2 Enoch [Longer recension, ms. J]

(tr. F. Andersen)

1a The story of Enoch: how the Lord took him to heaven

|There was| a wise man and a great artisan whom the LORD took away.

And he loved him so that he might see the highest realms;

and of the most wise and great and inconceivable and unchanging

kingdom of God almighty, •and of the most marvelous and glorious and shining and many-eyed station of the LORD’s servants, and of the LORD’s immovable throne,

• and of the ranks and organization of the bodiless armies, and of the indescribable composition of the multitude of elements,

• singing of the army of the cherubim, and of the light without measure, to be an eyewitness.

1 |Concerning Enoch’s dream|

At that time he said, When 165 years were complete for me, I fathered my son Methusala; and after that I lived 200 years.

I completed all the years of my life, 365 years. •In the first month, on the assigned day of the first month, I was in my house alone.

And I lay on my bad sleeping. •And, while I slept, a great distress entered my heart, and I was weeping with my eyes in a dream. And I could not figure out what this distress might be, |nor| what might be

happening to me. •Then two huge men appeared to me, the like of which I had never seen on earth.

            Their faces were like the shining sun;

            their eyes were like burning lamps;

            from their mouths fire was coming forth;

            their clothing was various singing;

            their wings were more glistening than gold;

            their hands were whiter than snow.

And they stood at the head of my bed and called me by my name.

Then I awake from my sleep, and saw those men, standing in front of me, in actuality.

•Then I bowed down to them; and I was terrified; and the appearance of my face was changed because of fear. •Then those men said to me, “Be brave, Enoch! In truth, do not fear! The eternal God has sent us to you. And behold, you will ascend with us to heaven today. •And tell your sons 〈|and all the members of your household,|〉 everything that they must do in your house while they are without you on the earth. And let no one search for you until the LORD returns you to them.” •And I hurried and obeyed them; and I went out of my house and I shut the doors as I had been ordered. And I called my sons, Methusalam and Regim and Gaidad. And I declared to them all the marvels that those men had told me.

2 |The instruction. How Enoch instructs his sons. “1.”|

“Listen, my children! I do not know where I am going,

nor what will confront me. •Now, my children, |I say to you|:

            Do not turn away from God.

            Walk before his face,

            and keep his commandments.

            Do not abhor the prayers of your salvation,

            so that the LORD will not curtail the work of your hands.

And do not be ungenerous with the LORD’s gifts, and the LORD will not be ungenerous with his donations and love-gifts in your storehouses.

And bless the LORD with the firstborn of your herds and the firstborn of your children, and the blessing will be on you forever.

And do not turn away from the LORD, and do not worship vain gods, gods who did not created the heaven and the earth or any other created thing; for they will perish, and so will those who worship them.

And may God make your hearts true in reverence for him.

And now, my children, no one must search for me until the LORD returns me to you.”

3 |About the taking away of Enoch; how the angels took him on the 1^st heaven. “2.”|

And it came about, when I had spoken to my sons, those med called me. And they took me up onto their wings, and carried me up to the first heaven, and placed me on the clouds. •And, behold, they were moving. And there I perceived the air higher up, and higher still I saw the ether. •And they placed me on the first heaven. And they showed me a vast ocean, much bigger than the earthly ocean.

4 |About the angels who govern the stars. “3.”|

They led before my face the elders, the rulers of the stellar orders.

And they showed me the 200 angels who govern the stars and the heavenly combinations. •And they fly with their wings, and do the rounds of all the planets.

5 |About how the angels guard the storehouses of the snow. Word “4.”|

And there I perceived the treasuries of the snow and the ice, and the angels who guard their terrible storehouses, •

and the treasury of the clouds, from which they come out and go in.

6 |About the dew and about olive oil and various flowers. Word “5.”|

And they showed me the treasuries of the dew, like olive oil.

And the appearance of its image was like every kind of earthly flower , only more numerous; and the angels who guard their treasuries, how they are shut and opened.

7 |About how Enoch was taken to the 2^nd heaven. Word “6.”|

And those men picked me up and brought me up to the second heaven. And they showed me, and I saw a darkness greater than earthly darkness. And there I perceived prisoners under guard, hanging up, waiting for the measureless judgment. •And those angels have the appearance of darkness itself, more than earthly darkness. And unceasingly they made weeping, all the day long. And I said to the men who were with me, “Why are these ones being tormented unceasingly?” •Those men answered me, “These are those who turned away from the LORD, who did not obey the LORD’s commandments, but of their own will plotted together and turned away with their prince and with those who are under restraint in the fifth heaven.” •And I felt very sorry for them; and those angels bowed down to me and said to me, “Man of God, pray for us to the LORD!”

And I answered them and said, “Who am I, a mortal man, that I should pray for angels? Who knows where I am going and what will confront me? Or who indeed will pray for me?”

8 |About the taking of Enoch to the 3^rd heaven. Word “7.”|

And those men took me from there, and they brought me up to the third heaven, and set me down |there|. Then I looked downward, and I saw Paradise. And that place is inconceivably pleasant.

And I saw the trees in full flower. And their fruits were ripe and pleasant-smelling, with every food in yield and giving off profusely a pleasant fragrance.

            And in the midst (of them was) the tree of life, at that place where the LORD takes a rest when he goes into paradise. And that tree is indescribable for pleasantness and fine fragrance, and more beautiful than any (other)

created thing that exists. •And from every direction it has an appearance which is good-looking and crimson, and with the form of fire. And it covers the whole of Paradise. And it has something of every orchard tree and of every fruit. And its root is in Paradise at the exit that leads to the earth.

And paradise is in between the corruptible and the incorruptible. And two streams come forth, one a source of honey and milk, and a source which produces oil and wine. And it is divided into 4 parts, and they go around with a quiet movement. And they come out into the paradise of Edem, between the corruptible and the incorruptible. And from there they pass along and divide into 40 parts. And it proceeds in descent along the earth, and they have a revolution in their cycle, just like the other atmospheric elements.

And there is no unfruitful tree there, and every tree is well fruited, and every place is blessed.

And there are 300 angels, very bright, who look after Paradise; and with never-ceasing voice and pleasant singing they worship the LORD every day and hour. And I said, “How very pleasant is this place!” And those men said to me:

9 |The revelation to Enoch of the place of those who are righteous and kind. Word “8.”|

“This place, Enoch, has been prepared for the righteous,

who suffer every kind of calamity in their life

and who afflict their souls,

and who avert their eyes from injustice,

and who carry out righteous judgment,

and who give bread to the hungry,

and who cover the naked with clothing,

and who lift up the fallen

and who help the injured and the orphans,

and who walk without a defect before the face of the LORD,

and who worship him only –

even for them this place has been prepared as an eternal inheritance.”

10 |Here they showed Enoch the frightful place and various tortures. Word “9.”|

And those men carried me

to the northern region; and they showed me there a very frightful place;

and all kinds of torture and torment are in that place, cruel darkness and lightless gloom. And there is no light there, and a black fire blazes up perpetually, with a river of fire that comes out over the whole place, fire here, freezing ice there, and it dries up and it freezes;

and very cruel places of detention and dark and merciless angels, carrying instruments of atrocities torturing without pity.

And I said, “Woe, woe! How very frightful this place is!” And those men said to me, “This place, Enoch, has been prepared for those who do not glorify God, who practice on the earth the sin |which is against nature, which is child corruption in the anus in the manner of Sodom|, of witchcraft, enchantments, divinations, trafficking with demons, who boast about their evil deeds – |stealing, lying, insulting, coveting, resentment, fornication, murder| – •and who steal the souls of men secretly, seizing the poor by the throat,

taking away their possessions,

enriching themselves from the possessions of others, defrauding them; who, when they are able to provide sustenance, bring about the death of the hungry by starvation; and, when they are able to provide clothing, take away the last garment of the naked; •who do not acknowledge their Creator, but bow down to idols which have no souls, which can neither see nor hear, vain gods; constructing images, and bowing down to vile things made by hands – for all these this place has been prepared as an eternal reward.”

11 |Here they took Enoch to the 4^th heaven, where the solar and lunar tracks are. Word “10.”|

And those men took me          and they carried me up to the fourth heaven. And they showed me there all the movements and sequences, and all the rays of solar and lunar light. •And I measured their movements and I compared their light. And I saw that the sun has a light seven times greater than the moon. And I saw his circle and his wheels on which he always goes, going past always like the wind with quite marvelous speed. And his coming and his return give him no rest, day and night.

And 4 great stars, each star having 1000 stars under it, on the right hand side of the sun’s chariot, and 4 on the left-hand side, each one having 1000 stars under it, all together 8000, going with the sun perpetually.

