me that this is everyone who confesses not that Christ has come in the flesh" and that the virgin Mary gave birth to him, and whoever denies that the bread of the Eucharist and the cup of blessing is the body and blood of Christ."
42 From the north I looked to the west and I saw the worm that knows no rest, and in that place there was the gnashing of teeth. That worm was one cubit long and it had two heads. And I saw there were men and women there who were cold and gritted their teeth. And I asked, Lord, who are they in that place? And he said that in this place there was nothing but cold and snow. He said these are the people who say that Christ did not rise from the dead and claim that the flesh is not raised. And I asked, 'Lord, is there no warmth at all in this place? He went on and told me that even though the sun goes over them, they don't get warm because the place Is extremely cold, also because of the snow. When I heard that I stretched out my hand and cried and said again with a sigh that it would be better for us if we, who are all sinners, were not born
43 When they saw me there weeping before the angel, they cried out to me also weeping, 'Lord God, have mercy on us.' And thereupon I saw the heavens open and the Archangel Michael descended from heaven and with him all the army of the angels and they went to people who suffered the punishments. When they saw him, they cried out again and wept and said: 'Have mercy on us, Archangel Michael, have mercy on us and the human race, for by your prayers the world is preserved. We have seen the judgment and come to know the Son of God. In the past, before we entered this place, it was impossible for us to pray for this. After all, before we left the world, we heard that there would be judgment, but worldly worries hindered us from to repent.' And Michael replied, “Listen, Michael is speaking. It is I who stand before God every hour. As the Lord lives before whose face I stand, I do not cease to pray day or night uninterrupted for the human race. I pray for those who dwell on earth. But they do iniquity unceasingly, they commit fornication and bring me no good all the while they live on earth. You have spent the time when you should have repented in vanity. But I have always prayed the same and I beseech God even now that He give dew and rain be poured out on the earth and I pray until the earth bears its fruit. I say that if anyone has done just a little good I will fight for him and protect him until he escapes judgment with his punishments. So where are your prayers? Where is your penance?

You have despised time and let it pass. Cry now and I will cry with you and the angels too, along with dearly beloved Paul. Then we can see if the merciful God may have mercy and give you forgiveness. When they heard this, they cried and wept greatly, and said in unison, 'Have mercy on us, Son of God.' And I, Paul, sighed and said: 'Lord, have mercy on your creature, have mercy on the children of men, have mercy on your image.

Visit to paradise

45 Then the angel said to me, "Have you seen all this?" And I said 'yes' and he told me to follow him, then he would bring me to paradise and then the righteous who are there would see me. For they hoped to see me and they were ready to welcome me with joy and exultation. And spurred on by the Holy Spirit, I followed the angel and he put me in paradise and told me that this was the paradise where Adam and his wife had walked. I entered paradise and saw where the water begins and the angel gave a sign and said to me, 'Look, the water. For this is the river Pishon, which flows around the whole land of Chawila, and that is the Gichon, which flows right through the land of Egypt and Ethiopia. And that one is the Tigris which is opposite the land of the Assyrians and the other is the Euphrates which overflows the land of Mesopotamia,' As I went farther inside I saw a tree planted. Water bubbled up from its roots and from it sprang the four rivers. The Spirit of God rested on that tree and when the spirit blew water began to flow. And I asked the lord if this is the tree that makes the water flow? And he told me that before heaven and earth came forth, in the beginning, and when there was nothing to be seen, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters." But ever since heaven and earth came forth at the behest of God, the Spirit rest on this tree. Therefore water comes forth from the tree as soon as the Spirit blows. And he took me by the hand and led me to the tree of knowledge of good and evil and he told me that this is the tree through which death came into the world. After Adam got its fruit from his wife, he ate, and death entered the world." And he showed me another tree in the midst of paradise, and said that it is the tree of life.
46 While I was still looking at the tree, I saw a young girl coming from afar, preceded by two hundred angels singing songs of praise. I asked the gentleman who it was who arrived there in such great splendor. He said that this was the virgin Mary, the mother of the Lord. When she came near she greeted me and said: Greetings, Paul, dear to God, angels and men. After all, all the angels begged my Son Jesus who is my Lord that you would come here in the body to see you before you left the world. And the Lord told them to wait and be patient. In a little while they would see me to be with them forever. And they went on to say, "Do not grieve us, for we want to see him in the body, for through him your name has been magnified in the world." We have seen that he endured all works, great and small." For we hear from those who come here when we ask them who it was that led them into the world, that they say, "There is one in the world whom Paul is called. He announces Christ in his preaching, and we believe that by the power and sweetness of his words many have entered the kingdom." Behold, all the righteous stand behind me and meet you. Paul, I tell you, I am the first to meet them. those who have done the will of my Son and my Lord Jesus Christ, I will go to meet them first, so that they are not strangers until they arrive in peace."