The Book of Enoch, Section II

BOOK OF ENOCH

From-The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament
R.H. Charles Oxford: The Clarendon Press

Section II. Chapters XXXVII-LXXI
The Parables

¹ The second vision which he saw, the vision of wisdom -which Enoch the son of Jared, the son ² of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, saw. And this is the beginning of the words of wisdom which I lifted up my voice to speak and say to those which dwell on earth: Hear, ye men of old time, and see, ye that come after, the words of the Holy ³ One which I will speak before the Lord of Spirits. It were better to declare (them only) to the men of old time, but even from those that come after we will not withhold the beginning of wisdom. ⁴ Till the present day such wisdom has never been given by the Lord of Spirits as I have received according to my insight, according to the good pleasure of the Lord of Spirits by whom the lot of ⁵ eternal life has been given to me. Now three Parables were imparted to me, and I lifted up my voice and recounted them to those that dwell on the earth.

[Chapter 38]

¹ The first Parable.

When the congregation of the righteous shall appear,

And sinners shall be judged for their sins,

And shall be driven from the face of the earth:

² And when the Righteous One shall appear before the eyes of the righteous,

Whose elect works hang upon the Lord of Spirits,

And light shall appear to the righteous and the elect who dwell on the earth,

Where then will be the dwelling of the sinners,

And where the resting-place of those who have denied the Lord of Spirits?

It had been good for them if they had not been born.

³ When the secrets of the righteous shall be revealed and the sinners judged,

And the godless driven from the presence of the righteous and elect,

⁴ From that time those that possess the earth shall no longer be powerful and exalted:

And they shall not be able to behold the face of the holy,

For the Lord of Spirits has caused His light to appear

On the face of the holy, righteous, and elect.

⁵ Then shall the kings and the mighty perish

And be given into the hands of the righteous and holy.

⁶ And thenceforward none shall seek for themselves mercy from the Lord of Spirits

For their life is at an end.

[Chapter 39]

¹ [And it shall come to pass in those days that elect and holy children will descend from the ² high heaven, and their seed will become one with the children of men. And in those days Enoch received books of zeal and wrath, and books of disquiet and expulsion.]

And mercy shall not be accorded to them, saith the Lord of Spirits.

³ And in those days a whirlwind carried me off from the earth,

And set me down at the end of the heavens.

⁴ And there I saw another vision, the dwelling-places of the holy,

And the resting-places of the righteous.

⁵ Here mine eyes saw their dwellings with His righteous angels,

And their resting-places with the holy.

And they petitioned and interceded and prayed for the children of men,

And righteousness flowed before them as water,

And mercy like dew upon the earth:

Thus it is amongst them for ever and ever.

^6a And in that place mine eyes saw the Elect One of righteousness and of faith,

^7a And I saw his dwelling-place under the wings of the Lord of Spirits.

^6b And righteousness shall prevail in his days,

And the righteous and elect shall be without number before Him for ever and ever.

^7b And all the righteous and elect before Him shall be strong as fiery lights,

And their mouth shall be full of blessing,

And their lips extol the name of the Lord of Spirits,

And righteousness before Him shall never fail,

[And uprightness shall never fail before Him.]

⁸ There I wished to dwell,

And my spirit longed for that dwelling-place:

And there heretofore hath been my portion,

For so has it been established concerning me before the Lord of Spirits.

⁹ In those days I praised and extolled the name of the Lord of Spirits with blessings and praises, because He hath destined me for blessing and glory according to the good pleasure of the Lord of ¹⁰ Spirits. For a long time my eyes regarded that place, and I blessed Him and praised Him, saying: 'Blessed is He, and may He be blessed from the beginning and for evermore. And before Him there is no ceasing. He knows before the world was created what is for ever and what will be from ¹² generation unto generation. Those who sleep not bless Thee: they stand before Thy glory and bless, praise, and extol, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Spirits: He filleth the earth with ¹³ spirits."' And here my eyes saw all those who sleep not: they stand before Him and bless and say: 'Blessed be Thou, and blessed be the name of the Lord for ever and ever.' And my face was changed; for I could no longer behold.

[Chapter 40]

¹ And after that I saw thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand, I saw a multitude ² beyond number and reckoning, who stood before the Lord of Spirits. And on the four sides of the Lord of Spirits I saw four presences, different from those that sleep not, and I learnt their names: for the angel that went with me made known to me their names, and showed me all the hidden things. ³ And I heard the voices of those four presences as they uttered praises before the Lord of glory. ^4,5 The first voice blesses the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever. And the second voice I heard blessing ⁶ the Elect One and the elect ones who hang upon the Lord of Spirits. And the third voice I heard pray and intercede for those who dwell on the earth and supplicate in the name of the Lord of Spirits. ⁷ And I heard the fourth voice fending off the Satans and forbidding them to come before the Lord ⁸ of Spirits to accuse them who dwell on the earth. After that I asked the angel of peace who went with me, who showed me everything that is hidden: 'Who are these four presences which I have ⁹ seen and whose words I have heard and written down?' And he said to me: 'This first is Michael, the merciful and long-suffering: and the second, who is set over all the diseases and all the wounds of the children of men, is Raphael: and the third, who is set over all the powers, is Gabriel: and the fourth, who is set over the repentance unto hope of those who inherit eternal life, is named Phanuel.' ¹⁰ And these are the four angels of the Lord of Spirits and the four voices I heard in those days.

[Chapter 41]

¹ And after that I saw all the secrets of the heavens, and how the kingdom is divided, and how the ² actions of men are weighed in the balance. And there I saw the mansions of the elect and the mansions of the holy, and mine eyes saw there all the sinners being driven from thence which deny the name of the Lord of Spirits, and being dragged off: and they could not abide because of the punishment which proceeds from the Lord of Spirits. ³ And there mine eyes saw the secrets of the lightning and of the thunder, and the secrets of the winds, how they are divided to blow over the earth, and the secrets of the clouds and dew, and there ⁴ I saw from whence they proceed in that place and from whence they saturate the dusty earth. And there I saw closed chambers out of which the winds are divided, the chamber of the hail and winds, the chamber of the mist, and of the clouds, and the cloud thereof hovers over the earth from the ⁵ beginning of the world. And I saw the chambers of the sun and moon, whence they proceed and whither they come again, and their glorious return, and how one is superior to the other, and their stately orbit, and how they do not leave their orbit, and they add nothing to their orbit and they take nothing from it, and they keep faith with each other, in accordance with the oath by which they ⁶ are bound together. And first the sun goes forth and traverses his path according to the commandment ⁷ of the Lord of Spirits, and mighty is His name for ever and ever. And after that I saw the hidden and the visible path of the moon, and she accomplishes the course of her path in that place by day and by night-the one holding a position opposite to the other before the Lord of Spirits.

