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About the endowment
The Initiatory
The Endowment Proper
The
Creation
The
Garden
The
Telestial World
The
Terrestrial World
The
Veil
Baptism for the dead
Sealings
Second anointing
Timeline
Historical documents
Masonic parallels
The endowment on film
Garments & temple clothes
Suggested readings
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THE FIRST DAY
[Elohim, Jehovah, and Michael are heard speaking outside the Creation Room.]
ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, see--yonder is matter unorganized. Go ye down and organize it into a world like unto the worlds that we have heretofore formed. Call your labors the first day, and bring me word.
JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim. Come, Michael, let us go down.
MICHAEL: We will go down, Jehovah.
JEHOVAH: Michael, see--here is matter unorganized. We will organize it into a world like unto the worlds that we have heretofore formed. We will call our labors the first day, and return and report.
MICHAEL: We will return and report our labors of the first day, Jehovah.
JEHOVAH: Elohim, we have been down as thou hast commanded, and have organized
a world like unto the worlds that we have heretofore formed; and we have
called our labors the first
day.
ELOHIM: It is well.
THE SECOND DAY
ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, go down again. Gather the waters together and cause the dry land to appear. The great waters call ye Seas, and the dry land call ye Earth. Form mountains and hills, great rivers and small streams, to beautify and give variety to the face of the earth. When ye have done this, call your labors the second day, and bring me word.
JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim. Come, Michael, let us go down.
MICHAEL: We will go down, Jehovah.
JEHOVAH: Michael, we will gather the waters together and cause the dry land to appear. The great waters we will call Seas, and the dry land we will call Earth. We will form mountains and hills, great rivers and small streams to beautify and give variety to the face of the earth. We will call our labors the second day, and return and report.
MICHAEL: We will return and report our labors of the second day, Jehovah.
JEHOVAH: Elohim, we have been down as thou hast commanded, and have gathered the waters together, and have caused the dry land to appear. The great waters we have called Seas, and the dry land we have called Earth. We have formed mountains and hills, great rivers and small streams, to beautify and give variety to the face of the earth; and we have called our labors the second day.
ELOHIM: It is well.
THE THIRD DAY
ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, return again to the earth that you have organized. Divide the light from the darkness. Call the light Day, and the darkness Night. Cause the lights in the firmament to appear--the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. Cause the stars also to appear and give light to the earth, the same as with other worlds heretofore created. Call your labors the third day, and bring me word.
JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim. Come, Michael, let us return again to the earth that we have organized.
MICHAEL: We will return again, Jehovah.
JEHOVAH: Michael, we will divide the light from the darkness, and we will call the light Day, and the darkness Night. We will cause the lights in the firmament to appear--the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. We will cause the stars also to appear and give light to the earth, the same as with worlds heretofore created. We will call our labors the third day, and return and report.
MICHAEL: We will return and report our labors of the third day, Jehovah.
JEHOVAH: Elohim, we have been down as thou hast commanded, and have divided the light from the darkness, and have called the light Day and the darkness Night. We have caused the lights in the firmament to appear--the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. We have caused the stars also to appear and give light to the earth, the same as with worlds heretofore created; and we have called our labors the third day.
ELOHIM: It is well.
THE FOURTH DAY
ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, return again. Place seeds of all kinds in the earth that they may spring forth as grass, flowers, shrubbery, trees, and all manner of vegetation, each bearing seed in itself after its own kind, as on the worlds we have heretofore created. Call your labors the fourth day, and bring me word.
JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim. Come, Michael, let us go down.
MICHAEL: We will go down, Jehovah.
JEHOVAH: Michael, we will place seeds of all kinds in the earth that they may spring forth as grass, flowers, shrubbery, trees, and all manner of vegetation, each bearing seed in itself after its own kind, as on the worlds we have heretofore created. We will call our labors the fourth day, and return and report.
MICHAEL: We will return and report our labors of the fourth day, Jehovah.
JEHOVAH: Elohim, we have been down as thou hast commanded, and have placed seeds of all kinds in the earth that they may spring forth as grass, flowers, shrubbery, trees, and all manner of vegetation, each bearing seed in itself, after its own kind, as on the worlds we have heretofore created; and we have called our labors the fourth day.
ELOHIM: It is well.
THE FIFTH DAY
ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, now that the earth is formed, divided, and beautified, and vegetation is growing thereon, return and place beasts upon the land: the elephant, the lion, the tiger, the bear, the horse, and all other kinds of animals--fowls in the air in all their varieties, fishes of all kinds in the waters, and insects and all manner of animal life upon the earth.
Command the beasts, the fowls, the fishes, the insects, all creeping things, and other forms of animal life to multiply in their respective elements, each after its kind, and every kind of vegetation to multiply in its sphere, that every form of life may fill the measure of its creation and have joy therein. Call your labors the fifth day, and bring me word.
JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim. Come, Michael, let us go down.
MICHAEL: We will go down, Jehovah.
JEHOVAH: Michael, now that the earth is formed, divided, and beautified, and vegetation is growing thereon, we will place beasts upon the land: the elephant, the lion, the tiger, the bear, the horse, and all other kinds of animals--fowls in the air in all their varieties, fishes of all kinds in the waters, and insects and all manner of animal life upon the earth.
We will command the beasts, the fowls, the fishes, the insects, all creeping things, and other forms of animal life to multiply in their respective elements, each after its kind, and every kind of vegetation to multiply in its sphere, that every form of life may fill the measure of its creation and have joy therein. We will call our labors the fifth day, and return and report.
