Secrets of Enoch
Secrets of Enoch
ENOCH
THIS ne w fra gme nt of ea rl y lit e rat ure c a me t o l i ght t hrough c e rtai n ma nusc ri pt s whi c h we re rece ntl y found i n R ussi a a nd Se rvi a a nd so fa r a s i s ye t k nown ha s be e n pre se rved onl y i n Sl a voni c. Lit tle i s k nown of it s ori gi n e xce pt t hat i n it s pre se nt form i t wa s writ te n some whe re a bout t he be gi nni ng of t he C hri st ia n e ra. It s fi nal ed it or wa s a Gre ek a nd t he plac e of it s c omposi t i on Egypt. It s va l ue l ie s i n t he unque sti one d i nfl ue nc e whi c h it ha s e xe rt ed on t he write rs of t he Ne w Te st a me nt. Some of t he da rk pa ssa ge s of t he la tte r be i ng all but i ne xplic a ble wit hout i t s aid . Alt hough t he ve ry k nowl ed ge t hat suc h a book e ve r e xi sted wa s l ost for prob a bl y 1200 yea rs, it ne ve rt hele ss wa s muc h use d by bot h C hri st ia n a nd he reti c i n t he ea rl y ce nt urie s a nd forms a most va l ua bl e d oc ume nt i n a ny st udy of t he forms of ea rl y C hri sti a nit y. The writi ng a ppea l s t o t he re ade r who t hri ll s t o le nd wi ngs t o hi s t hought s a nd fl y t o mysti cal rea l ms. He re i s a st ra nge d ra mat iza ti on of e te rnit y wi t h vie ws on C reat i on, Ant hropol ogy, a nd Et hi c s. As t he world wa s made i n six d a ys, so it s hi st ory woul d be a cc ompli shed i n 6,00 0 yea rs (or 6, 000,000 yea rs), a nd t hi s woul d be foll owed by 1 ,000 yea rs of re st (possi bl y whe n t he bal a nce of c onfli c t i ng moral force s ha s be e n st ruck a nd huma n li fe ha s rea c hed t he ide al st ate ). At i t s cl ose would be gi n t he 8t h Ete rnal Da y, whe n t i me should be no more .
CHAP. I An a ccoun t o f the mechan ism o f the wo rld sho wing the machinery o f the sun and moon in o peration . Astro n o my and an interestin g an cien t c a lend ar. S ee Chap ter 15 -17 a lso 21 . Wh a t the wo rld wa s like before Cre a tion , see Chap ter 24 . Cha pter 26 is e spe cia lly p ictu resq ue. A u niq ue a c co un t o f ho w Sa tan wa s created (Ch ap ter 29 .) THERE was a wise man, a great a rtificer, and the Lord conceived love for him and received him, that he shou ld behold the u ppermost dwe llings a nd be an eye-witness o f the wise a nd great and inconceivable a nd immu table realm of God Almighty, of th e very won derfu l and gloriou s and bright and many -eyed sta tion of the Lord's servants, and of the ina ccessible throne of th e Lord, a nd of the degrees and manifest a 1
tions of the incorporeal hosts, and of the ineffa ble ministration of the mu ltitu de of the elements, and o f the variou s appar ition and inexpressible singing o f the ho st of Ch er u bim, and of the bou n dless light. 2 At that time, he said, when my 165 th year was completed, I begat my son Mathu sal. 3 After this too I lived two hu ndred years and completed of all the years of my life three hu ndred and sixt yfive years. 4 On the first day of the first month I was in my hou se alone and was resting on my cou ch and slept. 5 And when I was asleep, great di stress came u p into my heart, and I was weeping with my ey es in sleep, and I cou ld not u nderstand what this distress was, or what wou ld happen to me. 6 And there appeared to me two
SECRETS OF ENOCH
men, ex ceeding big, so that I never sa w su ch on earth; their faces were shining lik e the su n, their eyes too were lik e a bu rning light, and from their lips was fire coming forth with clothing and singing of variou s k inds in appearance pu rple, their wings were brighter than gold, their ha nds whiter than snow. 7 T hey were standing at the head of my cou ch and began to call me by my na me. 8 And I arose from my sleep and sa w clearly those t wo men standing in front of me. 9 And I salu ted them and was seized with fear and the appearance of m y face was changed from terror, a nd those men said to me: 10 'Have cou rage, Enoch, do mot fea r; the eternal God sent u s to thee, a nd lo! thou shalt to -day ascend with u s into heaven, and thou shalt tell thy sons and all thy hou sehold a ll tha t they shall do withou t thee on ea rth in thy hou se, and let no o ne seek thee till the Lord return thee to them. 11 And I made haste to obey them a nd went ou t from my hou se, and ma de to the doors, as it was ordered me, a nd su mmo ned my son s M a thu sa l and Regim and Gaidad and ma de k nown to them all the marvels those men had told me. CHAP. II The Instru ctio n. Ho w En och in struc ted h is son s. LIST EN to me, my children, I k now not whither I go, or what will befall me; now therefore, my children, I tell you : turn not from God before the fa ce of the vain, who made not Hea ven and earth, for these shall perish and those who worship them,
and may the Lord mak e you r hearts in t he fear of now, my children, let no to seek me, u ntil the Lord to you .
CHAP. III Of Enoch 's assumptio n; ho w the ang els took h im into th e first he a ven . IT came to pass, when Enoch had told his son s, that the angels took him on to their wings and bore him u p on to the first heaven and placed him on the clou ds. And there I look ed, and again I look ed higher, and saw the ether, and they placed me on the first heaven and showed me a very great Sea, greater than the earthly sea. CHAP. IV Of the Angels ru lin g th e stars . THEY brou ght before my face the elders and ru lers of the stellar orders, and sho wed me t wo hu ndred angels, who ru le the stars and th eir services to the heavens, and fly with their wings and come rou nd all those wh o sail . CHAP. V Of ho w th e Ang els keep the store hou ses of th e sno w. AND here I look ed down and saw the treasu re-hou ses of the snow, and the angels who k eep their terrible store-hou ses, and the clou ds whence they come ou t and into which they go. CHAP. VI Of the dew and o f th e olive-o il, and va rious flo wers . THEY showed me the treasu re hou se of the dew, lik e oil of the
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olive, and the appearance of its form, as o f all the flower s o f the ea rth; fu rther many angels guarding the treasu re-hou ses of these th in gs , and how they are made to shu t and open. CHAP. VII Of ho w Eno ch was taken on to the secon d heaven . AND those men took me and led me u p on to the second heaven, and showed me dark ness, greater than ea rthly dark ness, and there I saw prisoners hanging, watched, a waiting the great and bou ndless ju dg ement, and these angels were dark look ing, more than earthly dark ness, a nd incessantly mak ing weeping throu gh all hou rs. 2 And I said to the men who were with me: 'Wherefore are these i n cessa ntly tortured?' they answered me: 'T hese are God's apostates, who obeyed not God's commands, bu t took cou nsel with their own will, a nd tu rned away with their prince, who a lso is fastened on the fifth hea ven.' 3 And I felt great pity for them, and they salu ted me, and said to me: 'Ma n of God, pray for u s to the Lord'; and I answered to them: 'Who a m I, a mortal man, that I shou ld pra y for angels? who k noweth whither I go, or what will befall me? or who will pray for me?' CHAP. VIII Of th e assu mp tion o f Enoch to the th ird heaven . AND those men took me thence, a nd led me u p on to the third hea ven, a nd placed me there; and I look ed down wards, and san the pr odu ce of these places, su ch as has
never been k nown for goodness. 2 And I saw all the sweet -flowering trees and beheld their fru its, wh ich were sweet -smelling, and all the food s borne b y them bu bbling with fragrant exhalation. 3 And in the midst of th e trees that of life, in that place whereon the Lord rests, when he goes u p into pa radise; and this tree is of ineffable goodness and fragra nce, and adorned more than every existing thing; and on all sides it is in form gold-look ing and vermilion and fire lik e and covers all, and it has pr odu ce from all fru its. 4 Its root is in the garden at the earth's end. 5 And paradise is between corru pt ibility and incorru ptibility. 6 And two springs come ou t which send forth honey and milk , and their springs send forth oil and wine, and they separate into fou r parts, and go rou nd with quiet cou rse, and go down into the PARADISE OF EDEN, between corru ptibility and in corru ptibility. 7 And thence th ey go forth along the earth, and have a revolu tion to their circle even as other elements. 8 And here there i s no u nfru itfu l tree, and every place is blessed. 9 And th ere are three hu ndred a ngels very bright, who k eep the ga rden, and with incessant sweet sin g ing and never -silent v oices serve the Lord throu ghou t all days and hou rs. 10 And I said: 'How very sweet is this place,' and those men said to me: CHAP. IX The sho wing to Enoch o f the p la ce o f the righ teous an d compassiona te . THIS place, O Enoch, is prepared