And they give thanks and praise and rest not;

For unto them is their thanksgiving rest.

8 For the sun changes oft for a blessing or a curse,

And the course of the path of the moon is light to the righteous

And darkness to the sinners in the name of the Lord,

Who made a separation between the light and the darkness,

And divided the spirits of men,

And strengthened the spirits of the righteous,

In the name of His righteousness.

⁹ For no angel hinders and no power is able to hinder; for He appoints a judge for them all and He judges them all before Him.

[Chapter 42]

¹ Wisdom found no place where she might dwell;

Then a dwelling-place was assigned her in the heavens.

² Wisdom went forth to make her dwelling among the children of men,

And found no dwelling-place:

Wisdom returned to her place,

And took her seat among the angels.

³ And unrighteousness went forth from her chambers:

Whom she sought not she found,

And dwelt with them,

As rain in a desert

And dew on a thirsty land.

[Chapter 43]

¹ And I saw other lightnings and the stars of heaven, and I saw how He called them all by their ² names and they hearkened unto Him. And I saw how they are weighed in a righteous balance according to their proportions of light: (I saw) the width of their spaces and the day of their appearing, and how their revolution produces lightning: and (I saw) their revolution according to the ³ number of the angels, and (how) they keep faith with each other. And I asked the angel who went ⁴ with me who showed me what was hidden: 'What are these?' And he said to me: 'The Lord of Spirits hath showed thee their parabolic meaning (lit. 'their parable'): these are the names of the holy who dwell on the earth and believe in the name of the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.'

[Chapter 44]

Also another phenomenon I saw in regard to the lightnings: how some of the stars arise and become lightnings and cannot part with their new form.

[Chapter 45]

¹ And this is the second Parable concerning those who deny the name of the dwelling of the holy ones and the Lord of Spirits.

2 And into the heaven they shall not ascend,

And on the earth they shall not come:

Such shall be the lot of the sinners

Who have denied the name of the Lord of Spirits,

Who are thus preserved for the day of suffering and tribulation.

3 On that day Mine Elect One shall sit on the throne of glory

And shall try their works,

And their places of rest shall be innumerable.

And their souls shall grow strong within them when they see Mine Elect Ones,

And those who have called upon My glorious name:

4 Then will I cause Mine Elect One to dwell among them.

And I will transform the heaven and make it an eternal blessing and light

5 And I will transform the earth and make it a blessing:

And I will cause Mine elect ones to dwell upon it:

But the sinners and evil-doers shall not set foot thereon.

6 For I have provided and satisfied with peace My righteous ones

And have caused them to dwell before Me:

But for the sinners there is judgement impending with Me,

So that I shall destroy them from the face of the earth.

[Chapter 46]

¹ And there I saw One who had a head of days,

And His head was white like wool,

And with Him was another being whose countenance had the appearance of a man,

And his face was full of graciousness, like one of the holy angels.

² And I asked the angel who went with me and showed me all the hidden things, concerning that

³ Son of Man, who he was, and whence he was, (and) why he went with the Head of Days? And he answered and said unto me:

This is the son of Man who hath righteousness,

With whom dwelleth righteousness,

And who revealeth all the treasures of that which is hidden,

Because the Lord of Spirits hath chosen him,

And whose lot hath the pre-eminence before the Lord of Spirits in uprightness for ever.

⁴ And this Son of Man whom thou hast seen

Shall raise up the kings and the mighty from their seats,

[And the strong from their thrones]

And shall loosen the reins of the strong,

And break the teeth of the sinners.

⁵ [And he shall put down the kings from their thrones and kingdoms]

Because they do not extol and praise Him,

Nor humbly acknowledge whence the kingdom was bestowed upon them.

⁶ And he shall put down the countenance of the strong,

And shall fill them with shame.

And darkness shall be their dwelling,

And worms shall be their bed,

And they shall have no hope of rising from their beds,

Because they do not extol the name of the Lord of Spirits.

[And raise their hands against the Most High],

And tread upon the earth and dwell upon it.

And all their deeds manifest unrighteousness,

And their power rests upon their riches,

And their faith is in the gods which they have made with their hands,

And they deny the name of the Lord of Spirits,

⁸ And they persecute the houses of His congregations,

And the faithful who hang upon the name of the Lord of Spirits.

[Chapter 47]

¹ And in those days shall have ascended the prayer of the righteous,

And the blood of the righteous from the earth before the Lord of Spirits.

² In those days the holy ones who dwell above in the heavens

Shall unite with one voice

And supplicate and pray [and praise,

And give thanks and bless the name of the Lord of Spirits

On behalf of the blood of the righteous which has been shed,

And that the prayer of the righteous may not be in vain before the Lord of Spirits,

That judgement may be done unto them,

And that they may not have to suffer for ever.

³ In those days I saw the Head of Days when He seated himself upon the throne of His glory,

And the books of the living were opened before Him:

And all His host which is in heaven above and His counselors stood before Him,

⁴ And the hearts of the holy were filled with joy;

Because the number of the righteous had been offered,

And the prayer of the righteous had been heard,

And the blood of the righteous been required before the Lord of Spirits.

[Chapter 48]

¹ And in that place I saw the fountain of righteousness

Which was inexhaustible:

And around it were many fountains of wisdom:

And all the thirsty drank of them,

And were filled with wisdom,

And their dwellings were with the righteous and holy and elect.

² And at that hour that Son of Man was named In the presence of the Lord of Spirits,

And his name before the Head of Days.