And 150,000 |angels| accompany him in the daytime, and at night 1000. And |100| angels go in front of the sun’s chariot, six-winged, in flaming fire;

and the sun blazes up and sets the 100 angels on fire.

12 |About the very wonderful solar elements. Word “11.”|

And |I looked and saw| flying spirits, the solar elements, called phoenixes and khalkedras, strange and wonderful. For their form was that of a lion, their tail that of a …, and their head that of a crocodile. Their appearance was multicolored, like a rainbow. •Their size was 900 measures. Their wings were those of angels, but they have 12 wings each. They accompany and run with the sun, carrying heat and dew, 〈and 〉 whatever is commanded |them| from God.

            Thus he goes through a cycle, and he goes down and he rises up across the sky and beneath the earth with the light of his rays. And he was there, on the track, unceasingly.

13 |The angels picked Enoch up and set him down in the East, at the solar gates. Word “12.”|

And those men carried me away to the east 〈of that heaven〉.

〈|And they showed me|〉 the solar gates through which the sun comes out according to the appointment of the seasons and according to the phases of the moon, for the entire year, and according to

the numbers on the horologe, day and night. •And I saw 6 open gates, each gate having 61 stadia and a quarter of a stadium. And I measured carefully and I figured out their size to be so much – through which the sun comes out and goes off to the west.

And it becomes even and goes through all the months.

〈And the 1^st gate he comes out for     42 days,

            the second                               35 days,

            the third                                  35 days,

            the fourth                                35 days,

            the fifth                                   35 days,

            the sixth                                  42 days.〉

And then once more he does an about-turn and goes back the other way from the sixth gate, according to the round of the seasons:

〈And he goes in through the fifth gate 35 days,

                                    the 4^th              35 days,

                                    the 3^rd              35 days,

                                    the second       35 days〉.

And so 〈the days of 〉 the whole year are completed, according to the cycle of the four seasons.

14 |They carried Enoch to the west. Word “13.”|

And then those men carried me away to the west of the heaven, and they showed me six large open gates, corresponding to the circuit of the eastern gates, opposite them, where the sun sets according to the number of the days, 365 and ¼.

Thus he goes back once again to the eastern gates, under the earth. 〈And when he goes out from the western gates〉, he takes off his light, the splendor which is his radiance, 〈and four hundred angels take his crown and carry it to the LORD〉. •For, since his shining crown is with God, with 400 angels guarding it, the sun 〈turns his chariot around〉 and goes back under the earth on wheels, without the great light which is his great radiance and ornament. |And he remains| for seven great hours in night. And the chariot spends half its time under the earth. And when he comes to the eastern approaches, in the 8^th hour of the night, 〈the angels, the 4 hundred angels, bring back the crown, and crown him〉. And his brightness and the shining of his crown are seen before sunrise. And the sun blazes out more than fire does.

15 |The solar elements, the phoenixes and the khalkedras, burst into song.|

And then the solar elements, called phoenixes and khalkedras, burst into song. That is why every bird flaps its wings, rejoicing at the giver of light. And they burst into song at the LORD’s command:

The light-giver is coming,

to give radiance to the whole world;

and the morning watch appears,

which is the sun’s rays.

And the sun comes out over the face of the earth,

and retrieves his radiance,

to give light to all the face of the earth.

And they showed me this calculation of the sun’s movement, and the gates by which he goes in and goes out; for these are the great gates which God created to be an annual horologe.

This is why the sun has the greater heat; and the cycle for him goes on for 28 years, and begins once more from the start.

16 |They picked Enoch up and placed him once more in the east at the orbit of the moon. Word “15.”|

And another calculation those men showed me, that of the moon, and all the movements and phases;

〈and 〉 12 big gates, crowned from the west to the east, through which the moon goes in and goes out, in accordance with the regular seasons.

She goes in by the first western gate, in the place of the sun –

            by the 1^st gate for 31 days exactly,

the 2^nd        for 35 days exactly,

the 3^rd        for 30 days exactly,

the 4^th        for 30 days exactly,

〈|the 5^th        for 31 days|〉 〈extraordinarily〉 / |exactly|,

〈|the 6^th        for 31 days exactly|〉 ,

the 7^th        for 30 days exactly,

the 8^th        for 31 days exactly,

the 9^th        for 31 |35| days 〈accurately〉,

the 10^th      for 30 days exactly,

the 11^th      for 31 days exactly,

the 12^th      for 22 |28| days exactly.

Thus likewise by the western gates in accordance with the cycle, and in accordance with the number of the eastern gates.

And thus she goes,      and completes the solar year 365 and ½ of one day.

But the lunar year has 354, making 12 months, 〈calculated〉 in accordance with 29 days. And it lacks 12 days of the solar cycle, which are the lunar epacts for each year. Also, the great cycle contains 532 years.

It passes by the quarters for three years, and the fourth completes it exactly. For this reason they are taken away, outside heaven, for three years; and they are not added to the number of the days, because these ones change the seasons of the year – two new moons in augmentation,

two others in diminution.        •And when the western gates are completed, she turns around and goes to the eastern ones with 〈her〉 light. Thus she goes, day and night, in accordance with the heavenly cycles, lower than all the cycles, swifter than the heavenly winds, and spirits and elements and flying angels, with 6 wings to each angel. •And the moon has a sevenfold intercalation, and a period of revolution of 19 years. And she begins once again from the start.

17 |About the angelic songs which it is not possible to describe. Word “16.”|

In the middle of the heaven I saw armed troops, worshiping the LORD with tympani and pipes and unceasing voices, and pleasant |voices and pleasant and unceasing| and various songs, which it is impossible to describe. And every mind would be quite astonished, so marvelous and wonderful is the singing of these angels. And I was delighted, listening to them.

18 |About the taking of Enoch to the fifth heaven. Word “17.”|

And those men took me up on their wings and placed me on the fifth heaven. And I saw there many innumerable armies called Grigori. And their appearance was like the appearance of a human being, and their size was larger than that of large giants. •And their faces were dejected, and the silence of their mouths was perpetual. And there was no liturgy in the fifth heaven. 〈|And I said to the men who were with me, “What is the explanation that these ones are so very dejected, and their faces miserable, and their mouths silent? And (why) is there no liturgy in this heaven?”|〉 •And those men answered me, “These are the Grigori, who turned aside from the LORD, 200 myriads, together with their prince Satanail. And similar to them are those who went down as prisoners in their train, who are in the second heaven, imprisoned in great darkness.

And three of them descended to the earth from the LORD’s Throne onto the place Ermon. And they broke the promise on the shoulder of Mount Ermon. And they saw the daughters of men, how beautiful they were; and they took wives for themselves, and the earth was defiled by their deeds.

Who 〈and the wives of men created great evil〉 in the entire time of this age acted lawlessly and practiced miscegenation and gave birth to giants and great monsters and great enmity.

And that is why God has judged them with a great judgment; and they mourn their brothers, and they will be outrages on the great day of the LORD.” •And I said to the Grigori, “I have seen your brothers and their deeds and their torments 〈and〉 their great 〈prayers〉; and I have prayed for them. But the LORD has sentenced them under the earth until heaven and earth are ended forever.” •And I said, “Why are you waiting for your brothers? And why don’t you perform the liturgy before the face of the LORD? Start up your liturgy, and perform the liturgy before the face of the LORD, so that you do not enrage your LORD 〈God〉 to the limit.”

And they responded to           my recommendations, and they stood in four regiments in this heaven. And behold, while I was standing with those men, 4 trumpets trumpeted in unison with a great sound, and the Grigori burst into singing in unison. And their voice rose in front of the face of the LORD, piteously and touchingly.

19 |About the taking of Enoch to the 6^th heaven. Word “18.”|

And those men took me from there, and they carried me up to the 6^th heaven. And I saw there 7 groups of angels, brilliant and very glorious. And their faces were more radiant than the radiance of the sun, and there was no difference between their faces or in their dimensions of in the style of their clothing.

And these groups carry out and carefully study the movements of the stars, and the revolution of the sun and the phases of the moon, and the well-being of the cosmos.

And when they see any evil activity,              they put the commandments and instructions in order, and the sweet choral singing and every kind of glorious praise. These are the archangels who are over the angels; and they harmonize all existence, heavenly and earthly;

and angels who are over seasons and years, and angels who are over rivers and the ocean, and angels who are over the fruits of the earth and over every kind of grass, and who give every kind of food to every kind of living thing;

and angels who record all human souls, and all their deeds, and their lives before the face of the LORD.