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for the righteou s, who endu re all ma nner of offence from those that exa sperate their sou ls, who avert their eyes from iniqu ity, and mak e righteou s ju dgement, and give bread to the hu ngering, and cover the na k ed with clothing, and raise u p the fa llen, and help inju red orphans, a nd who walk wit hou t fau lt before the fa ce of the Lord, and serve him a lone, and for them is prepared this pla ce for eternal inher itance. CHAP. X Here th ey sho wed En och the terr ib le p lace and va rious to rtu res . AND those two men led me u pon to the Northern side, and showed me there a very terrible place, and there we re a ll manner of tortures in that pla ce: cru el dark ness and u nillu mined gloom, and there is no light there, bu t murk y fire c onstantly fla meth aloft, and there is a fiery river coming forth, and that whole pla ce is ever ywhere fire, and everywhere th ere is frost and ice, thirst a nd shivering, while the bonds are very cru el, and the angels fearfu l a nd merciless, b ea ring angry wea pons, merciless tortu re, and I said: 2 'Woe, woe, how very terrible is this place.' 3 And those men said to me: T his pla ce, O Enoch, is prepared for those who disho nou r God, who on ea rth practise sin against natu re, which is child-corru ption after the sodomitic fashion, magic-mak ing, encha ntments and devilish witc hcra fts, and who boast of th eir wick ed deed s, stealing, lies, calu mnies, envy, rancou r, forn ication, mu rder, and who, accu rsed, steal the sou ls of men, who, seeing the poor tak e a way their goods and them-
selves wax rich, injuring them for other men's good s; who bein g able to satisfy the empty, made the hu ngering to die; being able to clothe, stripped the nak ed; and who k new not their creator, and bowed do wn to sou lless (sc. lifeless) Gods, who cannot see nor hear, vain gods, who also bu ilt hewn images and bo w down to u nclean handiwork , for all these is prepared this place amongst these, for eternal inheritance. CHAP. XI Here th ey too k Enoch up on to the fou rth h eaven wh ere is the course o f sun and moon . THOSE men took me, and led me u p on to the fou rth heaven, and showed me all the su ccessive goings, and all the rays of the light of su n and moon. 2 And I measu red their goings and compared their light, and saw that the su n's light i s greater than the moon's. 3 Its circle and the wheels on which it goes always, lik e a wind going past with very marvellou s speed, and day and night it has no rest. 4 Its passage and retu rn are accompan ied by fou r great stars, and ea ch star has u nder it a thou sand stars, to the right of the su n's wheel, and by fou r to the left, each having u nder it a thou sand stars, altogether eight thou sand, issu ing with the su n co n tinually. 5 And by day fifteen myriads of a ngels attend it, and by night a thou sand. 6 And six-winged ones issu e with the angels before the su n's wheel into the fiery flames, and a hu ndred angels k indle the su n and set it
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a light. CHAP. XII Of the very marvello us elemen ts o f the sun . AND I look ed and saw other flying elements of th e su n, who se names are Phoenixes and Chalk ydri, marvellou s and wonderfu l, with feet and ta ils in the form o f a lion, and a crocodile's head, their appearance is empu rpled, lik e the rainbow; their size is nine hu ndred measu res, their wings a re like those of angels, each ha s twelve, and they attend and a ccompa ny the su n, bearing heat and dew, a s it is ordered them from God. 2 T hu s the sun revolves and goes, a nd rises u nder the heaven, and its cou rse goes u nder the earth with the light of its rays incessantly. CHAP. XIII The ang els too k Eno ch a nd p la ced h im in the east a t th e sun 's ga tes . THOSE men bore me away to the ea st, a nd placed me at the su n's ga tes, where the su n goes forth a ccording to the regu lation of the se a sons a nd the circu it of the months o f the whole year, and the nu mber of the hou rs day and night, 2 And I saw six gates open, each ga te having sixty-one stadia and a qu arter of one stadiu m, and I mea su red them tru ly, and u nderstood their size to be so mu ch, throu gh which the su n goes forth, and goes to the west, and is made even, an d rises throu ghou t all the months, and tu rns back again from the six gates a ccording to the su ccession of the sea sons; thu s th e p eriod of the whole y ear is finish ed after the r e tu rns of the fou r seasons,
CHAP. XIV They took Enoch to the West . AND again those men led me away to the western parts, and sho wed me six great gates open correspo nding to the Eastern gates, opposite to where the su n sets, according to the nu mber of the days three hu ndred and sixty-five and a quarter. 2 T hu s again it goes down to th e western gates, a nd draws away its light, the greatness o f its brightness, u nder the earth; for since the crown of its shining is in heaven with the Lord, and gu arded [by fou r hu ndred angels, while the su n goes rou nd on wheel u nder the earth, and stands seven great hou rs in night, a nd spend s half its course u nder the earth, when it comes to the eastern a pproach in the eighth hou r of the night, it brings its lights, and the crown of shining, and the su n flames forth more than fire. CHAP. XV The elemen ts o f the sun , the Phoe n ixes an d Cha lkyd ri bro ke in to song . THEN the elements of the su n, called Phoenixes and Chalk ydri break into song, therefore ev ery bird flu tters with its wings, rejoicing at the giver of light, and they brok e into song at the command o f t he Lord. 2 T he giver of light comes to give brightness to the whole world, and the morning gu ard tak es shape, which is the rays of th e su n, and the su n of the earth goes ou t, and rec eives its brightness to light u p the whole face of th e earth, and they showed me thi s calcu lation of the su n's going. 3 And the gates which it enters,
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these a re the great gates of the co m pu ta tion of the hou rs of the year; for this reason the su n is a great crea tion, whose circu it lasts twenty eight years, and begins again from the beginning. CHAP. XVI The y to ok Enoch and ag ain p la ced h im in the ea st a t the cou rse o f the moon . THOSE men sho wed me th e other cou rse, that of the moon, twelve grea t gates, crowned from west to ea st, by which the moo n goes in and ou t of the cu stomary t imes. 2 It goes in at the first gate to the western places of the su n, by the first gates with thirty -one days ex a ctly, by the second gates with th irty -one d ays exactly, by the third with thirty days exactly, by the fou rth with thirty days exactly, by the fifth with thirty-one days exactly, by the sixth with thirty -on e days exa ctly, by the seventh with thirty da ys exactly, by the eighth with thirty-one days perfectly, by the ninth with thirty-one days exactly, by the tenth with thirty days pe rfectly, by the eleventh with thirtyone days exactly, by the twelfth with twenty-eight days exactly. 3 And it goes throu gh the western ga tes in the order and nu mber of the ea stern, and accomplishes th e three hu ndred and sixty-five and a qu arter da ys of the solar year, while the lu na r year has three hu ndred and fifty fou r, a nd there are wanting to it twelve days of the solar circle, which are the lu nar epacts of the whole year. 4 [T hu s, too, the great circle co nta ins five hu ndred and thirty -two yea rs.]