³ Yea, before the sun and the signs were created,

Before the stars of the heaven were made,

His name was named before the Lord of Spirits.

⁴ He shall be a staff to the righteous whereon to stay themselves and not fall,

And he shall be the light of the Gentiles,

And the hope of those who are troubled of heart.

⁵ All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him,

And will praise and bless and celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits.

⁶ And for this reason hath he been chosen and hidden before Him,

Before the creation of the world and for evermore.

⁷ And the wisdom of the Lord of Spirits hath revealed him to the holy and righteous;

For he hath preserved the lot of the righteous,

Because they have hated and despised this world of unrighteousness,

And have hated all its works and ways in the name of the Lord of Spirits:

For in his name they are saved,

And according to his good pleasure hath it been in regard to their life.

⁸ In these days downcast in countenance shall the kings of the earth have become,

And the strong who possess the land because of the works of their hands,

For on the day of their anguish and affliction they shall not (be able to) save themselves.

And I will give them over into the hands of Mine elect:

⁹As straw in the fire so shall they burn before the face of the holy:

As lead in the water shall they sink before the face of the righteous,

And no trace of them shall any more be found.

¹⁰ And on the day of their affliction there shall be rest on the earth,

And before them they shall fall and not rise again:

And there shall be no one to take them with his hands and raise them:

For they have denied the Lord of Spirits and His Anointed.

The name of the Lord of Spirits be blessed.

[Chapter 49]

^l For wisdom is poured out like water,

And glory faileth not before him for evermore.

² For he is mighty in all the secrets of righteousness,

And unrighteousness shall disappear as a shadow,

And have no continuance;

Because the Elect One standeth before the Lord of Spirits,

And his glory is for ever and ever,

And his might unto all generations.

³ And in him dwells the spirit of wisdom,

And the spirit which gives insight,

And the spirit of understanding and of might,

And the spirit of those who have fallen asleep in righteousness.

⁴ And he shall judge the secret things,

And none shall be able to utter a lying word before him;

For he is the Elect One before the Lord of Spirits according to His good pleasure.

[Chapter 50]

¹ And in those days a change shall take place for the holy and elect,

And the light of days shall abide upon them,

And glory and honour shall turn to the holy,

² On the day of affliction on which evil shall have been treasured up against the sinners.

And the righteous shall be victorious in the name of the Lord of Spirits:

And He will cause the others to witness (this)

That they may repent

And forgo the works of their hands.

³ They shall have no honour through the name of the Lord of Spirits,

Yet through His name shall they be saved,

And the Lord of Spirits will have compassion on them,

For His compassion is great.

⁴ And He is righteous also in His judgement,

And in the presence of His glory unrighteousness also shall not maintain itself:

At His judgement the unrepentant shall perish before Him.

⁵ And from henceforth I will have no mercy on them, saith the Lord of Spirits.

[Chapter 51]

¹ And in those days shall the earth also give back that which has been entrusted to it,

And Sheol also shall give back that which it has received,

And hell shall give back that which it owes.

^5a For in those days the Elect One shall arise,

² And he shall choose the righteous and holy from among them:

For the day has drawn nigh that they should be saved.

³ And the Elect One shall in those days sit on My throne,

And his mouth shall pour forth all the secrets of wisdom and counsel:

For the Lord of Spirits hath given (them) to him and hath glorified him.

⁴ And in those days shall the mountains leap like rams,

And the hills also shall skip like lambs satisfied with milk,

And the faces of [all] the angels in heaven shall be lighted up with joy.

^5b And the earth shall rejoice,

^c And the righteous shall dwell upon it,

^d And the elect shall walk thereon.

[Chapter 52]

^l And after those days in that place where I had seen all the visions of that which is hidden -for ² I had been carried off in a whirlwind and they had borne me towards the west-There mine eyes saw all the secret things of heaven that shall be, a mountain of iron, and a mountain of copper, and a mountain of silver, and a mountain of gold, and a mountain of soft metal, and a mountain of lead. ³ And I asked the angel who went with me, saying, 'What things are these which I have seen in 4 secret?' And he said unto me: 'All these things which thou hast seen shall serve the dominion of His Anointed that he may be potent and mighty on the earth.' ⁵ And that angel of peace answered, saying unto me: 'Wait a little, and there shall be revealed unto thee all the secret things which surround the Lord of Spirits.

⁶ And these mountains which thine eyes have seen,

The mountain of iron, and the mountain of copper, and the mountain of silver,

And the mountain of gold, and the mountain of soft metal, and the mountain of lead,

All these shall be in the presence of the Elect One

As wax: before the fire,

And like the water which streams down from above [upon those mountains],

And they shall become powerless before his feet.

⁷ And it shall come to pass in those days that none shall be saved,

Either by gold or by silver,

And none be able to escape.

⁸ And there shall be no iron for war,

Nor shall one clothe oneself with a breastplate.

Bronze shall be of no service,

And tin [shall be of no service and] shall not be esteemed,

And lead shall not be desired.

⁹ And all these things shall be [denied and] destroyed from the surface of the earth,

When the Elect One shall appear before the face of the Lord of Spirits.'

[Chapter 53]

¹ There mine eyes saw a deep valley with open mouths, and all who dwell on the earth and sea and islands shall bring to him gifts and presents and tokens of homage, but that deep valley shall not become full.

² And their hands commit lawless deeds,

And the sinners devour all whom they lawlessly oppress:

Yet the sinners shall be destroyed before the face of the Lord of Spirits,

And they shall be banished from off the face of His earth,

And they shall perish for ever and ever.

³ For I saw all the angels of punishment abiding (there) and preparing all the instruments of Satan. ⁴ And I asked the angel of peace who went with me: ' For whom are they preparing these Instruments?' ⁵ And he said unto me: ' They prepare these for the kings and the mighty of this earth, that they may thereby be destroyed. ⁶ And after this the Righteous and Elect One shall cause the house of his congregation to appear: henceforth they shall be no more hindered in the name of the Lord of Spirits.

⁷ And these mountains shall not stand as the earth before his righteousness,

But the hills shall be as a fountain of water,

And the righteous shall have rest from the oppression of sinners.'

