Chapter 51 - 60

Chapter 51

1After that period, in the place where I had seen every secret sight, I was snatched up in a whirlwind, and carried off westwards.

2There my eyes beheld the secrets of heaven, and all which existed on earth; a mountain of iron, a mountain of copper, a mountain of silver, a mountain of gold, a mountain of fluid metal, and a mountain of lead.

3And I inquired of the angel who went with me, saying, What are these things, which in secret I behold?

4He said, All these things which you behold shall be for the dominion of the Messiah, that he may command, and be powerful upon earth.

5And that angel of peace answered me, saying, Wait but a short time, and you shalt understand, and every secret thing shall be revealed to you, which the Lord of spirits has decreed. Those mountains which you have seen, the mountain of iron, the mountain of copper, the mountain of silver, the mountain of gold, the mountain of fluid metal, and the mountain of lead, all these in the presence of the Elect One shall be like a honeycomb before the fire, and like water descending from above upon these mountains; and shall become debilitated before his feet.

6In those days men shall not be saved by gold and by silver.

7Nor shall they have it in their power to secure themselves, and to fly.

8There shall be neither iron for was, nor a coat of mail for the breast.

9Copper shall be useless; useless also that which neither rusts nor consumes away; and lead shall not be coveted.

10All these things shall be rejected, and perish from off the earth, when the Elect One shall appear in the presence of the Lord of spirits.

Chapter 52

1There my eyes beheld a deep valley; and wide was its entrance.

2All who dwell on land, on the sea, and in islands, shall bring to it gifts, presents, and offerings; yet that deep valley shall not be full. Their hands shall commit iniquity. Whatsoever they produce by labour, the sinners shall devour with crime. But they shall perish from the face of the Lord of spirits, and from the face of his earth. They shall stand up, and shall not fail for ever and ever.

3I beheld the angels of punishment, who were dwelling there, and preparing every instrument of Satan.

4Then I inquired of the angel of peace, who proceeded with me, for whom those instruments were preparing.

5He said, These they are preparing for the kings and powerful ones of the earth, that thus they may perish.

6After which the righteous and chosen house of his congregation shall appear, and thenceforward unchangeable in the name of the Lord of spirits.

7Nor shall those mountains exist in his presence as the earth and the hills, as the fountains of water exist. And the righteous shall be relieved from the vexation of sinners.

Chapter 53

1Then I looked and turned myself to another part of the earth, where I beheld a deep valley burning with fire.

2To this valley they brought monarchs and the mighty.

3And there my eyes beheld the instruments which they were making, fetters of iron without weight. (47)

(47) Without weight. Or, "of immeasurable weight" (Knibb, p. 138).

4Then I inquired of the angel of peace, who proceeded with me, saying, For whom are these fetters and instruments prepared?

5He replied, These are prepared for the host of Azazeel, that they may be delivered over and adjudged to the lowest condemnation; and that their angels may be overwhelmed with hurled stones, as the Lord of spirits has commanded.

6Michael and Gabriel, Raphael and Phanuel shall be strengthened in that day, and shall then cast them into a furnace of blazing fire, that the Lord of spirits may be avenged of them for their crimes; because they became ministers of Satan, and seduced those who dwell upon earth.

7In those days shall punishment go forth from the Lord of spirits; and the receptacles of water which are above the heavens shall be opened, and the fountains likewise, which are under the heavens and under the earth.

8All the waters, which are in the heavens and above them, shall be mixed together.

9The water which is above heaven shall be the agent; (48)

(48) Agent. Literally, "male" (Laurence, p. 61).

10And the water which is under the earth shall be the recipient: (49) and all shall be destroyed who dwell upon earth, and who dwell under the extremities of heaven.

(49) Recipient. Literally, "female" (Laurence, p. 61).

11By these means shall they understand the iniquity which they have committed on earth: and by these means shall they perish.

Chapter 54

1Afterwards the Ancient of days repented, and said, In vain have I destroyed all the inhabitants of the earth.

2And he sware by his great name, saying, Henceforwards I will not act thus towards all those who dwell upon earth.

3But I will place a sign in the heavens; (50) and it shall be a faithful witness between me and them for ever, as long as the days of heaven and earth last upon the earth.

(50) Cp. Gen. 9:13, "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth."

4Afterwards, according to this my decree, when I shall be disposed to seize them beforehand, by the instrumentality of angels, in the day of affliction and trouble, my wrath and my punishment shall remain upon them, my punishment and my wrath, saith God the Lord of spirits.

5O you kings, O you mighty, who inhabit the world you shall behold my Elect One, sitting upon the throne of my glory. And he shall judge Azazeel, all his associates, and all his hosts, in the name of the Lord of spirits.

6There likewise I beheld hosts of angels who were moving in punishment, confined in a net-work of iron and brass. Then I inquired of the angel of peace, who proceeded with me, To whom those under confinement were going.

7He said, To each of their elect and their beloved, (51) that they may be cast into the fountains and deep recesses of the valley.

(51) To each of…their beloved. Or, "Each to his own chosen ones and to his own beloved ones" (Knibb, p. 139).

