1 Christ's arrival at hell-gates;
the confusion thereupon.
19 He descends into hell.
AND while Satan and the Prince
of hell were discoursing thus
to each other, on a sudden there
was a voice as of thunder, and the
rushing of winds, saying, Lift up
your gates, O ye princes; and be
ye lift up, O everlasting gates,
and the King of Glory shall come in.
2 When the prince of hell heard
this, he said to Satan, Depart from
me, and begone out of my habitations;
if thou art a powerful warrior,
fight with the King of Glory.
But what hast thou to do with
him?
3 And he cast him forth from his
habitations.
4 And the prince said to his
impious officers, Shut the brass gates
of cruelty, and make them fast with
iron bars, and fight courageously,
lest we be taken captives.
5 But when all the company of
the saints heard this they spake
with a loud voice of anger to the
prince of hell,
6 Open thy gates, that the King
of Glory may come in.
7 And the divine prophet David
cried out, saying, Did not I, when
on earth, truly prophesy and say,
O that men would praise the Lord
for his goodness, and for his
wonderful works to the children
of men!
8 For he hath broken the gates
of brass, and cut the bars of iron
in sunder. He hath taken them
because of their iniquity, and
because of their unrighteousness
they are afflicted.
9 After this, another prophet,
namely, holy Isaiah, spake in like
manner to all the saints, Did not
I rightly prophesy to you when I
was alive on earth?
10 The dead men shall live, and
they shall rise again who are in
their graves, and they shall rejoice
who are in the earth; for the dew
which is from the Lord, shall
bring deliverance to them.
11 And I said in another place,
O grave, where is thy victory?
O death, where is thy sting?
12 When all the saints heard
these things spoken by Isaiah,
they said to the prince of hell,
Open now thy gates, and take
away thine iron bars; for thou
wilt now be bound, and have no
power.
13 Then was there a great voice,
as of the sound of thunder, saying,
Lift up your gates, O princes; and
be ye lifted up, ye gates of hell,
and the King of Glory will enter
in.
14 The prince of hell perceiving
the same voice repeated, cried out,
as though he had been ignorant,
Who is that King of Glory?
15 David replied to the prince
of hell, and said, I understand the
words of that voice, because I
spake them in his spirit. And now,
as I have before said, I say unto
thee, the Lord strong and powerful,
the Lord mighty in battle: he is
the King of Glory, and he is the
Lord in heaven and in earth.
16 He hath looked down to hear
the groans of the prisoners, and to
set loose those that are appointed
to death.
17 And now, thou filthy and
stinking prince of hell, open thy
gates, that the King of Glory may
enter in; for he is the Lord of
heaven and earth.
18 While David was saying this,
the mighty Lord appeared in the
form of a man, and enlightened
those places which had ever before
been in darkness.
19 And broke asunder the fetters
which before could not be broken;
and with his invincible power
visited those who sate in the deep
darkness by iniquity, and the shadow
of death by sin.