5 T he quarter o f a day is omitted for three years, the fou rth fu lfils it exactly. 6 T herefore they are tak en ou tside of heaven for three years and are not added to the nu mber o f days, becau se they change the time of the years to two new mo nths towards completion, to two others towards diminu tion. 7 And when the western gates are finished, it retu rns and goes to the eastern to the lights, and goes thu s day and night about the heavenly circles, lower than all circles, swi fter than the heavenly winds, a nd spirits and elements an d angels flying; each angel has six wings. 8 It has a sevenfold cou rse in nin eteen years. CHAP. XVII Of th e sing ing s o f the ang els, wh ich it is impo ssib le to describe . IN the midst o f the heavens I saw armed soldiers, serving the Lord, with tympana and organs, with incessant voice, with sweet voice, with sweet and incessant voice a nd variou s singing, which it is impo s sible to describe, and which ast onishes every mind, so wo nderfu l and marvellou s is the singing of tho se angels, and I was delighted listening to it. CHAP. XVIII Of the taking o f Eno ch o n to the fifth heaven . THE men took me on to the fifth heaven and placed me, and there I saw many and cou ntless soldiers, called Grigori, of hu man appea rance, and their size was greater than that of great giants and their faces withered, and the silence of their
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mou ths perpetual, and there was no service on the fifth heaven, and I sa id to the men who were with me: 2 Wherefore are these very w ithered and their faces melancholy, a nd their mou ths silent, and wh ere fore is there no service on this he a ven? 3 And they said to me: T hese are the Grigori, who with their prince Sa ta na il rejected the Lord of light, a nd a fter them are those who are held in great dark ness on the second hea ven, and three of th em went down on to earth from the Lord's throne, to the place Ermon, and brok e throu gh their vows on the shou lder of the hill Ermon and saw the da u ghters of men ho w good they a re, a nd took to themselves wiv es, a nd befou led the earth with their deeds, who in all times of th ei r age ma de lawlessness and mi xing, and gia nts are born and marve llou s big men a nd great enmity. 4 And therefore God ju dged th em with great ju dgement, and they weep for their brethren and they will be pu nished on the Lord's great day. 5 And I said to the Gr igori: 'I saw you r brethren and their work s, and their great torments, and I prayed for them, bu t the Lord has co n demned th em to be u nder earth till hea ven and earth shall end for ever.' 6 And I said: 'Wherefore do you wa it, brethren, and do not serve b efore the Lord's face, and have not pu t you r services before the Lord's fa ce, lest you anger you r Lord u tte rly? ' 7 And they listened to my admon ition, a nd spok e to the four rank s in hea ven, and lo! as I stood with those two men fou r tru mpets tru mpeted together with great voice, a nd the
Grigori brok e into song with o ne voice, and their voice went u p b efore the Lord pitifu lly and affe c tingly. CHAP. XIX Of the taking o f Eno ch o n to the sixth h eaven. AND thence those men took me a nd bore me u p on to the sixth hea ven, and there I saw seven bands of a ngels, very bright and very gloriou s, and their faces shining more than the su n's shining, glistening, and there is no differen ce in th eir faces, or beha viour, or manner of dress; and these mak e the orders, and learn the goings of the stars, and the alt eration of the moon, or revolution of the su n, and the good government of the world. 2 And when they see evildoing they mak e commandments and instru ction, and sweet and lou d singing, and all song s of praise. 3 T hese are the archangels who are above angels, measure all life in heaven and on earth, and the angels who are appo in ted over seasons a nd years, the angels wh o are over ri vers and sea, and who are over the fru its of the earth, and the angels who are over every grass, giving food to all, to every living thing, and the angels who write all the sou ls of men, and all their deeds, and their lives before the Lord's face; in their midst are six Phoeni xes and six Cheru bim and six six winged ones continu ally with one voice singing one voice, and it is not possible to de scribe their sing ing, and they rejoice before the Lord at his footstool. CHAP. XX
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Henc e they took En och in to th e S e v en th Heaven . AND those two men lifted me u p thence on to the sev enth Heaven, a nd I saw there a v ery great light, a nd fiery troops of great archangels, incorporeal forces, and do minions, orders and governments, cheru bim a nd seraphim, thrones and many eyed on es, nin e regiments, the Io a nit sta tions of light, and I became a fra id, and began to tremble wit h grea t terror, and those men took me, a nd led me after them, and said to me: 2 'Ha ve cou rage, Enoch, do not fea r,' a nd showed me the Lord from a far, sitting on His very high throne. For what is there on the tenth he a ven, since the Lord dwells here? 3 On the tenth heaven is God, in the Hebrew tongu e he is called Ar a va t. 4 And all the heavenly troops wou ld come and stand on the ten steps a ccording to their rank , and wou ld bow do wn to the Lord, and wou ld again go to their places in joy a nd felicity, singing songs in the bou ndless light with small and te nder voices, glor iou sly serving him. CHAP. XXI Of ho w th e a ngels here left Enoch , a t the end o f th e seven th Hea ven , and we nt a way fro m h im un seen . AND the cheru bim and seraphim sta nding abou t the throne, the si xwinged and many-ey ed on es d o not depa rt, standing before the Lord's fa ce doing his will, and cover his whole throne, singing with gentle voice before the Lord's face: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord Ru ler o f Sabaoth, hea vens and earth are fu ll of T hy glory.'
2 When I saw all these things, those men said to me: 'Enoch, thu s far is it commanded u s to jou rney with thee,' and those men went away from me and thereu pon I saw them not. 3 And I remained alone at the end of the seventh heaven and became afraid, and fell on my face and said to myself: 'Wo e is me, what has b efallen me?' 4 And the Lord sent one of his gl oriou s ones, the archangel Gabriel, and he said to me: 'Have courage, Enoch, do not fear, arise before the Lord's face into eternity, arise, come with me.' 5 And I answered hi m, and said in mysel f: 'My Lord, my sou l is d eparted from me, from terror and trembling,' and I called to the men who led me u p to this place, on them I relied, and it is with them I go before the Lord's face. 6 And Gabriel cau ght me u p, a s a leaf cau ght u p by the wind, and placed me before the Lord's face. 7 And I saw the eighth Heaven, which is called in the Hebrew to ngu e Mu zaloth, changer of the se a sons, o f drou ght, and of wet, and of the twelve signs o f the zodiac, which are above the seventh Hea ven. 8 And I saw the ninth Heaven, which is called in Hebrew Ku ch a vim, where are the heavenly homes of the twelve signs o f the zodiac. CHAP. XXII In the ten th Heaven the arch angel Mich ael led Enoch to befo re the Lord's fa ce . ON the tenth Heaven, Aravoth, I saw the appearance of the Lord's face, lik e iron made to glow in fire,
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a nd brou ght ou t, emitting spark s, a nd it bu rns. 2 T hu s I saw the Lord's face, bu t the Lord's face is ineffable, ma rvellou s and very awfu l, and very, very terr ible. 3 And who am I to tell of the Lord's u nspea kable being, and of his very wonder fu l face? And I cannot tell the quantity of his many instru ctions, and variou s voices, the Lord's throne very great and not made with ha nds, nor the quantity of those sta nding rou nd him, troops of cheru bim and seraphim, nor their ince ssa nt singing, nor his immutable bea u ty, and who shall tell of the i neffa ble greatness of hi s glory? 4 And I fell prone and bowed down to the Lord, and the Lord with his lips sa id to me: 5 'Ha ve cou rage, Enoch , do not fea r, a rise and stand before my face into eternity.' 6 And the archistratege Michael lifted me u p, and led me to before the Lord's face. 7 And the Lord said to his servants tempting them: 'Let Enoch stand b efore my face into eternity,' and the gloriou s ones bowed do wn to the Lord, and said: 'Let Enoch go a ccording to T hy word.' 8 And the Lord said to Michael: 'Go a nd tak e Enoch from ou t his ea rthly garments, and anoint him with my sweet ointment, and pu t him into the garments of My glory.' 9 And Michael did thu s, as the Lord told him. He anointed me, and dressed me, and the appearance of tha t ointment is more than the great light, a nd his ointment is lik e sweet dew, a nd its smell mild, shining lik e the su n's ray, and I look ed at m yself, a nd was lik e one of his gl o-
riou s ones. 10 And the Lord su mmoned one o f his archangels by name Pravu il, whose k nowledge was qu ick er in wisdo m than the other archangels, who wrote all the deeds of the Lord; and the Lord said to Pravuil: 11 'Bring ou t the book s from my store-hou ses, and a reed of qu ick writing, and give it to Enoch, and deliver to him the choice and co m forting book s ou t of thy hand.' CHAP. XXIII Of En och 's writing , ho w h e wro te h is wo nderful jo urn eying s and the heaven ly ap paritions and h imself wro te three hu ndred and sixty-six boo ks . AND he was telling me all the work s of heaven, earth and sea, a nd all the elements, their passages and goings, and the thu nderings o f the thu nders, the su n and moon, the goings and changes of the stars, the seasons, years, da ys, and hou rs, the risings of the wind, the nu mbers o f the angels, and the formation of their songs, and all hu man things, the tongu e of every hu man song and life, the commandments, instru ctions, and sweet -voiced singings, and all things that it is fi tting to learn. 2 And Pravu il told me: 'All the things that I have told thee, we have written. Sit and write all the souls of mank ind, however many o f them are born, and the places prepared for them to eternity; for all souls are prepared to eternity, before th e formation of the world.' 3 And all dou ble thirty days and thirty nights, and I wrote out all things exactly, and wrote three hu ndred and sixty-six book s.