And in the midst of them are 7 phoenixes and 7 cherubim and 7 six-winged beings, having but one voice and singing in unison. And their song is not to be reported; and the LORD is delighted by his footstool.

20 |From there they took Enoch into the 7^th heaven. Word “19.”|

And those men lifted me up from there, and they carried me up to the 7^th heaven. And I saw there an exceptionally great light, and all the fiery armies of the great archangels, and the incorporeal forces and the dominions and the origins and the authorities, the cherubim and the seraphim and the many-eyed thrones; (and) 5 {9|P|, 10〈R〉} regiments and the shining otanim stations. And I was terrified, and I trembled with a great fear.

And those men picked me up and led me into their 〈midst〉. And they said to me, “Be brave, Enoch! Don’t be frightened!”

And they showed (me) the LORD, from a distance, sitting on his exceedingly high throne. For what |is on the 10^th heaven, since the LORD is present there? And on the 10^th heaven| is God, and it is called in the Hebrew language Aravoth. And all the heavenly armies came and stood on the ten steps, corresponding to their ranks, and they did obeisance to the LORD.

And then they                         went to            their places in joy and merriment and in immeasurable light, singing songs with soft and gentle voices, while presenting the liturgy to him gloriously.

21 |About how here the angels left Enoch at the edge of the 7^th heaven, and departed from him invisibly. Word “20.”|

And they do not leave by night, nor depart by day, standing in front of the face of the LORD, and carrying out his will – cherubim and seraphim standing all around his throne, six-winged and many-eyed; |and| they cover his entire throne, singing with gentle voice, in front of the face of the LORD.

            Holy, Holy, Holy, LORD |Lord| Sabaoth,

            Heaven and earth are full of his glory.

And when I had seen all these things, those men said to me, “Enoch, up to this point we have been commanded to travel with you.” And the men went away from me, and from then on I did not see them anymore. But I, I remained alone at the edge of the seventh heaven. And I became terrified; and I fell on my face, and I said in myself, “Woe to me! What has happened to me?”

And the LORD sent one of his glorious ones, the Archangel Gabriel. And he said to me, “Be brave, Enoch! Don’t be frightened! Stand up, and come with me and stand in front of the face of the LORD forever.”

And I answered him and said, “Woe to me, my LORD! My soul has departed from me from fear and horror. And call 〈to me〉 the two men who brought me to this place, because I have put my confidence in them, and with them I will go before the face of the LORD.” •〈|And Gabriel carried me up, like a leaf carried up by the wind.| He moved me along〉 and put me down in front of the face of the LORD. •And I saw the eighth heaven, which is called in the Hebrew language Muzaloth, the changer of the seasons, of dry and of wet, and the 12 zodiacs, which are above the seventh heaven. And I saw the ninth heaven, which in the Hebrew language is called Kukhavim, where the heavenly houses of the 12 zodiacs are.

22 |In the 10^th heaven the archangel Michael brought Enoch in front of the face of the LORD. Word “21.”|

And on the 10^th heaven, Aravoth, I saw the view of the face of the LORD, like iron made burning hot in a fire |and| brought out, and it emits sparks and is incandescent. Thus even I saw the face of the LORD. But the face of the LORD is not to be talked about, it is so very marvelous and supremely awesome and supremely frightening. •|And| who am I to give an account of the incomprehensible being of the LORD, and of his face, so extremely strange and indescribable? And how many are his commands, and his multiple voice, and the LORD’s throne, supremely great and not made by hands, and the choir stalls all around him, the cherubim and the seraphim armies, and their never-silent singing.

Who can give an account of his beautiful appearance, never changing

and indescribable, and his great glory? •And I fell down flat and did

obeisance to the LORD. •And the LORD, with his own mouth, said to me, “Be brave, Enoch! Don’t be frightened! Stand up, and stand in front of my face forever.” •And Michael, the LORD’s archistratig, lifted me up and brought me in front of the face of the LORD. And the LORD said to his servants, sounding them out, “Let Enoch join in and stand in front of my face forever!” •And the LORD’s glorious ones did obeisance and said, “Let Enoch yield in accordance with your word, O LORD!”

And the LORD said to Michael, “Go, and extract Enoch from |his| earthly clothing. And anoint him with my delightful oil, and put him into the clothes of my glory.” •And so Michael did, just as the LORD had said to him. He anointed me and clothed me. And the appearance of that oil is greater than the greatest light, and its ointment is like sweet dew, and its fragrance       myrrh;

and it is like the rays of the glittering sun. •And I looked at myself, and I had become like one of his glorious ones, and there was no observable difference. And the LORD summoned one of his archangels, Vrevoil by name, who was swifter in wisdom than the other archangels,

and who records all the LORD’s deeds. •And the LORD said to Vrevoil, “Bring out the books from my storehouses, and fetch a pen for speed-writing, and give it to Enoch and read him the books.” 〈And Vrevoil hurried and brought me the books,〉 a knife(?), and ink(?). And he gave me the pen for speed writing from his hand.

23 |About Enoch’s writing; how he wrote about his marvelous travels and what the heavens look like. And he himself wrote 360 and 6 books. Word “22.”|

And he was telling me all the things of heaven and earth and sea and all the elements and the movements and their courses, and the living thunder, the sun and the moon and the stars, their courses and their changes, and seasons and years and days and hours, and

the coming of the clouds and the blowing of the winds, and the number of the angels and the songs of the armed troops;

and every kind of human thing, and every kind of language (and) singing, and human life and rules and instructions and sweet voiced singing, and everything that it is appropriate to learn.

And Vrevoil instructed me for 30 days and 30 nights, and his mouth never stopped speaking. And, as for me, I did not rest, writing all the symbols and all the creatures. •And when I had finished 30 days and 30 nights, Vrevoil said to me, “These things, whatever I have taught you, whatever you have learned, and whatever we have written down, you sit down |and| write – all the souls of men, whatever of them are not yet born, and their places, prepared for eternity.

For all the souls are prepared for eternity, before the composition

of the earth.” •And I sat down for a second period of 30 days and 30 nights, and I wrote everything accurately. And I wrote 366 books.

24 |About the great secrets of God, which God revealed and related to Enoch; and he spoke with him face to face. Word “23.”|

And the Lord called me; and he said to me, “Enoch, sit to the left of me with Gabriel.” And I did obeisance to the LORD.

And the LORD spoke to me: “Enoch |Beloved|, whatever you see and whatever things are standing still or moving about were brought to perfection by me. And I myself will explain it to you.

Before anything existed at all, from the very beginning, whatever exists I created from the non-existent, and from the invisible the visible.

|Listen, Enoch, and pay attention to these words of mine!| For not even to my angels have I explained my secrets, nor related to them their origin, nor my endlessness 〈and inconceivableness〉, as I devise the creatures,

as I am making them known to you today. •For, before any visible things had come into existence,

            I, the ONE, moved around in the invisible things, like the sun,

                                                from east to west and from west to east.

But the sun has rest in himself; yet I did not find rest, because everything was not yet created. And I thought up the idea of establishing a foundation, to create a visible creation.

25 |God explains to Enoch how the visible and the invisible come down from the very lowest darkness. Word “24.”|

“And I commanded the lowest things: ‘Let one of the invisible things descend visibly!’ And Adoil descended, extremely large. And I looked at him, and, behold, in his belly he had a great light. •And I said to him, ‘Disintegrate yourself, Adoil, and let what is born from you become visible.’ And he disintegrated himself, and there came out a very

great light. •And I was in the midst of the |great| light. And light out of light is carried thus. And the great age came out, and it revealed all the creation which I had thought up to create. And I saw how good it was.

And I placed for myself a throne, and I sat down on it. And then to the light I spoke: ‘You go up higher 〈than the throne〉, and be solidified |much higher than the throne|, and become the foundation for the highest things.

And there is nothing higher than the light, except nothing itself. And again I bowed(?) myself, and I looked upward from my throne.

26 |God summons from the very lowest things a second time, so that Arkhas, both heavy and red, should come out. Word “25.”|

And I called out a second time into the very lowest things, and I said, ‘Let one of the (in)visible things come out visibly, solid.’

|And| Arkhas came out, solid and heavy and very red. •And I said, ‘Open yourself up, Arkhas, and let what is born from you become visible!’ And he disintegrated himself. There came out an age, dark, very large, carrying the creation of all lower things. And I saw how good it was.

And I said to him, ‘Come down low and become solid! And become the foundation of the lowest things!’ |And it came about.| And he came down and became solid. And he became the foundation of the lowest things. And there is nothing lower than the darkness, except nothing itself.