8And that valley shall be filled with their elect and beloved; the days of whose life shall be consumed, but the days of their error shall be innumerable.

9Then shall princes (52) combine together, and conspire. The chiefs of the east, among the Parthians and Medes, shall remove kings, in whom a spirit of perturbation shall enter. They shall hurl them from their thrones, springing as lions from their dens, and like famished wolves into the midst of the flock.

(52) Princes. Or, "angels" (Charles, p. 149; Knibb, p. 140).

10They shall go up, and tread upon the land of their elect. The land of their elect shall be before them. The threshing-floor, the path, and the city of my righteous people shall impede the progress of their horses. They shall rise up to destroy each other; their right hand shall be strengthened; nor shall a man acknowledge his friend or his brother;

11Nor the son his father and his mother; until the number of the dead bodies shall be completed, by their death and punishment. Neither shall this take place without cause.

12In those days shall the mouth of hell be opened, into which they shall be immerged; hell shall destroy and swallow up sinners from the face of the elect.

Chapter 55

1After this I beheld another army of chariots with men riding in them.

2And they came upon the wind from the east, from the west, and from the south. (53)

(53) From the south. Literally, "from the midst of the day" (Laurence, p. 63).

3The sound of the noise of their chariots was heard.

4And when that agitation took place; the saints out of heaven perceived it; the pillar of the earth shook from its foundation; and the sound was heard from the extremities of the earth unto the extremities of heaven at the same time.

5Then they all fell down, and worshipped the Lord of spirits.

6This is the end of the second parable.

Chapter 56

1I now began to utter the third parable, concerning the saints and the elect.

2Blessed are you, O saints and elect, for glorious is your lot.

3The saints shall exist in the light of the sun, and the elect in the light of everlasting life, the days of whose life shall never terminate; nor shall the days of the saints be numbered, who seek for light, and obtain righteousness with the Lord of spirits.

4Peace be to the saints with the Lord of the world.

5Henceforward shall the saints be told to seek in heaven the secrets of righteousness, the portion of faith; for like the sun has it arisen upon the earth, while darkness has passed away. There shall be light interminable; nor shall they enter upon the enumeration of time; for darkness shall be previously destroyed, and light shall increase before the Lord of spirits; before the Lord of spirits shall the light of uprightness increase for ever.

Chapter 57

1In those days my eyes beheld the secrets of the lightnings and the splendours, and the judgment belonging to them.

2They lighten for a blessing and for a curse, according to the will of the Lord of spirits.

3And there I saw the secrets of the thunder, when it rattles above in heaven, and its sound is heard.

4The habitations also of the earth were shown to me. The sound of the thunder is for peace and for blessing, as well as for a curse, according to the word of the Lord of spirits.

5Afterwards every secret of the splendours and of the lightnings was seen by me. For blessing and for fertility they lighten.

Chapter 58

1In the five hundredth year, and in the seventh month, on the fourteenth day of the month, of the lifetime of Enoch, in that parable, I saw that the heaven of heavens shook; that it shook violently; and that the powers of the Most High, and the angels, thousands and thousands, and myriads of myriads, were agitated with great agitation. And when I looked, the Ancient of days was sitting on the throne of his glory, while the angels and saints were standing around him. A great trembling came upon me, and terror seized me. My loins were bowed down and loosened; my reins were dissolved; and I fell upon my face. The holy Michael, another holy angel, one of the holy ones, was sent, who raised me up.

2And when he raised me, my spirit returned; for I was incapable of enduring this vision of violence, its agitation, and the concussion of heaven.

3Then holy Michael said to me, Why are you disturbed at this vision?

4Hitherto has existed the day of mercy; and he has been merciful and longsuffering towards all who dwell upon the earth.

5But when the time shall come, then shall the power, the punishment, and the judgment take place, which the Lord of spirits has prepared for those who prostrate themselves to the judgment of righteousness, for those who abjure that judgment, and for those who take his name in vain.

6That day has been prepared for the elect as a day of covenant; and for sinners as a day of inquisition.

7In that day shall be distributed for food (54) two monsters; a female monster, whose name is Leviathan, dwelling in the depths of the sea, above the springs of waters;

(54) Distributed for food. Or, "separated from one another" (Knibb, p. 143).

8And a male monster, whose name is Behemoth; which possesses, moving on his breast, the invisible wilderness.

9His name was Dendayen in the east of the garden, where the elect and the righteous will dwell; where he received it from my ancestor, who was man, from Adam the first of men, (55) whom the Lord of spirits made.

(55) He received it…first of men. Or, "my [great-] grandfather was taken up, the seventh from Adam" (Charles, p. 155). This implies that this section of the book was written by Noah, Enoch's descendant, rather than Enoch. Scholars have speculated that this portion of the book may contain fragments of the lost Apocalypse of Noah.

10Then I asked of another angel to show me the power of those monsters, how they became separated, how they became separated on the same day, one being in the depths of the sea, and one in the dry desert.

11And he said, You, son of man, are here desirous of understanding secret things.