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CHAP. XXIV Of the g rea t secrets of Go d, wh ich God re vea led an d to ld to Eno ch , and spoke with him face to face . AND the Lord su mmoned me, and sa id to me: 'Enoch, sit down on my left with Gabriel.' 2 And I bowed down to the Lord, a nd the Lord spok e to me: Enoch, beloved, all thou seest, all things tha t a re standing finished I tell to thee even before the very beginning, a ll tha t I created from non -being, a nd visible things from invisible. 3 Hear, Enoch, and tak e in these my words, for not to My angels ha ve I told my secret, and I have not told them their rise, nor my endless rea lm, nor have they u nderstood my crea ting, which I tell thee to -day. 4 For before all things were visible, I a lone u sed to go abou t in the i nvisible things, lik e the su n from east to west, and from west to east. 5 Bu t even the su n has peace in itself, while I fou nd no peace, b e ca u se I was creating all things, and I conceived the thou ght of placing fou nda tions, and of creating visible crea tion. CHAP. XXV God rela tes to Eno ch , ho w o ut o f the very lo west da rkn ess comes do wn the visible and invisib le . I COMMANDED in the very lowest pa rts , that visible things shou ld come do wn fro m invisible, and Adoil came down very great, and I beheld him, and lo! he had a belly of grea t light. 2 And I said to him: 'Become u ndone, Ad oil, and let the visible co me ou t of thee.' 3 And he came u ndone, and a gr eat
light came ou t. And I wa s in the midst of the great light, and as there is born light from light, there came forth a great age, and showed all creation, which I had thou ght to create. 4 And I saw that it was good. 5 And I placed for myself a throne, a nd took my seat on it, and said to the light: 'Go thou u p higher and fix thyself hig h above the throne, and be a fou ndation to the highest things.' 6 And above the light there is not hing else, and then I bent u p and look ed u p from my throne. CHAP. XXVI God su mmons fro m the very lo west a seco nd time tha t Archa s, hea vy and very red shou ld co me forth . AND I su mmoned the very lowest a secon d time, and said: 'Let Archas come forth hard,' and he came forth hard from the invisible. 2 And Archas came forth, hard, heavy, and very red. 3 And I said: 'Be opened, Archas, and let there be born from thee,' and he came u ndone, an age came forth, very great and very dark , bearing the creation of all lower things, and I saw that it was good and said to him: 4 'Go thou down below, and ma k e thyself firm, and be for a fou ndation for the lower things,' and it ha ppened and he went do wn and fixed himself, and became the fou ndation for the lo wer things, and below the dark ness there is nothing else. CHAP. XXVII Of ho w God found ed th e wa ter, and surro unded it with ligh t, and esta b lished on it seven isla nds .
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AND I commanded that there shou ld be tak en from light and da rk ness, and I said: 'Be thick ,' and it beca me thu s a nd I spread it ou t with the light, a nd it became water, and I spread it ou t over the dark ness, below the light, and then I made firm the w a ters, that is to say p. 91 the bottomless, and I made fou nda tion of light arou nd the water, and crea ted seven circles from in side, a nd imaged it (sc . the water) lik e crysta l wet and dry, that is to say lik e glass, a nd the circu mcession o f the wa ters and the other elements, a nd I showed each on e of th em its roa d, a nd the seven stars each one of them in its heaven, that they go thu s, a nd I saw that it was good. 2 And I separated between li ght and betwee n dark ness, that is to say in the midst of the water hither and thither, and I said to the light, that it shou ld be the day, and to the da rk ness, that it shou ld be the night, a nd there was evening and there was morning the first day. CHAP. XXVIII The week in wh ich God sho wed Enoc h a ll h is wisd om a nd po wer, throu ghou t a ll the seven day s, ho w he cre ated a ll the heaven ly and ea rth ly fo rces a nd all mo ving th ing s e ven do wn to ma n. AND then I made firm the heavenly circle, and made that the lower wa ter which is u nder heaven collect itself together, into one whole, and tha t the chaos become dry, and it beca me so. 2 Ou t of the waves I created rock ha rd a nd big, and from the rock I piled u p the dry, and the dry I called
earth, and the midst of the eart h I called abyss, that is to say the bo ttomless, I collected the sea in one place and bou nd it together with a yok e. 3 And I said to the sea: 'Behold I give thee thy eternal limits, a nd thou shalt not break loose from thy compon ent parts.' 4 T hu s I made fa st the firmament. T his day I called me the first created. CHAP. XXIX Then it became evenin g, a nd then aga in mo rn ing , and it was the secon d day . [Monday is the first da y.] The fiery Essence . AND for all the heavenly troops I imaged the image and essence of fire, and my eye look ed at the very hard, firm rock , and from the gleam of my ey e the lightning received its wonder fu l natu re, wh ich is both fire in water and water in fire, and one does not pu t ou t the other, nor does the one dry u p the other, therefore the lightning is brighter than the su n, softer than water and firmer than hard rock . 2 And from the rock I cu t off a great fire, and from the fire I created the orders of the incorporeal ten troops o f angels, and th eir we a pons are fiery and their raiment a bu rning flame, and I commanded that each one shou ld stand in his o rder. Here Sa tana il with h is a ngels wa s thro wn do wn fro m the heigh t . 3 And one from ou t the order of a ngels, having turned away with the order that was u nder him, conceived an impossible thou ght, to place his throne higher than the clou ds above the earth, that he might beco me
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equ a l in rank to my power. 4 And I threw him ou t from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continu ou sly above the bottomless. CHAP. XXX And then I created a ll the h eavens, and th e th ird d ay was , [Tuesday .] ON the third day I commanded the ea rth to mak e grow great and fru itfu l trees, and hills, and seed to sow, a nd I planted Paradise, and enclosed it, a nd placed as armed guard ian s fla ming angels, and thu s I created renewa l. 2 T hen came evening, and came morning the fou rth day. 3 [Wednesday]. On the fou rth day I comma nded that there shou ld be grea t lights on the heavenly circles. 4 On the first u ppermost circle I pla ced the stars, Kru no, and on the secon d Ap hrodit, on the third Aris, on the fifth Zeu s, on the sixth E rmis, on the seventh lesser the moon, a nd a dorned it with the lesser stars. 5 And on the lower I placed the su n for the illu mination of day, and the moon and stars for the illu mination of night. 6 T he su n that it shou ld go accor ding to each animal ( sc . signs of the zodia c), twelve, and I appointed the su ccessio n of the months and their na mes and lives, their thu nderings, a nd their hou r-mark ings, how they shou ld su cceed. 7 T hen evening came and morning ca me the fifth day. 8 [T hu rsday]. On the fifth day I comma nded the sea, that it shou ld bring forth fishes, and feathered birds of many varieties, and all a nima ls creeping over the earth, going forth over the earth on fou r legs,
and soaring in the air, male sex a nd female, and every sou l breathing the spirit of life. 9 And there came evening, a nd there came morning the sixth day. 10 [Friday]. On the sixth day I commanded my wisd om to create man from sev en co nsistencies: one, his flesh from th e earth ; two, his blood from the dew; three, his eyes from the su n; four, his bones from stone; five, his intelligence from the swiftn ess of the angels and from clou d; six, his veins and his hair from the grass of the earth; seven, his sou l from my breath and fro m the wind. 11 And I gave him seven natures: to the flesh hearing, the eyes for sight, to the sou l smell, the vein s for tou ch, the blood for taste, the bones for endu rance, to the intelligence sweetness ( sc . enjoyment). 12 I conceived a cu nning saying to say, I created man from invisible and from visible natu re, of both are his death and life and image, he k nows sp eech lik e some created thing, small in greatness and again great in smal lness, and I placed him on earth, a second angel, honou r a ble, great and gloriou s, and I a ppointed him as ru ler to ru le on earth and to have my wisdom, and there was none lik e him of earth of all my existing creatures. 13 And I appointed him a name, from the fou r component parts, from east, from west, from sou th, from north, and I appointed for him fou r special stars, and I called his name Adam, and showed him the t wo ways, the light and the dark ness, and I told him: 14 'T his is good, and that bad,' that I shou ld learn whether he has love