MICHAEL: It is well, Jehovah. Now that the earth is formed, divided, and beautified, with vegetation growing thereon, and provided with animal life, it is glorious and beautiful.
JEHOVAH: It is, Michael.
MICHAEL: Let us return and report our labors of the fifth day, Jehovah.
JEHOVAH: Elohim, we have been down as thou hast commanded. We have placed beasts upon the land: the elephant, the lion, the tiger, the bear, the horse, and all other kinds of animals--fowls in the air in all their varieties, fishes of all kinds in the waters, and insects and all manner of animal life upon the earth.
We have commanded the beasts, the fowls, the fishes, the insects, all creeping things, and other forms of animal life to multiply in their respective elements, each after its kind, and every kind of vegetation to multiply in its sphere, that every form of life may fill the measure of its creation and have joy therein. We have called our labors the fifth day.
ELOHIM: It is well.
THE SIXTH DAY
ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, is man found upon the earth?
JEHOVAH: Man is not found on the earth, Elohim.
ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael, then let us go down and form man in our own
likeness and in our own image, male and female, and put into him
his
spirit, and let us give him dominion over the beasts, the fishes, and
the birds, and make him lord over the earth, and over all things on the
face of the earth.
We will plant for him a garden, eastward in Eden, and place him in it to tend and cultivate it, that he may be happy and have joy therein. We will command him to multiply and replenish the earth, that he may have joy and rejoicing in his posterity.
We will place before him the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and we will allow Lucifer, our common enemy, whom we have thrust out, to tempt him and to try him, that he may know by his own experience the good from the evil.
If he yields to temptation, we will give unto him the law of sacrifice, and we will provide a Savior for him, as we counseled in the beginning, that man may be brought forth by the power of the redemption and the resurrection, and come again into our presence, and with us partake of eternal life and exaltation.
We will call this the sixth day, and we will rest from our labors for a season. Come, let us go down.
JEHOVAH: We will go down, Elohim.
THE CREATION OF ADAM
[Elohim, Jehovah, and Michael enter the Creation Room. Michael sits in a chair with his head on his chest, his eyes closed, as if he were lifeless.]
ELOHIM: Jehovah, see the earth that we have formed. There is no man to till and take care of it. We are here to form man in our own likeness and in our own image.
JEHOVAH: We will do so, Elohim.
[Elohim and Jehovah pass their hands in the air over Michael's body, from head to foot.]
ELOHIM: Jehovah, man is now organized, and we will put into him his spirit, the breath of life, that he may become a living soul.
[Elohim and Jehovah lift Michael's head into an upright position. He opens his eyes.]
THE CREATION OF EVE
ELOHIM: Jehovah, is it good for man to be alone?
JEHOVAH: It is not good for man to be alone, Elohim.
ELOHIM: We will cause a deep sleep to come upon this man whom we have formed, and we will take from his side a rib, from which we will form a woman to be a companion and helpmeet for him.
[Elohim and Jehovah lower Michael's head to his chest again. He closes his eyes as if asleep.]
JEHOVAH: Brethren and sisters, this is Michael, who helped form the earth. When he awakens from the sleep which we have caused to come upon him, he will be known as Adam and, having forgotten all, will have become as a little child. Brethren, close your eyes as if you were asleep.
[While the brethren's eyes are closed, Elohim and Jehovah lead Eve into the Creation Room.]
ELOHIM: Adam, awake and arise.
JEHOVAH: All the brethren will please arise.
ELOHIM: Adam, here is a woman whom we have formed and whom we give unto you to be a companion and helpmeet for you. What will you call her?
ADAM: Eve.
ELOHIM: Why will you call her Eve?
ADAM: Because she is the mother of all living.
ELOHIM: That is right, Adam; because she is the mother of all living.
ADAM AND EVE ARE INTRODUCED INTO THE GARDEN
ELOHIM: Adam,
we have organized for you this earth and have planted
a garden, eastward in Eden. We will place you in the garden and will there
command you and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth, that you may
have joy and rejoicing in your posterity.
Jehovah, introduce Adam into the garden which we have prepared for him.
JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim.
[Jehovah instructs the brethren to follow Adam, and the sisters to follow Eve, into the Garden Room.]
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NOTES
- On each of the first five days of creation, Elohim gives orders to
Jehovah, Jehovah repeats those orders to Michael, and then Jehovah repeats
the orders again when he and Michael report back to Elohim. In the 1990
revision, the ceremony was streamlined by having Jehovah state in his
reports to Elohim simply that he and Michael have done everything Elohim
commanded, without rehearsing the orders back in full.
- Prior to 1990, Eve was treated as a kind of appendage to Adam, as
here, where Elohim speaks of creating both Adam and Eve ("male
and female"), but then goes on speaking only of Adam ("put
into him his spirit," "plant for him
a garden," etc.). These singular masculine references ("he,"
"his") were turned into plural references ("they,"
"their") in the 1990 revision.
- A 1931 exposé renders this line as "It is not, Elohim, for
we are not alone." This rendering would appear to represent the pre-1927
endowment, since it portrays Jehovah as an exalted being with a celestial
wife or wives, not as the premortal spirit of Jesus (which is how Jehovah
is understood in contemporary LDS thought). Such a portrayal of Jehovah
would be consistent with Brigham Young's Adam-God doctrine.
- In the 1990 revision, Elohim addresses himself (here and later) to both Adam and Eve, rather than just to Adam.