12And the angel of peace, who was with me, said, These two monsters are by the power of God prepared to become food, that the punishment of God may not be in vain.

13Then shall children be slain with their mothers, and sons with their fathers.

14And when the punishment of the Lord of spirits shall continue, upon them shall it continue, that the punishment of the Lord of spirits may not take place in vain. After that, judgment shall exist with mercy and longsuffering.

Chapter 59

1Then another angel, who proceeded with me, spoke to me;

2And showed me the first and last secrets in heaven above, and in the depths of the earth:

3In the extremities of heaven, and in the foundations of it, and in the receptacle of the winds.

4He showed me how their spirits were divided; how they were balanced; and how both the springs and the winds were numbered according to the force of their spirit.

5He showed me the power of the moon's light, that its power is a just one; as well as the divisions of the stars, according to their respective names;

6That every division is divided; that the lightning flashes;

7That its troops immediately obey; and that a cessation takes place during thunder in continuance of its sound. Nor are the thunder and the lightning separated; neither do both of them move with one spirit; yet they are not separated.

8For when the lightning lightens, the thunder sounds, and the spirit at a proper period pauses, making an equal division between them; for the receptacle, upon which their periods depend, is loose as sand. Each of them at a proper season is restrained with a bridle; and turned by the power of the spirit, which thus propels them according to the spacious extent of the earth.

9The spirit likewise of the sea is potent and strong; and as a strong power causes it to ebb, so is it driven forwards, and scattered against the mountains of the earth. The spirit of the frost has its angel; in the spirit of hail there is a good angel; the spirit of snow ceases in its strength, and a solitary spirit is in it, which ascends from it like vapor, and is called refrigeration.

10The spirit also of mist dwells with them in their receptacle; but it has a receptacle to itself; for its progress is in splendor.

11 In light, and in darkness, in winter and in summer. Its receptacle is bright, and an angel is in it.

12The spirit of dew has its abode in the extremities of heaven, in connection with the receptacle of rain; and its progress is in winter and in summer. The cloud produced by it, and the cloud of the mist, become united; one gives to the other; and when the spirit of rain is in motion from its receptacle, angels come, and opening its receptacle, bring it forth.

13When likewise it is sprinkled over all the earth, it forms an union with every kind of water on the ground; for the waters remain on the ground, because they afford nourishment to the earth from the Most High, who is in heaven.

14Upon this account therefore there is a regulation in the quantity of rain, which the angels receive.

15These things I saw; all of them, even paradise.

Chapter 60

1In those days I beheld long ropes given to those angels; who took to their wings, and fled, advancing towards the north.

2And I inquired of the angel, saying, Wherefore have they taken those long ropes, and gone forth? He said, They are gone forth to measure.

3The angel, who proceeded with me, said, These are the measures of the righteous; and cords shall the righteous bring, that they may trust in the name of the Lord of spirits for ever and ever.

4The elect shall begin to dwell with the elect.

5And these are the measures which shall be given to faith, and which shall strengthen the words of righteousness.

6These measures shall reveal all the secrets in the depth of the earth.

7And it shall be, that those who have been destroyed in the desert, and who have been devoured by the fish of the sea, and by wild beasts, shall return, and trust in the day of the Elect One; for none shall perish in the presence of the Lord of spirits, nor shall any be capable of perishing.

8Then they received the commandment, all who were in the heavens above; to whom a combined power, voice, and splendour, like fire, were given.

9And first, with their voice, they blessed him, they exalted him, they glorified him with wisdom, and ascribed to him wisdom with the word, and with the breath of life.

10Then the Lord of spirits seated upon the throne of his glory the Elect One;

11Who shall judge all the works of the holy, in heaven above, and in a balance shall he weigh their actions. And when he shall lift up his countenance to judge their secret ways in the word of the name of the Lord of spirits, and their progress in the path of the righteous judgment of God most high;

12They shall all speak with united voice; and bless, glorify, exalt, and praise, in the name of the Lord of spirits.

13He shall call to every power of the heavens, to all the holy above, and to the power of God. The Cherubim, the Seraphim, and the Ophanin, all the angels of power, and all the angels of the Lords, namely, of the Elect One, and of the other Power, who was upon earth over the water on that day,

14Shall raise their united voice; shall bless, glorify, praise, and exalt with the spirit of faith, with the spirit of wisdom and patience, with the spirit of mercy, with the spirit of judgment and peace, and with the spirit of benevolence; all shall say with united voice; Blessed is He; and the name of the Lord of spirits shall be blessed for ever and for ever; all, who sleep not, shall bless it in heaven above.

15All the holy in heaven shall bless it; all the elect who dwell in the garden of life; and every spirit of light, who is capable of blessing, glorifying, exalting, and praising your holy name; and every mortal man, (56) more than the powers of heaven, shall glorify and bless your name for ever and ever.

(56) Every mortal man. Literally, "all of flesh" (Laurence, p. 73).

16For great is the mercy of the Lord of spirits; long-suffering is he; and all his works, all his power, great as are the things which he has done, has he revealed to the saints and to the elect, in the name of the Lord of spirits.