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towa rds me, or hatred, that it be clea r which in his race love me. 15 For I have seen his nature, bu t he ha s not seen his own natu re, therefore thro ugh not seeing he will sin worse, and I said 'After sin wh a t is the re bu t death?' 16 And I pu t sleep into him and he fell a sleep. An d I took from him a rib, a nd created him a wife, that dea th shou ld come to him by his wife, a nd I took his last word and ca lled her name mother, that is to sa y, Eva. CHAP. XXXI God gives over para dise to Ad am, and g ives h im a co mma nd to see the he aven s open ed , a nd tha t he shou ld see the angels sing ing th e song o f v ic to ry . ADAM has life on earth, and I crea ted a garden in Eden in the east, tha t he shou ld observe the testament a nd k eep the command. 2 I made the heavens open to him, tha t he shou ld see the angels singing the song o f victory, and the gloo m less light. 3 And he was continu ou sly in para dise, a nd the devil u nderstood that I wa nted to create another world, b eca u se Adam was lord on ea rth, to ru le a nd control it. 4 T he devil is the evil spirit of the lower places, as a fu gitive he made Sotona from the heaven s as his na me was Satanail, thu s he became different from the angels, bu t his na ture did not change h is intelligence as far as h is u nderstanding of righteou s and sinfu l th in gs . 5 And he u nderstood his condemn a tion a nd the sin which he had sinned before, therefore he conceived thou ght against Adam, in su ch form
he entered and sedu ced Eva, bu t did not tou ch Adam. 6 But I cursed ignorance, bu t what I had blessed previou sly, those I did not cu rse, I cu rsed not man, nor th e earth, nor other creatu res, bu t man's evil fru it, and his work s. CHAP. XXXII After Ada m's sin God sends him a way in to the ea rth 'whence I to ok thee,' bu t do es no t wish to ruin him for a ll yea rs to co me . I SAID to him: 'Earth thou art, a nd into the earth whence I took thee thou shalt go, and I will not ru in thee, bu t send thee whence I took thee. 2 T hen I can again tak e thee at My secon d coming! 3 And I blessed all my creatures visible and invisible. And Adam was five and half hou rs in paradise. 4 And I blessed the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, on which he rested from all his work s. CHAP. XXXIII God sho ws En och the age o f this wo rld , its existence o f seven tho u sand years, and the eighth thousand is the end , neither years, no r mon ths, no r weeks, n or d a ys. AND I appointed the eighth day a lso, that the eighth day shou ld be the first-created after my work , and that the first seven revolve in the form of the seventh thou sand, and that at the beginning of the eighth thou sand there shou ld be a time of not cou nting, endless, with n either years nor months nor week s nor days nor hou rs. 2 And now, Enoch, all that I have told thee, all that thou hast u nde rstood, all that thou hast seen of he a -
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venly things, all that thou hast seen on ea rth, and all that I have writt en in book s by my great wisdom, all these thing s I have devi sed and crea ted from the u ppermost fou nd a tion to the lower and to the end, and there is no cou nsellor nor inheritor to my creations. 3 I a m self -eternal, not made with ha nds, and withou t change. 4 My thou ght is my cou nsellor, my wisdo m and my word are made, and my eye s ob serve all things how they sta nd here and tremble with terror. 5 If I tu rn away my face, then all things will be destroyed. 6 And apply thy mind, Enoch, and k now him who is speaking to thee, a nd tak e thou the book s which thou thyself hast written. 7 And I give thee Samu il and Ra gu il, who led thee u p, and the book s, and go down to earth, and tell thy sons all that I have told thee, and all that thou hast seen, from the lower heaven u p to my throne, and all the troops. 8 For I created all forces, and there is none that resisteth me or that does not su bject himsel f to me. For a ll su bject themselves to my m o na rchy, and labou r for my sole ru le. 9 Give them the book s of the ha ndwriting, and they will read the m a nd will k now me for the cre a tor of all things, and will u nderstand how there is no other God bu t me. 10 And let them distribu te the book s of thy handwriting children to children, generation to genera tion, na tions to nations. 11 And I will give thee, Enoch, my intercessor, the archistratege M icha el, for the handwritings of thy fa thers Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Ma ha leleel, and Jared thy father.
CHAP. XXXIV God con victs the ido laters and s o do mitic forn icators, and therefo re b rings do wn a d elu ge upon them . THEY have rejected my comman dments and my yok e, worthless seed has come u p, not fearing God, and they wou ld not bow down to me, bu t have begu n to bow down to vain gods, and denied my u nity, and ha ve laden the whole earth with u ntruths, offen ces, abominable lecheries namely one with another, and all manner of oth er u nclean wick e dnesses, which are disgu sting to r elate. 2 And therefore I will bring down a delu ge u pon the earth and will d estroy all men, and the whole earth will cru mble together into great dark ness. CHAP. XXXV God leaves on e righ teous man o f Enoch's tribe with his who le hou se, wh o d id God 's p lea sure acco rding to h is will. BEHOLD from their seed shall arise another generation, mu ch a fterwards, bu t of them many will be very insa tiate. 2 He who raises that generation, sha ll reveal to them the book s of thy handwriting, of thy fathers, to them to whom he mu st point ou t the gu ardianship of the world, to the faithfu l men and work ers of my pleasu re, who do not ack nowledge my name in va in. 3 And they shall tell another gene ra tion, and those o thers having read shall be glorified thereafter, more than the first. CHAP. XXXVI
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God co mmanded Eno ch to live on ea rth thirty da ys, to give instruction to h is sons and to h is ch ildren's ch ildren . Af ter th irty days he wa s aga in taken on to hea ven . NOW, Enoch, I give thee the term. of thirty days to spend in thy hou se, a nd tell thy sons and all thy hou s ehold, that all may hear from my face wha t is told them by thee, that they ma y read and u nderstand, h ow there is no other God bu t me. 2 And that they may always k eep my commandments, and begin to rea d a nd tak e in the book s of thy ha ndwriting. 3 And after thirty days I s all send my a ngel for thee, and he will tak e thee from earth and from thy sons to me. CHAP. XXXVII Here God summon s an angel . AND the Lord called u p one of the older a ngels, terrible and menacing, a nd placed him by me, in appea ra nce white as sno w, and his hands lik e ice, having the a ppeara nce of grea t frost, and he froze my face, beca u se I cou ld not endu re the terror of the Lord, ju st as it is not possible to endu re a stove's fire and the su n's heat, and the frost o f the a ir. 2 And the Lord said to me: 'Enoch, if thy face be not frozen here, no ma n will be able to behold thy face.' CHAP. XXXVIII Ma th usa l con tinued to ha ve h ope and to a wa it h is fa ther Enoch a t his co uch da y and n igh t . AND the Lord said to those men who first led me u p: 'Let Enoch go down on to earth with you , and a wa it him till the determined day.'