27. |About how God founded the water, and surrounded it with light, and established on it seven islands. Word “26.”|

“And I gave the command: ‘Let there be taken some of the light and

some of the darkness.’ •And I said, ‘Become thickened, and be wrapped around with light!’ And I spread it out, and it became water. And I

spread it out above the darkness, below the light. •And thus I made the solid waters, that is to say, the Bottomless. And I made a foundation of light around the water. And I created seven great circles inside it, and I gave them an appearance of crystal, wet and dry, that is to say glass and ice, and to be the circuit for water and the other elements. And I pointed out to each one |of them| his route, to the seven stars, each one of them in his own heaven, so that they might travel accordingly.

And I saw how good it was. •And I made a division between the light and between the darkness, that is to say, in the middle of the waters, this way and that way. And I said to the light that it should be day, and to the darkness 〈I commanded〉 that it should be night. And evening came, and 〈again〉 morning came, 〈that is〉 the first day.

28 |The week in which God showed Enoch all his wisdom and strength, throughout all of the seven days; how he created all the forces of heaven and earth, and every kind of thing that moves itself, even up to man.|

“And thus I made solid the heavenly circles. And 〈I said〉, ‘Let the lower water, which is below heaven, collect itself 〈|into|〉 one collection, and let its waves become dry.’ And it happened like that.

And from the waves I created rocks, solid and big. And from the rocks I assembled the dry land; and I called the dry land Earth.

And what was in the middle of the earth I called chasm, that is to

Say, Bottomless. •The sea I gathered into one place, and I bound it with a yoke. And I said to the sea: ‘Behold, I give you an eternal boundary. And you will not break through from your own waters.’ And so I fixed the solid structure and established it above the waters.

This first-created day I named for myself. Then evening came and 〈|again|〉 morning, and it was the second day.

29 |Monday is the day. The fiery substance.|

“And for all my own heavens I shaped a shape from the fiery substance. My eye looked at the solid and very hard rock. And from the flash of my eye I took the |marvelous| substance of lightning, both fire

in water and water in fire; •neither does this one extinguish that one, nor does that one dry out this one. That is why lightning is sharper and brighter than the shining of the sun, and softer than water, more solid than the hardest rock.

And from the rock I cut off a great fire, and from the fire I created the ranks of the bodiless armies – the myriad angels – and their weapons are fiery and their clothes are burning flames. And I gave orders that each should stand in his own rank.

|Here Satanail was hurled from the hight, together with his angels.|

But one from the order of the archangels deviated, together with the division that was under his authority. He thought up the impossible idea, that he might place his throne higher than the clouds which are above the earth, and that he might become equal to my power.

And I hurled him out from the height, together with his angels. And he was flying around in the air, ceaselessly above the Bottomless.

And thus I created the entire heavens. And the third day came.

30 |Tuesday|

“And on the third day I commanded the earth to make trees grow, large and fruit-bearing; and the mountains – all kinds of 〈sweet grass and all kinds of〉 sown seed. And I laid out paradise as a garden, and I enclosed it; and I placed armed guards, angels aflame with fire. And thus I created the renewal of the earth.

And then evening came and morning came – the fourth day.

            |Wednesday|

And on the fourth day I commanded: ‘Let there be great lamps on the heavenly circles.’

On the first, the highest circle, I placed the star Kronos;

on the 2^nd, 〈lower down,   I placed〉          Afridit;

on the 3^rd                                                   Arris;

on the 4^th                                                   the sun;

on the fifth                                                            Zeous;

on the 6^th                                                   Ermis;

and on the 7^th, the lowest,                                the moon.

And with the lowest stars I beautified the air below.

And I appointed the sun over the illumination of the day, but the

moon and stars over the illumination of the night. •And the sun goes in accordance with each animal, and the twelve animals are the succession of the months. And I assigned their names and the animals of their seasons, and their connection with the newborn, and their horoscopes, and how they revolve. •Then evening came and morning came – the fifth day.

            |Thursday|

And on the 5^th day I commanded the sea to engender fishes and feathered birds of many different kinds, and every kind of reptile that creeps on the earth and that walks on the earth of four legs and that flies through the air – male sex and female – and every kind of soul that breathes

the breath of all living things. •And evening came and morning came – the sixth day.

|Friday|

And on the sixth day I commanded my wisdom to create man out of the seven components:

|1|                     his flesh from earth;

|second|           his blood from and from the sun;

|third|               his eyes from the bottomless sea;

|fourth|             his bones from stone;

|fifth|               his reason from the mobility of angels and from clouds;

|sixth|               his veins and hair from grass of the earth;

|seventh|          his spirit from my spirit and from wind.

And I gave him 7 properties:

hearing                        to the flesh;

sight                to the eyes;

smell                to the spirit;

touch               to the veins;

taste                 to the blood;

to the bones–   endurance ;

to the reason– sweetness.

Behold, I have thought up an ingenious poem to recite:

From invisible and visible substances I created man.

From both his natures come both death and life.

And (as my) image he knows the word like (no) other creature.

But even at his greatest he is small,

and again at his smallest he is great.

And on the earth I assigned him to be a second angel, honored and

great and glorious. •And I assigned him to be a king, to reign |on| the earth, |and| to have my wisdom. And there was nothing comparable to

him on earth, even among my creatures that exist. •And I assigned to him a name fromm the four components:

            from East        – (A)

            from West       – (D)

            from North      – (A)                |South| – (M)

            from South      – (M)               |North| – (A).

And I assigned to him four special stars, and called his name Adam.

And I gave him his free will; and I pointed out to him the two ways – light and darkness. And I said to him, ‘This is good for you, but that is bad’; so that I might come to know whether he has love toward me or abhorrence, and so that it might become plain who among his race loves me.

Whereas I have come to know his nature, he does not know his own nature. That is why ignorance is more lamentable than the sin such as it is in him to sin. And I said, ‘After sin there is nothing for it but death.’

And I assigned a shade for him; and I imposed sleep upon him, and he fell asleep. And while he was sleeping, I took from him a rib. And I created for him a wife, so that death might come 〈|to him|〉 by his wife.

And I took his last word, and I called her name Mother, that is to say, Euva.

31 |God hands over paradise to Adam, and gives him a command to look upon the heavens, open, and that he might look upon the angels, singing the triumphal song. Word “27.”|

“Adam – Mother; earthly and life. And I created a garden in Edem, in the east, so that he might keep the agreement and preserve the commandment.

And I created for him an open heaven, so that he might look upon the angels, singing the triumphal song. And the light which is never darkened was perpetually in paradise. •And the devil understood how I wished to create another world, so that everything could be subjected to Adam on the earth, to rule and reign over it. •The devil is of the lowest places. And he will become a demon, because he fled from heaven; Sotona, because his name was Satanail. •In this way he became different from the angels. His nature did not change, 〈but〉 his thought did, since his consciousness of righteous and sinful things changed. •And he became aware of his condemnation and of the sin which he sinned previously. And that is why he thought up the scheme against Adam. In such a form he entered paradise, and corrupted Eve. But Adam he did not contact.

But on account of 〈her〉 nescience I cursed him. But those whom I had blessed previously, them I did not curse; 〈and those whom I had not blessed previously, even them I did not curse〉 – neither mankind I cursed, nor the earth, nor any other creature, but only mankind’s evil fruit-bearing.

This is why the fruit of doing good is sweat and exertion.

32 |After Adam’s transgression, God expels him into the earth from which he had been taken. But he does not wish to destroy him in the age to come. Word “28.”|

“And I said |to him|, ‘You are earth, and into the earth once again you will go, out of which I took you. And I will not destroy you, but I will send you away to what I took you from. Then I can take you once again at my second coming.’ And I blessed all my creatures, visible and invisible. And Adam was in paradise for 5 hours and a half.

And I blessed the 7^th day |which is the sabbath| in which I rested from all my doings.

33 |God shows Enoch the epoch of this world, the existence of 7000 years, and the eighth thousand is the end, neither years nor months nor weeks nor days. Word “29.”|

“On the eighth day I likewise appointed, so that the 8^th day might be the 1^st, the first-created of my week, and that it should revolve in the revolution of 7000; 〈|so that the 8000|〉 might be in the beginning of a time not reckoned and unending, neither years, nor months, nor weeks, nor days, nor hours 〈like the first day of the week, so also that the eighth day of the week might return continually〉.

And now, Enoch, whatever I have told you, and whatever you have understood, and whatever you have seen in the heavens, and whatever you have seen on the earth, and whatever I have written in the books – by my supreme wisdom all these things I planned to accomplish. And I created them for the highest foundation to the lowest, and to the end.