[Chapter 54]

¹ And I looked and turned to another part of the earth, and saw there a deep valley with burning ² fire. And they brought the kings and the mighty, and began to cast them into this deep valley. ³ And there mine eyes saw how they made these their instruments, iron chains of immeasurable weight. ⁴ And I asked the angel of peace who went with me, saying: ' For whom are these chains being prepared ? ' And he said unto me: ' These are being prepared for the hosts of Azazel, so that they may take them and cast them into the abyss of complete condemnation, and they shall cover their jaws with rough stones as the Lord of Spirits commanded. ⁶ And Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael, and Phanuel shall take hold of them on that great day, and cast them on that day into the burning furnace, that the Lord of Spirits may take vengeance on them for their unrighteousness in becoming subject to Satan and leading astray those who dwell on the earth.' ⁷ And in those days shall punishment come from the Lord of Spirits, and he will open all the chambers of waters which are above the heavens, and of the fountains which are beneath the earth. ⁸ And all the waters shall be joined with the waters: that which is above the heavens is the masculine, ⁹ and the water which is beneath the earth is the feminine. And they shall destroy all who dwell ¹⁰ on the earth and those who dwell under the ends of the heaven. And when they have recognized their unrighteousness which they have wrought on the earth, then by these shall they perish.

[Chapter 55]

¹ And after that the Head of Days repented and said: ' In vain have I destroyed all who dwell ² on the earth.' And He sware by His great name: ' Henceforth I will not do so to all who dwell on the earth, and I will set a sign in the heaven: and this shall be a pledge of good faith between Me and them for ever, so long as heaven is above the earth. And this is in accordance with My command. ³ When I have desired to take hold of them by the hand of the angels on the day of tribulation and pain because of this, I will cause My chastisement and My wrath to abide upon them, saith ⁴ God, the Lord of Spirits. Ye mighty kings who dwell on the earth, ye shall have to behold Mine Elect One, how he sits on the throne of glory and judges Azazel, and all his associates, and all his hosts in the name of the Lord of Spirits.'

[Chapter 56]

¹ And I saw there the hosts of the angels of punishment going, and they held scourges and chains ² of iron and bronze. And I asked the angel of peace who went with me, saying: ' To whom are ³ these who hold the scourges going ? ' And he said unto me: ' To their elect and beloved ones, that they may be cast into the chasm of the abyss of the valley.

⁴ And then that valley shall be filled with their elect and beloved,

And the days of their lives shall be at an end,

And the days of their leading astray shall not thenceforward be reckoned.

⁵ And in those days the angels shall return

And hurl themselves to the east upon the Parthians and Medes:

They shall stir up the kings, so that a spirit of unrest shall come upon them,

And they shall rouse them from their thrones,

That they may break forth as lions from their lairs,

And as hungry wolves among their flocks.

⁶ And they shall go up and tread under foot the land of His elect ones

[And the land of His elect ones shall be before them a threshing-floor and a highway :]

⁷ But the city of my righteous shall be a hindrance to their horses.

And they shall begin to fight among themselves,

And their right hand shall be strong against themselves,

And a man shall not know his brother,

Nor a son his father or his mother,

Till there be no number of the corpses through their slaughter,

And their punishment be not in vain.

⁸ In those days Sheol shall open its jaws,

And they shall be swallowed up therein

And their destruction shall be at an end;

Sheol shall devour the sinners in the presence of the elect.'

[Chapter 57]

¹ And it came to pass after this that I saw another host of wagons, and men riding thereon, and ² coming on the winds from the east, and from the west to the south. And the noise of their wagons was heard, and when this turmoil took place the holy ones from heaven remarked it, and the pillars of the earth were moved from their place, and the sound thereof was heard from the one end of heaven ³ to the other, in one day. And they shall all fall down and worship the Lord of Spirits. And this is the end of the second Parable.

[Chapter 58]

¹ And I began to speak the third Parable concerning the righteous and elect.

² Blessed are ye, ye righteous and elect,

For glorious shall be your lot.

³ And the righteous shall be in the light of the sun.

And the elect in the light of eternal life:

The days of their life shall be unending,

And the days of the holy without number.

⁴ And they shall seek the light and find righteousness with the Lord of Spirits:

There shall be peace to the righteous in the name of the Eternal Lord.

⁵ And after this it shall be said to the holy in heaven

That they should seek out the secrets of righteousness, the heritage of faith:

For it has become bright as the sun upon earth,

And the darkness is past.

⁶ And there shall be a light that never endeth,

And to a limit (lit. ' number ') of days they shall not come,

For the darkness shall first have been destroyed,

[And the light established before the Lord of Spirits]

And the light of uprightness established for ever before the Lord of Spirits.

[Chapter 59]

¹ [In those days mine eyes saw the secrets of the lightnings, and of the lights, and the judgements they execute (lit. ' their judgement '): and they lighten for a blessing or a curse as the Lord of ² Spirits willeth. And there I saw the secrets of the thunder, and how when it resounds above in the heaven, the sound thereof is heard, and he caused me to see the judgements executed on the earth, whether they be for well-being and blessing, or for a curse according to the word of the Lord of Spirits. ³ And after that all the secrets of the lights and lightnings were shown to me, and they lighten for blessing and for satisfying.]

[Chapter 60] A Fragment of the Book of Noah

¹ In the year 500, in the seventh month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the life of Enoch. In that Parable I saw how a mighty quaking made the heaven of heavens to quake, and the host of the Most High, and the angels, a thousand thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand, were ² disquieted with a great disquiet. And the Head of Days sat on the throne of His glory, and the angels and the righteous stood around Him.

³ And a great trembling seized me,

And fear took hold of me,

And my loins gave way,

And dissolved were my reins,

And I fell upon my face.