2 And they placed me by ni ght on my cou ch. 3 And Mathu sal expecting my co m ing, k eeping watch by day and by night at my cou ch, was filled with awe when he h eard my coming, and I told him, 'Let all my hou sehold come togeth er, that I tell them ev erything.' CHAP. XXXIX Enoch's p itiful ad mon ition to his sons with weep ing an d g rea t la me n ta tion , as he spoke to them . Oh my children, my beloved ones, hear the admonition of y ou r father, as mu ch as is according to the Lord's will. 2 I have been let come to you to day, and annou nce to you , not from my lips, bu t from the Lord's lips, all that is and was and all that is now, and all that will be till ju dgement day. 3 For the Lord has let me come to you , you hear therefore the words of my lips, of a man made big for you , bu t I am one who has seen the Lord's face, lik e iron made to glow from fire it sends forth spark s and bu rns, 4 You look now u pon my eyes, the eyes of a man big with meaning for you , bu t I have seen th e Lord's ey es, shining lik e the su n's rays and fil ling the eyes o f man with awe. 5 You see now, my children, the right hand of a man that helps you , bu t I have seen the Lord's right hand filling heaven as be helped me. 6 You see the compass o f my work lik e you r own, bu t I have seen the Lord's limitless and perfect co mpass, which has no end. 7 You hear the words of my lips, as I heard the words of the Lord, lik e
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grea t thu nder incessantly with hu rling of clou ds. 8 And now, my children, hear the discou rses o f the father of the earth, how fearfu l and awfu l it is to come before the face of th e ru ler of the ea rth, how mu ch more terrible and a wfu l it is to come before the face of the ru ler of heaven, the controller of qu ick and dead, and of the he a venly troops. Who can endu re that endless pain? CHAP. XL Enoc h admon ishes h is child ren tr u ly of a ll thin gs from th e Lord's lips, ho w he sa w and heard and wro te do wn . AND now, my children, I k now all things, for this is from the Lord's lips, a nd this my eyes have seen, from beginning to en d. 2 I k now all things, and have wri tten a ll things into book s, t he hea vens a nd their en d, and their plen itu de, and all the armies and their ma rchings. 3 I have measured and described the sta rs, the great cou ntless mu ltitu de o f them . 4 What man has seen their revolu tions, and their entrances? For not even the angels see their nu mber, while I have written all their names. 5 And I measured the su n's circle, a nd measu red its rays, cou nted the hou rs, I wrote down too all' things tha t go over the earth I have written the things that are nou rished, and all seed so wn and u nsown , which the ea rth produ ces and all plants, and every grass and every flower, and their sweet smells, and their names, a nd the dwelling-places of the clou ds, and their composition, and their wings, and how they bear rain
and raindrops. 6 And I investigated all things, a nd wrote the road of th e thu nder and of the lightning, and they showed me the k eys and their guardians, their rise, the way they g o; it is let ou t in measu re (sc . gently) by a chain, lest by a heavy chain and violence it hu rl down the angry cl ou ds and destroy all things on earth. 7 I wrote the treasu re-hou ses o f the snow, and the store-hou ses o f the cold and the frosty airs, and I o bserved th eir season 's k ey -holder, he fills the clou ds with them, and does not exhau st the treasure-hou ses. 8 And I wrote the resting-places of the winds and observed and saw how their k ey-holders bear weighing-scales and measu res; first, they pu t them in on e weighing-scale, then in the other the weights and let them ou t accor ding to measu re cu nningly over the whole earth, lest by heavy breathing they mak e the earth to rock . 9 And I measu red ou t the whole earth, its mou ntains, and all hills, fields, trees, stones, rivers, all e xisting things I wrote down, the height from earth to the seventh heaven, and downwards to th e very lowest hell, and the ju dgement place, and the very great, open and weeping h ell. 10 And I saw how the prisoners are in pain, expecting the limitless ju dgement. 11 And I wrote down all those b eing ju dged by the ju dge, and all their ju dgements ( sc . sentences) and all their work s. CHAP. XLI Of ho w Eno ch la men ted Ada m's sin . AND I saw all forefathers from a ll
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time with Adam and Eva, and I sighed and brok e into tears and said of the ru in of their dishonou r: 2 . 'Woe is me for my in firmity and for tha t of my forefathers,' and thou ght in my, heart and said: 3 'Blessed is the man who has not been born or who has been born and sha ll not sin before th e Lord's face, tha t he come n ot into this place, nor bring the yok e of this place! CHAP. XLII Of ho w Enoch sa w the key-ho lders and guards o f th e ga tes o f hell sta nding . SAW the k ey-holders and gu ards of the ga tes of hell standing, lik e great serpents, and their faces lik e exti ngu ished lamps, and their eyes of fire, their sharp teeth, and I saw all the Lord's work s, how they are right, while the work s of man are some g o od , and others bad, and in their work s are k nown those who lie evilly. CHAP. LXIII Enoc h sh o ws h is ch ildren h o w he measured an d wro te ou t God's ju dg ements . I my children, measu red and wrote ou t every work and every measu re a nd every righteou s ju dgement. 2 As one year is more honourable tha n a nother, so is one man more honou rable than another, some for grea t possessions, so me for wisdo m of hea rt, some for particu lar intellect, some for cu nning, one for silence of lip, a nother for cleanliness, one for strength, a nother for comeliness, o ne for you th, another for sha rp wit, one for shape o f body, a nother for sensibility, let it be hea rd everywhere, bu t there is no ne
better than he who fears God, he shall be more gloriou s in time to come. CHAP. LXIV Enoch in stru cts h is so ns, tha t th ey revile no t th e face o f man , sma ll o r grea t. THE Lord with his hands having created man, in the lik eness of his own face, the Lord made him small and great. 2 Whoever reviles the ru ler's face, and abhors the Lord's face, has d espised the Lord's face, and tie who vents anger on any man withou t i nju ry, the Lord's great anger will cu t him down, he who spits on the face of man reproachfu lly, will be cu t down at the Lord's great ju dge ment. 3 Blessed is the man who does not direct his heart with malice against any man, and helps the injured a nd condemned, and raises the brok en down, and shall do charity to the needy, becau se on the day o f the great ju dgement every weight, every measu re and every mak eweight will be as in the mark et, that is to say they are hu ng on scales and stand in the mark et, and every one shall learn his own measu re, and accor ding to his measu re shall tak e his r eward. CHAP. LXV God sh o ws ho w he do es no t wan t fro m men sacrifices, nor burnt o fferings, bu t pu re and con trite hearts . WHOEVER hastens to mak e offe ring before the Lord's face, the Lord for his part will hasten that offering by granting of his work . 2 But whoever increases his lamp before th e Lord's face and ma k e not
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tru e ju dgement, the Lord will no t increa se his treasu re in the realm of the highest. 3 When the Lord demands bread, or ca ndles, or flesh ( sc . cattle), or any other sacrifice, then that is nothing; bu t God demands pu re hearts, and with a ll that on ly tests the heart of ma n. CHAP. LXVI Of ho w an ea rthly ruler does no t ac cep t fro m man abo minab le and un clean g ifts, then ho w much mo re do es God abo min ate un clean g ifts, bu t send s them a way with wra th and do es no t accep t h is g ifts . HEAR, my people, and tak e in the words o f my lips. 2 If a ny one bring any gifts to an ea rthly ruler, and have disloyal thou ghts in his heart, and the ru ler k now this, will he not be angry with him, a nd not refu se his gifts, and not give him over to ju dgement? 3 Or if one man mak e h imsel f a ppea r good to another by d eceit o f tongu e, but have evil in his heart, then will not th e o th er u nderstand the treachery of his heart, and hi mself be cond emned, since his u ntru th wa s plain to all? 4 And when the Lord shall send a grea t light, then t here will be ju dgement for the ju st and the u nju st, a nd there no one shall escape notice. CHAP. LXVII Enoc h instructs h is so ns fro m God's lips, and h ands them the han d writing o f this book . AND now, my children, lay thou ght on you r hearts, mark well the wo rds of you r father, which are all come to you from the Lord's lips.
p. 98 2 Tak e these book s of you r father's handwriting and read them. 3 For the book s are many, and in them you will learn all the Lord's work s, all that has been fro m the beginning of crea tion, and will be till the end of time. 4 And if you will observe my handwriting, you will not sin against the Lord; becau se there is no other except the Lord, neither in heaven, nor in earth, nor in the very lowest places, nor in the one fou ndation. 5 T he Lord has placed the fou nda tions in the u nk nown, and has spread forth heavens visible and i nvisible; he fixed the earth on the waters, and created cou ntless cre a tu res, and who has cou nted the w a ter and the fou ndation of the u nfixed, or the du st of the eart h, or the sand of the sea, or the drops of the rain, or the morning dew, or the wind's breathings? Who has filled earth and sea, and the i ndissolu ble winter? 6 I cut the stars ou t of fire, and d ecorated heaven, and pu t it in their midst. CHAP. LXVIII Of the sun 's pa ssage a long the se v en circles . THAT the su n go along the seven heavenly circles, which are the, a ppointment o f one hu ndred and eig hty-two thrones, that it go down on a short day, and again one hu ndred and eighty-two, that it go down on a big day, and he has two thrones on which h e rest s, revolving hither and thither above the thrones of the months, from the seventeenth day of the month Tsivan it goes do wn to the month T hevan, from the seve n -