And there is no adviser and no successor to my creation. I am self-eternal and not made by hands. My thought is without change. My wisdom is my adviser and my deed is my word. And my eyes look at all things. 〈If I look at all things〉, then they stand still and shake with terror; but, if I should turn my face away, then all things would perish.

Apply your mind, Enoch, and acknowledge the One who is speaking |to you|. And you take the books which you yourself have written.

And I give you Samoila and Raguila, who brought you up to me. And you go down onto the earth and tell your sons all that I have told you and everything that you have seen, from the lowest heavens up to my throne.

|For| I created all the armies 〈and〉 all their forces. And there is no one who opposes me or who is insubordinate to me; for all submit themselves to my sole rule and work my sole dominion.

And give them the books in your handwriting, and they will read them and they will acknowledge me as the Creator of everything. And they will understand that there is no other God except myself.

And let them distribute the books in your handwriting,

children to children and family to family and kinsfolk to kinsfolk.

                                                                                                            •And I will give you, Enoch, my mediator, my archistratig, Michael, on account of your handwritings and the handwritings of your fathers – Adam and Sith and Enos and Kainan and Maleleil and Ared your father. •And they will not be destroyed until the final age. So I have commanded my angels, Ariukh and Pariukh, •whom I have appointed on the earth as their guardians, and I have commanded the seasons, so that they might preserve them so that they might no perish in the future flood which I shall create in your generation.

34 |God convicts the persons who are idol worshipers and sodomite fornicators, and for this reason he brings down the flood upon them. Word “30.”|

“For I know the wickedness of mankind, how |they have rejected my commandments and| they will not carry the yoke which I have placed on them.

                                                                                                                        But they will cast off my yoke, and they will accept a different yoke. And they will sow worthless seed, |not fearing God and not worshiping me, but they began to| worship vain gods, and they renounced my uniqueness.

And all the world will be reduced to confusion by iniquities and wickednesses and |abominable| fornications |that is, friend with friend in the anus, and every other kind of wicked uncleanness which it is disgusting to report|, and the worship of (the) evil (one).

And that is why I shall bring down the flood onto the earth, |and I shall destroy everything|, and the earth itself will collapse in great darkness.

35 |God leaves one righteous man of Enoch’s tribe, together with all his house, who pleased God n accordance with his will. Word “31.”|

“And I will leave a righteous man from your tribe, together with all his house, who will act in accordance with my will. And from his seed another generation will arise, the last of many, but even out of those the majority will be very insatiable.

And I shall raise up for that generation someone who will reveal to them the books in your handwriting and those of your fathers. And he will have to point out to them the guard tower of the earth, truthful men, and those who carry out my will, who do not invoke my name invalidly.

And you will tell that generation; and they, when they have read (them), will be more glorified in the end than in the beginning.

36 |God commanded Enoch to live on the earth for 30 days, to impart knowledge to his sons and to his children’s children. After 30 days he was taken up to heaven once more. Word “32.”|

“And now, Enoch, I am giving you a waiting period of 30 days to set your house in order |and| to instruct your sons 〈|and all the members of your household|〉 about everything from me personally, so that they may obey what is said to them by you. And they will read and understand that there is no other God apart from myself, so that thet may carry out all your instructions and study the books in your handwriting |accurately and attentively|.

And after 30 days I shall send for you my angel, and he will take you up from the earth and from your sons to me.”

37 |Here God summons an angel. Word “33.”|

And the LORD called one of the senior angels, terrifying and frightful, and he made him stand with me. And the appearance of that angel was as white as snow, and his hands like ice, having the appearance of great frigidity. And he chilled my face, because I could not endure the terror of the LORD, just as it is not possible to endure the fire of a stove and the heat of the sun and the frost of death.

And the LORD said to me, “Enoch, if your face had not been chilled here, no human being would be able to look at your face.”

38 |Mathusal, having hope, also waited for his father, Enoch, at his bed, day and night. Word “34.”|

And the LORD said to those men who had brought me up at the first, “Let Enoch descend onto the earth with you. And wait for him until the specified day.” •And they placed me at highttime on my bed. . •And Methusalam was anticipating my arrival, mounting strict guard at my bed and he was terrified when he heard my arrival. And I said to him, “Let all the members of my household come down.” Then I said to them:

39 |The mournful admonition of Enoch to his sons: with weeping and great sorrow he spoke to them. Word “35.”|

“O my children, my beloved ones!| Give heed, my children, |to the admonition of your father|, to whatever is in accordance with the will of the LORD. •I have been sent today to you from the lips of the LORD, to speak to you whatever has been and whatever is now and whatever will be until the day of judgment. •Listen, my children, |for| it is not from my own lips that I am reporting to you today, but form the lips of the LORD I have been sent to you. For you hear my words, out of my lips, a human being created exactly equal to yourselves; but I have heard from the fiery lips of the LORD. For the lips of the LORD are a furnace of fire, and his angels are the flames which come out. But you, my children, see my face, a human being created just like yourselves; but I am one who has seen the face of the LORD, like iron made burning hot by a fire, and it is brought out and it emits sparks and it is incandescent. •But you gaze into my eyes, a human being equal in significance to yourselves; but I have gazed into the eyes of the LORD, shining like the rays of the sun and terrifying the eyes of a human being. But you, my children, see the right hand of one who helps you, a human being created identical to yourselves; but I have seen the right hand of the LORD, helping me and filling heaven.

But you see the scope of my activity, the same as your own; but I have seen the scope of the LORD, without limit and without analogy, and to which there is no end.

For you hear the sayings of my lips, but I have heard the LORD speaking like loud thunder, when there is a continual disturbance in the clouds. •And now, my children, listen to the discourses of your earthly father. Frightening and dangerous it is to stand before the face of an earthly king, terrifying and very dangerous it is, because the will of the king is death and the will of the king is life. How much more terrifying |and dangerous| it is to stand before the face of the King of earthly kings and of the heavenly armies, |the regulator of the living and of the dead|. Who can endure that endless misery?

40 |Enoch admonishes his children in all things truthfully from the lips of the LORD, just as he saw them and heard them and wrote them down. Word “36.”|

“And now therefore, my children, I know everything; for either form the lips of the LORD or else my eyes have seen from the beginning even to the end, and from the end to the recommencement.

I know everything, and everything I have written down in books, the heavens and their boundaries and their contents. And all the armies and their movements I have measured. And I have recorded the stars and the multitude of multitudes innumerable. •What human being can see their cycles and their phases?

For not even the angels know their number. But I have

written down all their names. •The solar circle I have measured, and its rays |I have measured, the hours| I have counted; and its entrances in all the months, and

its departures, and all its movements – their names I have written down. •The lunar circle I have measured, and its movements which are in accordance with each day, and the diminution which it undergoes during each day and night in accordance with all the hours.

I appointed 4 seasons, and from the seasons I created 4 cycles, and in the cycles I appointed the year, and I appointed months, and from the months I counted days, and from the days I measured off the hours and I counted them and wrote them down. •And everything that is nourished on the earth I have investigated and written down, and every seed, sown and not sown, which grows form the earth, and all the garden plants, and all the grasses, and all the flowers, and their delightful fragrances and their names.

And the dwelling places of the clouds, their organization and their wings, and how they carry the rain and the raindrops – all this I investigated.

And I wrote down the rumble of the thunder and the lightning: and they showed me the keys and their keepers, and the places where they go, where they go in and where they go out, by measure. They are raised by means of a chain, and they are lowered by means of a chain, so that he does not drop the clouds of anger with terrible injuries and violence, and destroy everything on the earth.

I wrote down the treasuries of the snow,                               and the storehouses of the cold, and the frosty winds. And I observed how, depending on the season, their custodians fill up the clouds with them, and their treasuries are not emptied.

I wrote down the sleeping chambers of the winds, and I observed and I saw how their custodians carry scales and measures. And first they place them n the scales, and secondly in the measure, and it is my measure that they release them skillfully into all the earth, lest the earth should be rocked by violent gusts.

I measured all the earth, and its mountains and hills and fields and woods and stones and rivers, and everything that exists. I wrote down the height from the earth to the seventh heaven, and the depth to the lowermost hell, and the place of condemnation, and the supremely large hell, open and weeping.

And I saw how the prisoners were in pain, looking forward to endless punishment; and I recorded all those who have been condemned by the judge, and all their sentences and all their corresponding deeds.

41 |About how Enoch grieved over the sin of Adam.|

“|And| I saw all those from the age of my ancestors, with Adam and Eve. And I sighed and burst into tears. |And I said| concerning their disreputable depravity, ‘Oh how miserable for me is my incapacity |and that of| my ancestors!’