⁴ And Michael sent another angel from among the holy ones and he raised me up, and when he had raised me up my spirit returned; for I had not been able to endure the look of this host, and the ⁵ commotion and the quaking of the heaven. And Michael said unto me: ' Why art thou disquieted with such a vision? Until this day lasted the day of His mercy; and He hath been merciful and ⁶ long-suffering towards those who dwell on the earth. And when the day, and the power, and the punishment, and the judgement come, which the Lord of Spirits hath prepared for those who worship not the righteous law, and for those who deny the righteous judgement, and for those who take His name in vain-that day is prepared, for the elect a covenant, but for sinners an inquisition. ²⁵ When the punishment of the Lord of Spirits shall rest upon them, it shall rest in order that the punishment of the Lord of Spirits may not come, in vain, and it shall slay the children with their mothers and the children with their fathers. Afterwards the judgement shall take place according to His mercy and His patience.' ⁷ And on that day were two monsters parted, a female monster named Leviathan, to dwell in the ⁸ abysses of the ocean over the fountains of the waters. But the male is named Behemoth, who occupied with his breast a waste wilderness named Duidain, on the east of the garden where the elect and righteous dwell, where my grandfather was taken up, the seventh from Adam, the first ⁹ man whom the Lord of Spirits created. And I besought the other angel that he should show me the might of those monsters, how they were parted on one day and cast, the one into the abysses ¹⁰ of the sea, and the other unto the dry land of the wilderness. And he said to me: ' Thou son of man, herein thou dost seek to know what is hidden.' ¹¹ And the other angel who went with me and showed me what was hidden told me what is first and last in the heaven in the height, and beneath the earth in the depth, and at the ends of the ¹² heaven, and on the foundation of the heaven. And the chambers of the winds, and how the winds are divided, and how they are weighed, and (how) the portals of the winds are reckoned, each according to the power of the wind, and the power of the lights of the moon, and according to the power that is fitting: and the divisions of the stars according to their names, and how all the divisions ¹³ are divided. And the thunders according to the places where they fall, and all the divisions that are made among the lightnings that it may lighten, and their host that they may at once obey. ¹⁴ For the thunder has places of rest (which) are assigned (to it) while it is waiting for its peal; and the thunder and lightning are inseparable, and although not one and undivided, they both go together ¹⁵ through the spirit and separate not. For when the lightning lightens, the thunder utters its voice, and the spirit enforces a pause during the peal, and divides equally between them; for the treasury of their peals is like the sand, and each one of them as it peals is held in with a bridle, and turned back by the power of the spirit, and pushed forward according to the many quarters of the earth. ¹⁶ And the spirit of the sea is masculine and strong, and according to the might of his strength he draws it back with a rein, and in like manner it is driven forward and disperses amid all the mountains ¹⁷ of the earth. And the spirit of the hoar-frost is his own angel, and the spirit of the hail is a good ¹⁸ angel. And the spirit of the snow has forsaken his chambers on account of his strength -There is a special spirit therein, and that which ascends from it is like smoke, and its name is frost. And the spirit of the mist is not united with them in their chambers, but it has a special chamber; for its course is glorious both in light and in darkness, and in winter and in summer, and in its chamber is an angel. ¹⁹ And the spirit of the dew has its dwelling at the ends of the heaven, and is connected with the chambers of the rain, and its course is in winter and summer: and its clouds and the clouds of the ²⁰ mist are connected, and the one gives to the other. And when the spirit of the rain goes forth from its chamber, the angels come and open the chamber and lead it out, and when it is diffused over the whole earth it unites with the water on the earth. And whensoever it unites with the water on ²¹ the earth . . . For the waters are for those who dwell on the earth; for they are nourishment for the earth from the Most High who is in heaven: therefore there is a measure for the rain, ²², and the angels take it in charge. And these things I saw towards the Garden of the Righteous. ²³ And the angel of peace who was with me said to me: ' These two monsters, prepared conformably to the greatness of God, shall feed . . .

[Chapter 61]

¹ And I saw in those days how long cords were given to those angels, and they took to themselves wings and flew, and they went towards the north. ² And I asked the angel, saying unto him: ' Why have those (angels) taken these cords and gone off ? ' And he said unto me: ' They have gone to measure.'

³ And the angel who went with me said unto me:

' These shall bring the measures of the righteous,

And the ropes of the righteous to the righteous,

That they may stay themselves on the name of the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.

⁴ The elect shall begin to dwell with the elect,

And those are the measures which shall be given to faith

And which shall strengthen righteousness.

⁵ And these measures shall reveal all the secrets of the depths of the earth,

And those who have been destroyed by the desert,

And those who have been devoured by the beasts,

And those who have been devoured by the fish of the sea,

That they may return and stay themselves

On the day of the Elect One;

For none shall be destroyed before the Lord of Spirits,

And none can be destroyed.

⁶ And all who dwell above in the heaven received a command and power and one voice and one light like unto fire.

⁷ And that One (with) their first words they blessed,

And extolled and lauded with wisdom,

And they were wise in utterance and in the spirit of life.

⁸ And the Lord of Spirits placed the Elect one on the throne of glory.

And he shall judge all the works of the holy above in the heaven,

And in the balance shall their deeds be weighed

⁹ And when he shall lift up his countenance

To judge their secret ways according to the word of the name of the Lord of Spirits,

And their path according to the way of the righteous judgement of the Lord of Spirits,

Then shall they all with one voice speak and bless,

And glorify and extol and sanctify the name of the Lord of Spirits.

¹⁰ And He will summon all the host of the heavens, and all the holy ones above, and the host of God, the Cherubic, Seraphin and Ophannin, and all the angels of power, and all the angels of principalities, and the Elect One, and the other powers on the earth (and) over the water On that day shall raise one voice, and bless and glorify and exalt in the spirit of faith, and in the spirit of wisdom, and in the spirit of patience, and in the spirit of mercy, and in the spirit of judgement and of peace, and in the spirit of goodness, and shall all say with one voice: " Blessed is He, and may the name of the Lord of Spirits be blessed for ever and ever."

¹² All who sleep not above in heaven shall bless Him:

All the holy ones who are in heaven shall bless Him,

And all the elect who dwell in the garden of life:

And every spirit of light who is able to bless, and glorify, and extol, and hallow Thy blessed name,

And all flesh shall beyond measure glorify and bless Thy name for ever and ever.

¹³ For great is the mercy of the Lord of Spirits, and He is long-suffering,

And all His works and all that He has created He has revealed to the righteous and elect

In the name of the Lord of Spirits.