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teenth of T hevan it goes u p. 3 And thu s it goes close to t he ea rth, then the earth is and mak es grow its fru it, and when it goes a wa y, then the earth is sad, and trees a nd all fruits have no flore scence. 4 All this he measu red, with good mea su rement of h ou rs, and fixed a mea su re by his wisdom, of the vi s ible a nd the invisible. 5 From the invisible he made all things visible, himself being invi s ible. 6 T hu s I mak e k nown to you , my children, and distribu te the book s to you r children, into all you r gener a tions, and amongst the nations who sha ll have the sense to fear God, let them receive them, and may they come to love them more than any food or earthly sweets, and read them a nd apply themselves to them. 7 And those who u nderstand not the Lord, who fear not God, who accept not, bu t reject, who do not receive them (sc. the book s), a terrible ju dgement awaits these. 8 Blessed is the man who shall bear their yok e and shall drag them a long, for he shall be released on the da y of the great ju dgement. CHAP. LXIV Enoc h instructs his sons no t to swe ar eith er b y hea ven or ear th , and sho ws God 's pro mise, even in the mo ther's wo mb . I SWEAR to you , my children, bu t I swea r not by any oath, neither by hea ven nor by earth, nor by any ot her crea tu re which God created. 2 T he Lord said: 'T here is no oath in me, nor inju stice, bu t tru t h.' 3 If there is no tru th in men, let them swear by the words 'yea, yea,'
or else, 'nay, nay! 4 And I swear to you , yea, yea, that there has been no man in his mot her's wo mb, bu t that already before, even to each one there is a place prepared for the repo se of th e sou l, and a measu re fixed how mu ch it is intended that a man be tried in this world. 5 Yea, children, deceive not you rselves, for th ere has been previou sly prepared a place for every sou l of man. CHAP. L Of h o w no ne bo rn on ea rth can re main h idd en nor h is wo rk rema in co ncea led, b ut h e (sc. God ) b ids u s be meek, to en dure a ttack an d in sult, an d no t to o ffend wido ws and o rphan s . I HAVE pu t everyman's work in writing and none born on earth can remain hidden nor his work s remain concealed. 2 I see all things. 3 Now therefore, my children, in pa tience and meek ness spend the nu mber of you r days, that you inh erit endless life. 4 Endu re for the sak e of the Lord every wou nd, every inju ry, every evil word and attack . 5 If ill-requ itals befall you , retu rn the m not either to neighbou r or enemy, becau se the Lord will retu rn them for you and be you r avenger on the day of great ju dgement, that there be no avenging here among men. 6 Whoever of you spends gold or silver for his brother's sak e, he will receive ample treasu re in the world to come. 7 Inju re not widows nor orpha ns nor strangers, lest God's wrath come
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u pon you . CHAP. LI Enoc h in stru cts h is so ns, tha t th ey h ide n ot treasu res in the earth , bu t b id s th em g ive alms to the poo r . ST RET CH ou t you r hands to the poor a ccording to your strength. 2 Hide not you r silver in the earth. 3 Help the faithfu l man in affli ction, a nd affliction will not find you in the time of you r trou ble. 4 And every grievou s and cru el yok e that come u pon you bear all for the sak e of the Lord, and thu s you will find you r reward in the day of ju dgement. 5 It is good to go morning, midday, a nd evening into the Lord's dwe lling, for the glory of you r creator. 6 Becau se every breathing thing glorifies him, and every creatu re visible and invisible returns him pra ise. CHAP. LII God instru cts h is faith fu l. ho w th ey are to p ra ise his na me . BLESSED is the man who open s his lips in praise of God of Sabaoth a nd praises the Lord with his heart. 2 Cu rsed every man who opens his lips for the bringing int o contempt a nd ca lu mny of his neighbou r, b eca u se he brings God into contempt. 3 Blessed is he who open s his lips blessing and praising God. 4 Cu rsed is he before the Lord all the da ys of his life, who opens his lips to cu rse and abu se. 5 Blessed is he who blesses all the Lord's work s. 6 Cu rsed is he who brings the Lord's creation into contempt. 7 Blessed is he who look s down a nd ra ises the fallen.
8 Cu rsed is he who look s to and is eager for the destru ction of what is not his. 9 Blessed is he who k eep s the fou ndations of his fathers made firm from the beginning. 10 Cursed is he who perverts the decrees o f his forefathers. 11 Blessed is he who implants peace and love. 12 Cu rsed is he who distu rbs those that love their neighbou rs. 13 Blessed is he who speak s with hu mble tongu e and heart to all. 14 Cursed is he who speak s peace with his tongu e, while in his heart there is no peace bu t a sword. 15 For all these things will be laid bare in the weighing-scales and in the book s, on the day of the great ju dgement. CHAP. LIII [Let us no t say: 'Our fa ther is b e fore God , h e will sta nd forward fo r u s on the d ay o f judgemen t,' fo r there fa ther ca nno t help son , nor yet son fath er .] AND now, my children, do not say: 'Ou r father is standing before God, and is praying for ou r sins,' for there is there no helper o f any man who has sinned. 2 You see how I wrote all work s of every man, before his creation, a ll that is done amongst all men for all time, and none can tell or relate my handwriting, becau se the Lord sees all the imaginings of man, how they are vain, where they lie in the tre a su re-hou ses of the h eart. 3 And now, my children, mark well all the words of you r father, that I tell you, lest you regret, saying: 'Why did ou r father not tell u s?'
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CHAP. LIV Enoc h in stru cts h is so ns, tha t th ey shou ld hand the b ooks to others a lso. AT that time, not u nderstanding this let these book s which I have given you be for an inheritance of you r peace. 2 Ha nd them to all who want them, a nd instru ct them, that they may see the Lord's very great and marvellou s work s. CHAP. LV Here Enoch sh o ws h is so ns, telling the m with tears: 'My child ren , the hou r has approached for me to go up on to hea ven ; beho ld , the ang els are stand ing b efore me.' MY children, behold, the day of my term a nd the time na ve approached. 2 For the angels who shall go with me a re standing before me and u rge me to my d eparture from you ; they a re sta nding here on earth, awaiting wha t has been told them. 3 For to-morrow I shall go u p on to hea ven, to the u ppermost Jeru salem to my eternal inheritance. 4 T herefore I bid you do before the Lord's face all his good pleasu re. CHAP. LVI Me th osa la m asks o f h is fa ther b le ssing , tha t he (sc . Metho sa lam) may make h im (sc . Enoch ) foo d to ea t. METHOSALAM having answered his fa ther Enoch, sai d: 'What is a greea ble to thy eyes, father, that I ma y mak e before thy face, that thou ma yst bless ou r dwellings, and thy sons, and that thy people may be ma de gloriou s throu gh thee, and then tha t thou mayst depart thu s, as the Lord said?,
2 Enoch answered to his son Methosalam a nd said: 'Hear, child, from the time when the Lord anointed me with the ointment o f his glory, there h as been no food in me, and my sou l remembers not earthly enjoyment, neither do I want a nything earthly! CHAP. LVII Enoch bade h is son Metho sa lam. to summon a ll his breth ren . MY child Methosalam, su mmon all thy brethren and ou r hou sehold and the elders of the people, that I may talk to them and depart, as is planned for me.' 2 And Methosalam. made haste, and su mmoned his brethren, Reg im, Riman, Uchan, Chermion, Gaidad, a nd all the elders of the people before the face o f hi s father Enoch; and he blessed them, a nd said to them: CHAP. LVIII Enoch's in stru ction to h is son s . LIST EN to me, my children, to -day. 2 In those days when the Lord came down on to earth for Adam's sak e, and visited all his creatu res, which he created himself, after all these he created Adam, and the Lord called all the beasts of the earth, all the reptiles, and all the birds that soar in the air, and brou ght them all before the face o f ou r father Adam. 3 And Adam gave the names to all things living on earth. 4 And the Lord appointed him ru ler over all, and su bjected to him all things u nder his hands, and ma de them du mb and made them du ll that they be co mmanded o f man, and be in su bjection and obedience to him. 5 T hu s also the Lord created every man lord over all his possessions.
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6 T he Lord will not ju dge a single sou l of beast for man's sak e, bu t a dju dges the sou ls of men to their bea sts in this world; for men have a specia l place. 7 And as every sou l of man is a ccording to nu mber, similarly beasts will not perish, nor all sou ls of bea sts which th e Lord created, till the great ju dgement, and they will a ccu se man, if he feed them ill. CHAP. LIX Enoc h in structs h is sons wherefo re the y may no t tou ch beef beca use o f wh a t co mes fro m it . WHOEVER defiles the sou l of bea sts, defiles hi s own sou l. 2 For man brings clean animals to ma k e sacrifice for sin, that he may ha ve cu re of his sou l. 3 And if they bring for sacrifice clea n animals, and birds, man has cu re, he cures his sou l. 4 All is given you for food, bind it by the fou r feet, that is to mak e good the cu re, he cu res his sou l. 5 Bu t whoever k ills beast withou t wou nds, k ills his o wn sou l and d efiles his o wn flesh. 6 And he who does any b east any injury whatsoever, in secret, it is evil practice, and he defiles hi s o wn sou l. CHAP. LX He who d oes in ju ry to sou l o f man , do es in ju ry to h is o wn so ul, and there is n o cure for h is flesh , no r pa rdon for a ll time. Ho w it is no t fitting to kill man neither by wea pon no r by tongu e. HE who work s the k illing of a ma n's sou l, k ills his own sou l, and k ills his own body, and there is no cu re for him for all time.