And I thought in my heart and I said, ‘How blessed is the person who has not been born, or who, having been born, has not sinned before the face of the LORD, so that he will not come into this place nor carry the yoke of this place.’

42 |About how Enoch saw the key-holders and the guards of the gates of hell standing.|

“And I saw the key-holders and the guards of the gates of hell standing, as large as serpents, with their faces like lamps that have been extinguished, and their eyes aflame, and their teeth naked down to their breasts.

And I said to their faces, ‘It would have been better if I had not seen you, nor heard about your activities, nor that any member of my tribe had been brought to you. To what a small extent they have sinned in this life, but in the eternal life they will suffer forever.’

•And I ascended to the east, into the paradise of Edem, where rest is prepared for the righteous. And it is open as far as the 3^rd heaven; but it is closed off from this world.

And the guards are appointed at the very large gates of the east of the sun, angels of flame, singing victory songs, never silent, rejoicing at the arrival of the righteous.

When the last one arrives, he will bring out Adam, together with the ancestors; and he will bring them in there, so that they may be filled with joy; just as a person invites his best friends to have dinner with him and they arrive with joy, and they talk together in front of that man’s palace, waiting with joyful anticipation to have dinner with delightful enjoyments and riches that cannot be measured, and joy

and happiness in eternal light and life; •and I say to you, my children: Happy is the person who reverences the name of the LORD, and who serves in front of his face always, and who organizes his gifts with fear, offerings of life, and who in this life lives and dies correctly!

Happy is he who carries out righteous judgment, not for the sake of payment, but for justice, not expecting anything whatever as a result; and the result will be that judgment without favoritism will follow for him.

Happy is he who clothes the naked with his garment , and to the hungry gives his bread! •Happy is he who judges righteous judgment for orphan and widow, and who helps anyone who has been treated unjustly!

Happy is he who turns aside from the secular path of this vain world, and walks in the right paths, and who lives that life which is without end!

Happy is he who sows right seed, for he shall harvest sevenfold!

Happy is he in whom is the truth, so that he may speak the truth to his neighbor!

Happy is he who has compassion on his lips and gentleness in his heart!

Happy is he who understands all the works of the LORD, performed by the LORD, and glorifies him! For the works of the LORD are right, but the works of mankind – some are good, but others are evil; and by their works those who speak lying blasphemies are recognized.

 43 |Enoch shows his sons how he has sounded out and written down the decrees of God. Word “39.”|

“I, my children, every just deed and every just decree and every just decision I have checked out and written down,

                                    just as the LORD commanded me.

And in all these things I discovered differences. •For, just as one year is more honorable than another year,

                        〈|so one person is more honorable than another person|〉 –

some           because of much poverty;

some again because of wisdom of the heart;

some again because of singular intelligence;

some again because of craftiness;

some again because of silence of the lips;

some again because of purity;

some again because of strength;

some again because of handsome appearance;

some again because of youth;

some again because of a penetrating mind;

some again because of bodily appearance;

some again because of abundant feelings.

Even though these sayings are heard on every side, nevertheless there is no one better than he who fears God. He will be the most glorious  in that age.

44 |Enoch teaches his sons so that they might not insult the face of any person, small or great. Word “40.”|

“The LORD with his own two hands created mankind; in a facsimile of his own face, both small and great, the LORD created |them|.

And whoever insults a person’s face, insults the face of a king, and treats the face of the LORD with repugnance.

He who treats with contempt the face of any person treats the face of the LORD with contempt.

He who expresses anger to any person without provocation will reap anger in the grat judgment. He who spits on any person’s face, insultingly, will reap the same at the LORD’s great judgment.

Happy is the person who does not direct his heart with malice toward any person, but who helps |the offended and| the condemned, and lifts up those who have been crushed, and shows compassion on the needy.

Because on the day of the great judgment.

                                                                                                            every weight

and every measure and every set of scales will be just as they are in the market.

That is to say, each will be weighed in the balance, and each will stand in the market, and each will find out his own measure and 〈|in accordance with that measurement|〉 each shall receive his own reward.

45 |God points out that he does not want from people sacrifices and burnt offerings, but hearts that are pure and crushed. Word “41.”|

“If anyone is prompt in performing a good oblation in front of the face of the LORD, than the LORD |also| will be prompt to accept it on his account, and he will not perform righteous judgment for him.

If anyone makes lamps numerous in front of the face of the LORD, then the LORD will make his treasure stores numerous in the highest kingdom.

Does the LORD demand bread or lamps or sheep or oxen or any kind of sacrifices at all? This is nothing, but he |God| demands pure hearts, and by means of all those things he tests people’s hearts.

46 |About how an earthly king does not accept gifts from people who are disgusting or impure. So how much more is God disgusted with impure gifts; but rather he rejects (the giver) with wrath, and he does not accept the gifts. Word “42.”|

“|Listen, my people, and give heed to the utterance of my lips!| If to an earthly king someone should bring some kinds of gifts, if he is thinking treachery in his heart, and the king perceives it, will he not be angry with |him? And will he not spurn| his gifts?

And will he not hand him over for judgment? •If any person seduces another person into untruth by fair speech, but his heart is evil, will he not be conscious |of the treachery| of his heart, and (will he not) judge himself in himself, whether or not his judgment be true |how his untruthfulness is obvious to everyone|?

And when the LORD sends out the great light, in that (light) there will be true judgment, without favoritism, for true and untrue alike; and no one will be able to hide himself then.

47 |Enoch instructs his sons from God’s lips; and he hands over to them these handwritten books. Word “43.”|

“And now, my children, place the thought on your hearts, and give heed to the sayings of your father which I am making known to you from the lips of the LORD. •And receive these books in your father’s handwriting, and read them. |For the books are many;| and in them you will learn all the deeds of the LORD. there have been many books since the beginning of creation, and there will be until the end of the age; but not one of them will make things as plain to you as 〈the books in〉 my handwriting. If you hold on firmly to them, you will not sin against the LORD.

For there is no other besides the LORD, neither in heaven, nor on the earth, nor in the deepest places, nor in the one foundation.

The LORD is the one who laid the foundations upon the unknown things, and he is the one who spread out the heavens above the visible and the invisible things. And the earth he solidified above the waters, and the waters he based upon the unfixed things; and he (alone) created the uncountable creatures. |And| who is it who has counted the dust of the earth or the sand of the sea of the drops of rain of the dew 〈of the clouds〉 or the blowing of the wind?

Who is it who has plaited the land and the sea together with indissoluble bonds, and cut the stars out of fire, and decorated the sky and put in the midst of them…

48 |About the solar movement along the seven circles. Word “44.”|

“… the sun, so that he might travel along the seven celestial circles, which are appointed with 182 thrones so that he might descend to the shortest day, and once more 182 so that he might descend to the longest day.

He also has two great thrones where he pauses when he turns around in this direction and in the other direction, higher than the lunar thrones. From the month Tsivan, from the 17^th day, he descends until the month Theved; and from the 17^th day of Theved he ascends.

And in this way the sun moves along all the celestial circles. When he comes close to the earth, then the earth is merry and makes its fruit grow. But when he goes away, then the earth laments, and the trees and all fruits have no productivity. All this is by measurement, and by the most precise measurement of the hours. He fixed it by measure, by his own wisdom, 〈that is everything〉 visible and invisible. •From the invisible things and the visible things he created all the visible things; |and| he himself is invisible.

Thus I am making it known to you, my children; |and| you must hand over the books to your children, and throughout all your generations, 〈and to (your) relatives〉, •and |among| all nations who are discerning so that they may fear God, and so that they may accept them. And they will be more enjoyable than any delightful food on earth.

And they will read them and adhere to them. •But those who are undiscerning and who do not understand 〈|the LORD|〉 neither fear God nor accept them, but renounce them, and regard themselves as burdened by them – |a terrible judgment is awaiting them|. •Happy is |the person| who puts their yoke on and carries it around; for he will plow on the day of the great judgment.

49 |Enoch teaches his sons not to use an oath, neither by heaven nor by earth. And he points out the covenant of God, while they are even in their mother’s womb. Word “45.”|

“For I am swearing to you, my children – But look! I am not swearing by any oath at all, neither by heaven nor by earth nor by any other creature which the LORD created. For 〈|the LORD|〉 said, ‘There is no oath in me, nor any unrighteousness, but only truth.’ So, if there is no truth in human beings, then let them make an oath by means of the words ‘Yes, Yes!’ or, if it should be the other way around, ‘No, No!’

And I make an oath to you – ‘Yes, Yes! – that even before any person was in his mother’s womb, individually a place I prepared for each soul, as well as a set of scales and a measurement of how long he intends him to live in this world, so

that each person may be investigated with it. •Yes, children, do not deceive yourselves; |for| ahead of the time a place has been prepared there for each human soul.