[Chapter 62]

1 And thus the Lord commanded the kings and the mighty and the exalted, and those who dwell on the earth, and said:

' Open your eyes and lift up your horns if ye are able to recognize the Elect One.'

² And the Lord of Spirits seated him on the throne of His glory,

And the spirit of righteousness was poured out upon him,

And the word of his mouth slays all the sinners,

And all the unrighteous are destroyed from before his face.

³ And there shall stand up in that day all the kings and the mighty,

And the exalted and those who hold the earth,

And they shall see and recognize How he sits on the throne of his glory,

And righteousness is judged before him,

And no lying word is spoken before him.

⁴ Then shall pain come upon them as on a woman in travail,

[And she has pain in bringing forth]

When her child enters the mouth of the womb,

And she has pain in bringing forth.

⁵ And one portion of them shall look on the other,

And they shall be terrified,

And they shall be downcast of countenance,

And pain shall seize them,

When they see that Son of Man Sitting on the throne of his glory.

⁶ And the kings and the mighty and all who possess the earth shall bless and glorify and extol him who rules over all, who was hidden.

⁷ For from the beginning the Son of Man was hidden,

And the Most High preserved him in the presence of His might,

And revealed him to the elect.

⁸ And the congregation of the elect and holy shall be sown,

And all the elect shall stand before him on that day.

⁹ And all the kings and the mighty and the exalted and those who rule the earth

Shall fall down before him on their faces,

And worship and set their hope upon that Son of Man,

And petition him and supplicate for mercy at his hands.

¹⁰ Nevertheless that Lord of Spirits will so press them

That they shall hastily go forth from His presence,

And their faces shall be filled with shame,

And the darkness grow deeper on their faces.

¹¹ And He will deliver them to the angels for punishment,

To execute vengeance on them because they have oppressed His children and His elect

¹² And they shall be a spectacle for the righteous and for His elect:

They shall rejoice over them,

Because the wrath of the Lord of Spirits resteth upon them,

And His sword is drunk with their blood.

¹³ And the righteous and elect shall be saved on that day,

And they shall never thenceforward see the face of the sinners and unrighteous.

¹⁴ And the Lord of Spirits will abide over them,

And with that Son of Man shall they eat

And lie down and rise up for ever and ever.

¹⁵ And the righteous and elect shall have risen from the earth,

And ceased to be of downcast countenance.

And they shall have been clothed with garments of glory,

¹⁶ And these shall be the garments of life from the Lord of Spirits:

And your garments shall not grow old,

Nor your glory pass away before the Lord of Spirits.

[Chapter 63]

¹ In those days shall the mighty and the kings who possess the earth implore (Him) to grant them a little respite from His angels of punishment to whom they were delivered, that they might fall ² down and worship before the Lord of Spirits, and confess their sins before Him. And they shall bless and glorify the Lord of Spirits, and say:

' Blessed is the Lord of Spirits and the Lord of kings,

And the Lord of the mighty and the Lord of the rich,

And the Lord of glory and the Lord of wisdom,

³ And splendid in every secret thing is Thy power from generation to generation,

And Thy glory for ever and ever:

Deep are all Thy secrets and innumerable,

And Thy righteousness is beyond reckoning.

⁴ We have now learnt that we should glorify

And bless the Lord of kings and Him who is king over all kings.'

⁵ And they shall say:

' Would that we had rest to glorify and give thanks

And confess our faith before His glory !

⁶ And now we long for a little rest but find it not:

We follow hard upon and obtain (it) not:

And light has vanished from before us,

And darkness is our dwelling-place for ever and ever:

⁷ For we have not believed before Him

Nor glorified the name of the Lord of Spirits, [nor glorified our Lord]

But our hope was in the sceptre of our kingdom,

And in our glory.

⁸ And in the day of our suffering and tribulation He saves us not,

And we find no respite for confession

That our Lord is true in all His works, and in His judgements and His justice,

And His judgements have no respect of persons.

And we pass away from before His face on account of our works,

And all our sins are reckoned up in righteousness.'

¹⁰ Now they shall say unto themselves: ' Our souls are full of unrighteous gain, but it does not prevent us from descending from the midst thereof into the burden of Sheol.'

¹¹ And after that their faces shall be filled with darkness

And shame before that Son of Man,

And they shall be driven from his presence,

And the sword shall abide before his face in their midst.

¹² Thus spake the Lord of Spirits: ' This is the ordinance and judgement with respect to the mighty and the kings and the exalted and those who possess the earth before the Lord of Spirits.'

[Chapter 64]

^1,2 And other forms I saw hidden in that place. I heard the voice of the angel saying: ' These are the angels who descended to the earth, and revealed what was hidden to the children of men and seduced the children of men into committing sin.'

[Chapter 65]

^{1, 2} And in those days Noah saw the earth that it had sunk down and its destruction was nigh. And he arose from thence and went to the ends of the earth, and cried aloud to his grandfather Enoch: ³ and Noah said three times with an embittered voice: Hear me, hear me, hear me.' And I said unto him: ' Tell me what it is that is falling out on the earth that the earth is in such evil plight ⁴ and shaken, lest perchance I shall perish with it ? ' And thereupon there was a great commotion , on the earth, and a voice was heard from heaven, and I fell on my face. And Enoch my grandfather came and stood by me, and said unto me: ' Why hast thou cried unto me with a bitter cry and weeping ⁶ And a command has gone forth from the presence of the Lord concerning those who dwell on the earth that their ruin is accomplished because they have learnt all the secrets of the angels, and all the violence of the Satans, and all their powers -the most secret ones- and all the power of those who practice sorcery, and the power of witchcraft, and the power of those who make molten images ⁷ for the whole earth: And how silver is produced from the dust of the earth, and how soft metal ⁸ originates in the earth. For lead and tin are not produced from the earth like the first: it is a fountain ⁹ that produces them, and an angel stands therein, and that angel is pre-eminent.' And after that my grandfather Enoch took hold of me by my hand and raised me up, and said unto me: ' Go, for I have ¹⁰ asked the Lord of Spirits as touching this commotion on the earth. And He said unto me: " Because of their unrighteousness their judgement has been determined upon and shall not be withheld by Me for ever. Because of the sorceries which they have searched out and learnt, the earth and those ¹¹ who dwell upon it shall be destroyed." And these-they have no place of repentance for ever, because they have shown them what was hidden, and they are the damned: but as for thee, my son, the Lord of Spirits knows that thou art pure, and guiltless of this reproach concerning the secrets.