2 He who pu ts a man in any snare, shall stick in it himself, and there is no cu re for him for all time. 3 He who pu ts a man in any vessel, his retribu tion will not be wanting at the great ju dgement for all time. 4 He who work s crook edly or speak s evil against any sou l, will not mak e ju stice for himself for all time. CHAP. LXI Enoch instructs h is son s to keep the mselves fro m in ju stice and o ften to stretch fo rth hand s to the po or, to g ive a share of their la bours . AND now, my children, k eep you r hearts from every inju stice, which the Lord hates. Ju st as a man ask s (sc . something) for his own sou l from God, so let him do to every living sou l, becau se I k now all things, how in the great time ( sc . to come) are many mansions prepared for men, good for the good, and bad for the bad, withou t nu mber many. 2 Blessed are those who enter the good hou ses, for in the bad ( sc . hou ses) there is no peace .nor retu rn (sc . from them). 3 Hear, my children, small and great! When man pu ts a good thou ght in his heart, brings gifts from his la bou rs before the Lord's face and his hands made them not, then the Lord will turn away his face from th e l a bou r of his hand, and he (sc. man) cannot find the la bou r of his hands. 4 And if his hands made it, bu t his heart mu rmur, and his heart cease not mak ing murmur incessantly, he has not any advantage. CHAP. LXII Of ho w it is fitting to b ring o ne's
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g ift with fa ith , becau se there is no repen tan ce a fter death . BLESSED is the man who in his pa tience brings his gifts with faith before the Lord's face, becau se he will find forgiven ess of sins. 2 Bu t if he tak e back his words before the time, there is no repentance for him; and if the time pass and he do not o f his own will what is pro m ised, there is no repentance after dea th. 3 Becau se every work which man does before the time, is all deceit before men, and sin before God. CHAP. LXIII Of ho w no t to desp ise th e poo r, bu t to sh are with th em eq ua lly, lest thou be murmured aga in st b efore God . WHEN man clothes the nak ed and fills the hu ngry, he will find reward from God. 2 But if his heart mu rmur, he co mmits a dou ble evil: ru in of himself a nd of that which he gives; and for him there will be no finding of r e wa rd on accou nt of that. 3 And if his o wn heart is filled with his food and his o wn flesh ( sc . clothed) with his clothing he co m mits contempt, and forfeit all his endu ra nce of poverty, and will not find reward of his good d eed s. 4 Every prou d and magniloqu ent ma n is hatefu l to the Lord, and every false speech, clothed in u ntruth; it will be cu t with the blade of the sword of d eath, and thrown into the fire, and shall bu rn for all time.' CHAP. XLIV Of ho w the Lord ca lls up Enoch , and pe op le too k coun sel to go and k iss him at the place ca lled Ach u zan .
WHEN Enoch had spok en these words to his sons, all people far and near heard how the Lord was calling Enoch. T hey took cou nsel toget her: 2 'Let u s go and kiss Enoch' and two thou sand men came t ogether and came to the place Achu zan where Enoch was, and his sons. 3 And the elders of the people, the whole assembly, came and bowed down and began to k iss Enoch and said to him: 4 'Ou r father Enoch, be thou blessed of the Lord, the eternal r u ler, and now bless thy sons and all the people, that we may be glorified to-day before thy face. 5 For thou shalt be glorified before the Lord's face for all time, since the Lord cho se thee, rather than al l men on earth, and designated thee writer of all his creation, visible a nd invisible, and redeemer of the sins of man, and helper of thy hou s ehold.' CHAP. LXV Of Eno ch's instructio n of h is son s . AND Enoch answered all his people saying: 'Hear, my childre n, before that all creatu res were created, the Lord created the visible and invisible things. 2 And as mu ch time as there was and went past, u nderstand that after that he created man in the lik eness of his own form, and put into him eyes to see, and ears t o hear, and heart to r eflect, and intellect wh erewith to deliberate. 3 And the Lord saw all man's work s, and created all his creatures, and divided time, from time he fixed the years, and from the years he a ppointed the months, and from the months h e appoi nted the days, and
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of da ys he appointed sev en. 4 And in those he appointed the hou rs, measu red them ou t exactly, tha t man might reflect on time and cou nt years, months, and hou rs, the ir alternation, beginning, and end, a nd that he might cou nt his own life, from the beginning u ntil dea th, and reflect on his sin and write his work bad and good; b eca u se no work is hidden before the Lord, that every man might k now his work s and never transgress all his commandments, and k eep my ha ndwriting from generation to ge nera tion. 5 When all creation visible and i nvisible, as the Lord created it, shall end, then ev ery man goes to the grea t ju dgement, and then all time sha ll perish, and the years, and thence forward there will be neither months nor days nor hou rs, they will be stu ck together and will not be cou nted. 6 T here will be one aeon, and all the righteou s who shall escape the Lord's great ju dgement, shall be co llected in the great aeon, for the righteou s the great aeon will begin, a nd they will live eternally, and then too there will be among st them neither labour, nor sick ness, nor hu miliation, nor anx iety, nor need, nor violence, nor night, nor dar k ness, bu t. great light. 7 And they shall have a great ind estru ctible wall, and a paradise bright and incorru ptible, for all corru ptible things shall pass away, and there will be eternal life. CHAP. LXVI Enoc h in structs h is so ns and all the e ld ers o f the peop le, ho w they are to wa lk with terro r and tremb ling b e -
fore the Lo rd , a nd serve h im alo ne and no t bo w do wn to id ols, bu t to God , who crea ted h eaven and earth and . every crea ture, and to h is imag e. AND now, my children, k eep you r sou ls from all inju stice, su ch as the Lord hates. 2 Walk before his face with terror and trembling and serve him alone. 3 Bow down to the tru e God , not to du mb idols, but bow down to his pictu re, and bring all ju st offerings before the Lord's face. T he Lord hates what is u nju st. 4 For the Lord sees all things; when man tak es thou ght in his heart, then he cou nsels th e intellects, and every thou ght is always before the Lord, who made firm the earth and pu t all creatu res on it. 5 If you look to heaven, the Lord is there; if you tak e thou ght of the sea's deep and all the u nder-earth, the Lord is there. 6 For the Lord created all things. Bow not do wn to t hing s made by man, leaving the Lord of all crea tion, becau se no work can remain hidden before the Lord's face. 7 Walk , my children, in longsu ffe ring, in meek ness, honesty, in prov ocation, in grief, in faith and in tru th, in reliance on promises, in illness, in abu se, in wou nds, in temptation, in nak edness, in privation, loving one another, till you go ou t from this age of ills, that you become i n heritors of endless time. 8 Blessed are the ju st who shall e scape the great ju dgement, for they shall shine forth more than the su n seven fold, for in this world the s e venth part is tak en off from all, light, dark ness, food, enjoy ment, sorrow, paradise, tortu re, fire, frost,
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a nd other things; he pu t all down in writing, that you might read and u ndersta nd.' CHAP. LXVI I The Lord let ou t da rkn ess on to ea rth and covered the people and Enoc h, and he wa s taken u p on h igh , and ligh t ca me aga in in the heaven . WHEN Enoch had talk ed to the people, the Lord sent ou t dark ness on to the earth, and there was dar k ness, and it cover ed those men sta nding with Enoch, and they took Enoch u p on to the highest heaven, where the Lord is; and he received him a nd placed him before his face, a nd the dark ness went o ff from the ea rth, a nd light came again. 2 And the people saw and u nde rstood not how Enoch had been tak en, a nd glorified God, and fou nd a roll in which was traced 'the invisible God'; a nd all went to their homes. CHAP. LXVIII ENOCH was born on the sixth day of the month Tsivan, and lived three hu ndred and sixty-five years. 2 He was tak en u p to heaven on the first day of the month Tsivan and rema ined in heaven sixty days. 3 He wrote all these signs of all crea tion, which the Lord created, a nd wrote three hu ndred and sixty six book s, and handed them over to his son s and remained on ear th thirty da ys, and was again tak en u p to hea ven on the sixth day of the month Tsivan, on the very day and hou r when he was born. 4 As every man's natu re in this life is da rk , so are also his con ception, birth, a nd departu re from this life. 5 At what hou r he was conceived, a t tha t hour he was born, and at that
hou r too he died. 6 Methosalam and his brethren, all the son s o f Eno ch, made haste, and erected an altar at the place called Achu zan, when ce and where Eno ch had been tak en u p to heaven. 7 And they took sacrificial oxen and su mmoned all people and sacr ificed the sacrifice before the Lord's face. 8 All people, the elders o f the people and the whole assembly came to the feast and brou ght gifts to the sons o f Enoch. 9 And they made a great feast, r ejoicing and making merry three days, praising God, who had given them su ch a sign throu gh Enoch, who had fou nd favou r with him, and that they shou ld hand it on to their sons from generation to generation, from age to age. 10 Amen.
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