50 |About how no one can hide himself who is born on the earth; nor can his achievement be kept secret. But he commands to be meek, to endure assaults and insults, and not to harm widows and orphans. Word “46.”|

“I have set down the achievements of each person in the writings, and no one can 〈|hide himself|〉 who is born on the earth, nor |can| his achievement be kept secret. I see everything, as if in a mirror.

Now therefore, my children, in patience and meekness abide for the number of your days, so that you may inherit the final endless age that is coming.

Every assault and every persecution and every evil               word |endure for the sake of the LORD|. •If the injury and persecution happen to you on account of the LORD, then endure them all for the sake of the LORD. And if you are able to take vengeance with a hundredfold revenge, do not take vengeance, neither on one who is close to you nor on one who is distant from you. For the LORD is the one who takes vengeance, and he will be the avenger for you on the day of the great judgment, so that there may be no acts of retribution here from human beings, but only form the LORD.

Let each one of you put up with the loss of 〈his〉 gold and silver on account of a brother, so that he may receive a full treasury in that age.

•Widows and orphans             and foreigners |do no distress, so that God’s anger does not come upon you;|…

51 |Enoch teaches his sons that they should not hide away treasure in the earth, but he commands to give alms to the poor. Word “47.”|

“… stretch out your hands |to the needy| in accordance with your

strength. •|Do not hide your silver in the earth.| Help a believer in affliction, and then affliction will not find you, in your treasuries and in

the time of your work. •Every kind of afflictive and burdensome yoke, if it comes upon you for the sake of the LORD, carry everything and put it off. And thus you will find your reward on the day of judgment.

In the morning of the day and in the middle of the day and in the evening of the day it is good to go to the LORD’s temple |on account

of| 〈|the glory of|〉 |your| 〈|creator|〉. •For every kind of spirit glorifies him and every kind of creature, visible and invisible, |praises (him)|.

52 |God teaches those who believe in him how they have to praise his name. Word “48.”|

“Happy is the person who opens his lips for praise |of the God of

Sabaoth|, and praises the LORD with his whole heart. •And cursed is |every person| who opens his heart for insulting, and insults the poor and slanders his neighbor, |because that person slanders God|.

Happy is he who opens his lips, both blessing and praising God.

Cursed is |he who| opens his lips for cursing and blasphemy, before the face of the LORD all his days.

Happy – who blesses all the works of the LORD.

Cursed – who despises any of the LORD’s creatures.

Happy – who looks carefully to the raising up of the works of his own hand.

Cursed – who looks |and is jealous| to destroy another.

Happy – who preserves the foundations of his most ancient fathers, |made firm from the beginning|.

Cursed – he who breaks down the institutions of his ancestors and fathers.

Happy – who cultivates the love of peace.

Cursed – who disturbs those who are peaceful by means of love.

Happy 〈is he who〉 even though he does not speak peace with his tongue, nevertheless in his heart there is peace toward all.

Cursed – who with his tongue speaks peace, but in his heart there is no peace |but a sword|.

|For| all these things (will be weighed) in the balances and exposed in the books on the great judgment day.

53 |Let un not say, ‘Our father is in front of God he will appear {in front of God} for un on the day of judgment.’ For there a father cannot help a son, nor yet a son a father. Word “49.”|

“So now, my children, do not say, ‘Our father is with God, and he will stand in front of 〈God〉 for us, and he will pray for us

concerning our sins.’ •|For| there is no helper there – not even for any one person who has sinned. See how I have written down all the deeds of every person before the creation, and I am writing down what is done among all persons forever. And no one can contradict my handwriting; because the LORD sees all the evil thoughts of mankind, how vain they are, where they lie in the treasuries of the heart.

So now, my children, pay close attention to all your father’s sayings, whatever I say to you, so that you will not be sorry, saying, ‘Our father{s} warned us…’

54 |Enoch instructs his sons to that they may hand on the books to others also. Word “50.”|

“… at that time, about this ignorance of ours, so that they may be for your inheritance of peace. The books which I have given to you,                   do not hide them. To all who wish, recite them, so that they may know about the extremely marvelous works of the LORD.

55 |Here Enoch shows his sons and with tears speaks to them: My children, the hour for me to go up to heaven has arrived. Behold, the angels are standing in front of me. Word “51.”|

“For behold, my children, the prescribed day has arrived and the appointed time confronts me. It urges me on to my departure |from you|; the angels who wish to go with me are standing on the earth, waiting for what they have been told. •|For| tomorrow morning I shall go up to the highest heaven, |into the highest Jerusalem|,                   into my eternal inheritance. That is why I am commanding you, my children, so that you may do all that is well-pleasing before the face of the LORD.”

56 |Methusalam asks from his father a blessing, so that he may prepare some food for him to eat. Word “52.”|

Methusalam answered his father and said, “What is pleasing in your eyes, Enoch? Let us prepare food in front of your face, so that you may bless our houses and your children 〈and all your household〉; and |your| people will be glorified by you. And thus, after that, you will go away, as the LORD wills.”

Enoch answered his son |Methusalam| and said, “Listen, child! Since the time when the LORD anointed me with the ointment of his glory, food has not come into me, and earthly pleasure my soul does not remember; nor do I desire anything earthly.

57 |Enoch commands his son Methosalam to summon all his brothers. Word “53.”|

“But |my child, Methasalam|, call |all| your brothers, and all the members of your households, and the elders of the people, so that I may speak to them and depart, as it has been predetermined for me.”

And Methusalam hurried and summoned his brothers, Regim and Riman and Ukhan and Khermion and Gaidad, and the elders of all the people. And he summoned them before the face of his father Enoch, and they prostrated themselves in front of his face, and Enoch looked upon them. And he blessed them; and he spoke to them, saying:

58 |Enoch’s instructions to his sons. Word “54.”|

“Listen, |to me| |my| children |today|! In the days of our father Adam, the LORD came down onto the earth |on account of Adam|. And he inspected all his creatures which he himself had created in the beginning of the thousand ages and when after all those he had created Adam.

And the LORD summoned all the animals of the earth and all the reptiles of the earth and all the birds that fly in the air, and he brought them all before the face of our father Adam, so that he might pronounce names for all the quadrupeds; and |Adam| named everything that lives on the earth.

And the LORD appointed him over everything 〈|as king|〉, and he subjected everything to him in subservience under his hand, both the dumb and the deaf, to be commanded and for submission and for every servitude. So also to every human being. The LORD created mankind to be the lord of all his possessions. And the LORD will not judge a single animal soul for the sake of man; but human souls he will judge for the sake of the souls of their animals. •In the great

Age there is a special place for human beings.                                   •And just as every human soul is according to number, so also it is with animal souls. And not a single soul which the LORD has created will perish until the great judgment. And every kind of animal soul will accuse the human beings who have fed them badly.

59 |Enoch teaches all his sons why they should not touch an ox, because of the outflow. Word “55.”|

“He who acts lawlessly with the soul of an animal acts lawlessly

with his own soul. •For a person brings one of the clean animals to make a sacrifice on account of sin, so that he may have healing for his soul. If he brings it to the sacrifice from clean animals and birds 〈and cereals〉, then there is healing for that person, and he will heal his soul.

Everything that has been given to you for food, bind by four legs, so as to perform the healing properly. And there is

healing and he will heal his soul. •|And| he who puts to death any kind of animal without bonds, 〈|puts his own soul to death|〉 and acts lawlessly with his own flesh. •|And| he who does any kind of harm whatsoever to any kind of animal in secret, it is an evil custom, and he acts lawlessly with his own soul.

60

“He who does harm to a human soul creates harm for his own soul, and there is for him no healing of his flesh, nor any forgiveness for eternity.

            |How it is not proper to kill a human being, neither by weapon, nor by tongue. Word “56.”|

He who carries out the murder of a human soul causes the death of his own soul, and murders his own body; and there is no healing for him for

eternity. •He who lies in wait for a person with any kind of trap, he himself will be entangles in it; and there is no healing for him for eternity. •He who lies in wait for a person in judgment, his retribution will not be slackened in the great judgment for eternity.

He who acts perversely, or says anything against any soul, righteousness will not be created for him for eternity.

61 |Enoch admonishes his sons to keep themselves from unrighteousness and to extend their hands to the poor often, to give them some of their works. Word “57.”|

“So now, my children, keep your hearts from every

unrighteous deed which the LORD hates.

And just as a person makes request for his own soul from God, in the same manner let him behave toward every living soul, because in the great age I will find out everything. Many shelters have been prepared for people, good ones for the good, but bad ones for the bad, many, without number.