¹² And He has destined thy name to be among the holy,

And will preserve thee amongst those who dwell on the earth,

And has destined thy righteous seed both for kingship and for great honours,

And from thy seed shall proceed a fountain of the righteous and holy without number for ever.

[Chapter 66]

¹ And after that he showed me the angels of punishment who are prepared to come and let loose all the powers of the waters which are beneath in the earth in order to bring judgement and destruction ² on all who [abide and] dwell on the earth. And the Lord of Spirits gave commandment to the angels who were going forth, that they should not cause the waters to rise but should hold them ³ in check; for those angels were over the powers of the waters. And I went away from the presence of Enoch.

[Chapter 67]

¹ And in those days the word of God came unto me, and He said unto me: ' Noah, thy lot has come ² Up before Me, a lot without blame, a lot of love and uprightness. And now the angels are making a wooden (building), and when they have completed that task I will place My hand upon it and preserve it, and there shall come forth from it the seed of life, and a change shall set in so that the ³ earth will not remain without inhabitant. And I will make fast thy sed before me for ever and ever, and I will spread abroad those who dwell with thee: it shall not be unfruitful on the face of the earth, but it shall be blessed and multiply on the earth in the name of the Lord.' ⁴ And He will imprison those angels, who have shown unrighteousness, in that burning valley which my grandfather Enoch had formerly shown to me in the west among the mountains of gold ⁵ and silver and iron and soft metal and tin. And I saw that valley in which there was a great ⁶ convulsion and a convulsion of the waters. And when all this took place, from that fiery molten metal and from the convulsion thereof in that place, there was produced a smell of sulphur, and it was connected with those waters, and that valley of the angels who had led astray (mankind) burned ⁷ beneath that land. And through its valleys proceed streams of fire, where these angels are punished who had led astray those who dwell upon the earth. ⁸ But those waters shall in those days serve for the kings and the mighty and the exalted, and those who dwell on the earth, for the healing of the body, but for the punishment of the spirit; now their spirit is full of lust, that they may be punished in their body, for they have denied the Lord of Spirits ⁹ and see their punishment daily, and yet believe not in His name. And in proportion as the burning of their bodies becomes severe, a corresponding change shall take place in their spirit for ever and ever; ¹⁰ for before the Lord of Spirits none shall utter an idle word. For the judgement shall come upon them, ¹¹ because they believe in the lust of their body and deny the Spirit of the Lord. And those same waters will undergo a change in those days; for when those angels are punished in these waters, these water-springs shall change their temperature, and when the angels ascend, this water of the ¹² springs shall change and become cold. And I heard Michael answering and saying: ' This judgement wherewith the angels are judged is a testimony for the kings and the mighty who possess the ¹³ earth.' Because these waters of judgement minister to the healing of the body of the kings and the lust of their body; therefore they will not see and will not believe that those waters will change and become a fire which burns for ever.

[Chapter 68]

¹ And after that my grandfather Enoch gave me the teaching of all the secrets in the book in the Parables which had been given to him, and he put them together for me in the words of the book ² of the Parables. And on that day Michael answered Raphael and said: ' The power of the spirit transports and makes me to tremble because of the severity of the judgement of the secrets, the judgement of the angels: who can endure the severe judgement which has been executed, and before ³ which they melt away ? ' And Michael answered again, and said to Raphael: ' Who is he whose heart is not softened concerning it, and whose reins are not troubled by this word of judgement ⁴ (that) has gone forth upon them because of those who have thus led them out ? ' And it came to pass when he stood before the Lord of Spirits, Michael said thus to Raphael: ' I will not take their part under the eye of the Lord; for the Lord of Spirits has been angry with them because they do ⁵ as if they were the Lord. Therefore all that is hidden shall come upon them for ever and ever; for neither angel nor man shall have his portion (in it), but alone they have received their judgement for ever and ever.

[Chapter 69]

¹ And after this judgement they shall terrify and make them to tremble because they have shown this to those who dwell on the earth. ² And behold the names of those angels [and these are their names: the first of them is Samjaza, the second Artaqifa, and the third Armen, the fourth Kokabel, the fifth Turael, the sixth Rumjal, the seventh Danjal, the eighth Neqael, the ninth Baraqel, the tenth Azazel, the eleventh Armaros, the twelfth Batarjal, the thirteenth Busasejal, the fourteenth Hananel, the fifteenth Turel, and the sixteenth Simapesiel, the seventeenth Jetrel, the eighteenth Tumael, the nineteenth Turel, ³ the twentieth Rumael, the twenty-first Azazel. And these are the chiefs of their angels and their names, and their chief ones over hundreds and over fifties and over tens]. ⁴ The name of the first Jeqon: that is, the one who led astray [all] the sons of God, and brought them ⁵ down to the earth, and led them astray through the daughters of men. And the second was named Asbeel: he imparted to the holy sons of God evil counsel, and led them astray so that they defiled ⁶ their bodies with the daughters of men. And the third was named Gadreel: he it is who showed the children of men all the blows of death, and he led astray Eve, and showed [the weapons of death to the sons of men] the shield and the coat of mail, and the sword for battle, and all the weapons ⁷ of death to the children of men. And from his hand they have proceeded against those who dwell ⁸ on the earth from that day and for evermore. And the fourth was named Penemue: he taught the ⁹ children of men the bitter and the sweet, and he taught them all the secrets of their wisdom. And he instructed mankind in writing with ink and paper, and thereby many sinned from eternity to ¹⁰ eternity and until this day. For men were not created for such a purpose, to give confirmation ¹¹ to their good faith with pen and ink. For men were created exactly like the angels, to the intent that they should continue pure and righteous, and death, which destroys everything, could not have taken hold of them, but through this their knowledge they are perishing, and through this power ¹² it is consuming me. And the fifth was named Kasdeja: this is he who showed the children of men all the wicked smitings of spirits and demons, and the smitings of the embryo in the womb, that it may pass away, and [the smitings of the soul] the bites of the serpent, and the smitings ¹³ which befall through the noontide heat, the son of the serpent named Taba'et. And this is the task of Kasbeel, the chief of the oath which he showed to the holy ones when he dwelt high ¹⁴ above in glory, and its name is Biqa. This (angel) requested Michael to show him the hidden name, that he might enunciate it in the oath, so that those might quake before that name and oath who revealed all that was in secret to the children of men. And this is the power of this oath, for it is powerful and strong, and he placed this oath Akae in the hand of Michael.

¹⁶ And these are the secrets of this oath . . .

And they are strong through his oath:

And the heaven was suspended before the world was created,

And for ever

¹⁷ And through it the earth was founded upon the water,

And from the secret recesses of the mountains come beautiful waters,

From the creation of the world and unto eternity.

¹⁸ And through that oath the sea was created,

And as its foundation He set for it the sand against the time of (its) anger,

And it dare not pass beyond it from the creation of the world unto eternity.

¹⁹ And through that oath are the depths made fast,

And abide and stir not from their place from eternity to eternity.

²⁰ And through that oath the sun and moon complete their course,

And deviate not from their ordinance from eternity to eternity.

²¹ And through that oath the stars complete their course,

And He calls them by their names,

And they answer Him from eternity to eternity.

²² [And in like manner the spirits of the water, and of the winds, and of all zephyrs, and (their) paths ²³ from all the quarters of the winds. And there are preserved the voices of the thunder and the light of the lightnings: and there are preserved the chambers of the hail and the chambers of the ²⁴ hoarfrost, and the chambers of the mist, and the chambers of the rain and the dew. And all these believe and give thanks before the Lord of Spirits, and glorify (Him) with all their power, and their food is in every act of thanksgiving: they thank and glorify and extol the name of the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.]

²⁵ And this oath is mighty over them

And through it [they are preserved and] their paths are preserved,

And their course is not destroyed.

²⁶ And there was great joy amongst them,

And they blessed and glorified and extolled

Because the name of that Son of Man had been revealed unto them.

²⁷ And he sat on the throne of his glory,

And the sum of judgement was given unto the Son of Man,

And he caused the sinners to pass away and be destroyed from off the face of the earth,

And those who have led the world astray.

²⁸ With chains shall they be bound,

And in their assemblage-place of destruction shall they be imprisoned,

And all their works vanish from the face of the earth.

²⁹ And from henceforth there shall be nothing corruptible;

For that Son of Man has appeared,

And has seated himself on the throne of his glory,

And all evil shall pass away before his face,

And the word of that Son of Man shall go forth

And be strong before the Lord of Spirits.

[Chapter 70]

¹ And it came to pass after this that his name during his lifetime was raised aloft to that Son of ² Man and to the Lord of Spirits from amongst those who dwell on the earth. And he was raised aloft ³ on the chariots of the spirit and his name vanished among them. And from that day I was no longer numbered amongst them: and he set me between the two winds, between the North and the ⁴ West, where the angels took the cords to measure for me the place for the elect and righteous. And there I saw the first fathers and the righteous who from the beginning dwell in that place.

[Chapter 71]

1 And it came to pass after this that my spirit was translated

And it ascended into the heavens:

And I saw the holy sons of God.

They were stepping on flames of fire:

Their garments were white [and their raiment],

And their faces shone like snow.

² And I saw two streams of fire,

And the light of that fire shone like hyacinth,

And I fell on my face before the Lord of Spirits.

³ And the angel Michael [one of the archangels] seized me by my right hand,

And lifted me up and led me forth into all the secrets,

And he showed me all the secrets of righteousness.

⁴ And he showed me all the secrets of the ends of the heaven,

And all the chambers of all the stars, and all the luminaries,

Whence they proceed before the face of the holy ones.

⁵ And he translated my spirit into the heaven of heavens,

And I saw there as it were a structure built of crystals,

And between those crystals tongues of living fire.

⁶ And my spirit saw the girdle which girt that house of fire,

And on its four sides were streams full of living fire,

And they girt that house.

⁷ And round about were Seraphin, Cherubic, and Ophannin:

And these are they who sleep not

And guard the throne of His glory.

⁸ And I saw angels who could not be counted,

A thousand thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand,

Encircling that house.

And Michael, and Raphael, and Gabriel, and Phanuel,

And the holy angels who are above the heavens,

Go in and out of that house.

⁹ And they came forth from that house,

And Michael and Gabriel, Raphael and Phanuel,

And many holy angels without number.

¹⁰ And with them the Head of Days,

His head white and pure as wool,

And His raiment indescribable.

¹¹ And I fell on my face,

And my whole body became relaxed,

And my spirit was transfigured;

And I cried with a loud voice, . . .

with the spirit of power,

And blessed and glorified and extolled.

¹² And these blessings which went forth out of my mouth were well pleasing before that Head of Days. And that Head of Days came with Michael and Gabriel, Raphael and Phanuel, thousands and ten thousands of angels without number.

[Lost passage wherein the Son of Man was described as accompanying the Head of Days, and Enoch asked one of the angels (as in xlvi. 3) concerning the Son of Man as to who he was.]

¹⁴ And he (i.e. the angel) came to me and greeted me with His voice, and said unto me '

This is the Son of Man who is born unto righteousness,

And righteousness abides over him,

And the righteousness of the Head of Days forsakes him not.'

¹⁵ And he said unto me:

' He proclaims unto thee peace in the name of the world to come;

For from hence has proceeded peace since the creation of the world,

And so shall it be unto thee for ever and for ever and ever.

¹⁶ And all shall walk in his ways since righteousness never forsaketh him:

With him will be their dwelling-places, and with him their heritage,

And they shall not be separated from him for ever and ever and ever.

And so there shall be length of days with that Son of Man,

And the righteous shall have peace and an upright way

In the name of the Lord of Spirits for ever and ever.'

Section II. Chapters XXXVII-LXXI The Parables

Section II. Chapters XXXVII-LXXI
The Parables