Happy is he who enters into the blessed houses; for in the bad ones there is no rest, nor returning.

Listen, my children, old and young! A person, when he place s vow upon his heart to bring gifts before the face of the LORD from his own works, and his hands did not make that thing, then the LORD will turn away his face form the works of his hands, 〈|and|〉 he will not find the works of his hands. •But even if his hands did make it, but his heart is complaining, the illness of his heart will not cease; making complaint without ceasing, he shall not have even a single benefit.

62 |About how it is appropriate to bring one’s gift with faith. And that there is no repentance after death. Word “58.”|

“Happy is the person who, in his suffering, brings |his| gifts |with faith| before the face of the LORD, 〈and〉 sacrifices them and then receives remission of sins. But if, before the time comes, he should retract his vows, there is no repentance for him.

If the 〈|time|〉 specified elapses, |and 〈then〉 he does it|,

                                                                                    he will not be accepted, and there is no repentance after death. •Because everything before the time and after the time which a person does, both are a scandal before men and a sin before God.

63 |About how not to despise the poor, but to share equally with them, so that you will not have a complaint before God. Word “59.”|

“A person, when he clothes the naked or gives his bread to the

hungry, then he will obtain a reward |from God|. •If his heart should murmur, it is a twofold evil that he creates for himself. It is a loss that he creates in respect to that which he gives, and he will not have any obtaining of remuneration because of it.

And the poor man, when his heart is satisfied or his body is clothed, and he performs an act of contempt, then he will ruin all his endurance of poverty, and he will not obtain the reward for his good deeds.

For the LORD detests every kind of contemptuous person, and every person who makes himself out to be great, and every untruthful word, stimulated by injustice; and it will be cut out with the blade of the sword of death, |and thrown into the fire. And it will burn|; and this cutting out has no healing unto eternity.”

64 |About how the LORD calls Enoch up. And the people agreed together to go to kiss him at the place called Akhuzan. Word “60.”|

〈And〉 when Enoch had spoken |these words| to his sons and to the princes of the people, and all his people, near and far, having heard that the LORD was calling Enoch, they consulted one another, saying,

“Let us go, let us kiss Enoch.” •And they came together, up to 2000 men, and they arrived at the place

Akhuzan where Enoch was, and his sons. •And the elders of the people and all the community came and prostrated themselves and kissed Enoch.

And they said to him, “O our father, Enoch! May you be blessed by the LORD, the eternal king! And now, bless your 〈|sons|〉, and all the people, so that we may be glorified in front of your face today.

For you will be glorified in front of the face 〈|of the LORD for eternity|〉, because you are the one whom the LORD chose in preference to all the people upon the earth; and he appointed yoou to be the one who makes a written record of all his creation, visible and invisible, and the one who carried away the sin of mankind

and the helper of your own household.” •|And Enoch answered his people, saying to all of them|:

65 |About Enoch’s instruction to his sons. Word “61.”|

“Listen, my children! Before ever anything existed, and before

ever any created thing was created, the LORD

            created the whole of his creation, visible and invisible.

And however much time there was went by. Understand how, on account of this, he constituted man in his own form, in accordance with a similarity. And he gave him

                   eyes          to see,

            and ears           to hear,

            and heart         to think,

            and reason       to argue.

And the LORD set everything forth for the sake of man, and he created the whole of creation for his sake. And he divided it into times:

            And from time                                    he established years;

            and from the years                  he settled months;

            and from the months               he settled days;

            and from the days                   he settled 7;

            and in those                             he settled the hours;

            and      the hours                     he measured exactly,

so that a person might think about time, and so that he might count the years and the months and the days and the hours and the perturbations and the beginnings and the endings, and that he might keep count of his own life form the beginning onto death, and think of his sins, and so that he might write his own achievement, both evil and good.

For no achievement is hidden in front of the LORD, so that every person might know his own achievement and so that he might not transgress any one of his commandments at all and so that he might hold onto what my hand has written in generation and generation.

And when the whole of creation, visible and invisible, which the LORD has created, shall come to an end, then each person will go to

the LORD’s great judgment. •|And| then |all| time will perish, and afterward there will be neither years nor months nor days nor hours. They will be dissipated, and after that they will not be reckoned.

But they will constitute a single age. And all the righteous, who escape from the LORD’s great judgment, will be collected together into the great age. And the great age will come about for the righteous, and it will be eternal.

And after that there will be among them neither weariness 〈|nor sickness|〉 nor affliction nor worry |nor| want nor debilitation nor night nor darkness.

But they will have a great light, a great indestructible light, and paradise, great and incorruptible. For everything corruptible will pass away, and the incorruptible will come into being, and will be the shelter of the eternal residences.

66 |Enoch teaches his sons and all the elders of the people how they should walk with fear and trembling in front of the LORD, and worship him alone and not bow down to idols, but to the God who created heaven and earth and every kind of creature – and to his image. Word “62.”|

“Now therefore, my children, guard your souls from every kind of

injustice, such as the LORD hates. •And walk in front of his face with fear |and trembling|, and worship him alone. |To the true God bow down, not to idols which have no voice, but bow down to his statue|. And every kind of oblation present justly in front of the face of the LORD; but what is unjust the LORD detests.

For the LORD sees everything that a person thinks in his heart. Then reason advises him. 〈For〉 every thought is presented before the LORD |who made the earth firm and settled all the creatures upon it|.

If you look upon the sky, behold, the LORD is there; for the LORD created the sky. If you look upon the earth, then the LORD is there; for the LORD founded the earth, and placed upon it all his creatures. If you meditate upon the depths of the ocean and on all that is beneath the earth, then the LORD is there. Because the LORD created all things.

Do not bow down to anything created by man, nor to anything created by God, so committing apostasy against the LORD of all creation. For no kind of deed is hidden from the face of the LORD.

Walk, my children,

in long-suffering,

in meekness |honesty|,

in affliction,

in distress,

in faithfulness,

in truth,

in hope,

in weakness,

in derision,

in assaults,

in temptation,

in deprivation,

in nakedness,

having love for one another, until you go out from this age of suffering, so that you may become inheritors of the never-ending age.

How happy are the righteous who shall escape the LORD’s great judgment; for they will be made to shine seven times brighter than the sun.

For in that age everything is estimated sevenfold – light and darkness and food and enjoyment and misery and paradise and torture |fire, frost, et cetera|. All this I have put down in writing, so that you might read it and think about it.”

67 |The LORD sent out darkness onto the earth, and it covered the people and Enoch. And he was taken up to the highest heaven. And it became light. Word “63.”|

And when Enoch had spoken to his people,

                                                                                                            〈|the LORD|〉 sent the gloom onto the earth, and it became dark and covered the men who were standing |and talking| with Enoch. •And the angels hurried and grasped Enoch and carried him up to the highest heaven, where the LORD received him and made him stand in front of his face for eternity. Then the darkness departed from the earth, and it became light.

And the people looked, but they could not figure out how Enoch had been taken away. And they glorified God. |And they found a scroll on which was inscribed: THE INVISIBLE GOD.| And then they |all| went to their homes.

68

Enoch was born of the 6^th day of the month Tsivan, and he lived for 365 years. |And| he was taken up to heaven 〈|in the month|〉 Nitsan, on the 1^st day. And he remained in heaven for 50 days, •writing down all |those| notes about all the creatures which the LORD had created. And he wrote 366 books and he handed them over to his sons. And he remained on the earth for 30 days, talking with them. •And then he was taken up to heaven again in the month of Tsivan |on the 6^th day|, on the very same 6^th day on which he was even born, and at the very same hour.

And just as every person has as his nature the darkness of this present life, so also he has his conception and birth and departure from his life. In |the hour in| which he was conceived, in that hour also he is born, |and| in that also de departs.

                                                                        And Methusalam and his brothers and all the sons of Enoch hurried, and they constructed an altar at the place |called| Akhuzan, |whence and| where Enoch had been taken up |to heaven|.

And they obtained sheep and oxen, and they summoned all the people, and they sacrificed sacrifices in front of the face of the LORD.

And |all| the people |and the elders of the people and the whole assembly| came to them to the festival, and brought offerings for the sons of Enoch. And they made a |great| festival, rejoicing and making merriment for three days, |praising God who had given them such a sign through Enoch, his own favored servant, even so that they might hand it on to their own sons, form generation to generation, from age to age. AMEN|.

69

And on the third day, in the time of the evening, the elders of the people spoke to Methusalam, saying, “Stand in front of the face of the LORD and in front of the face of all the people and in front of the face of the altar of the LORD, and you will be glorified in your people.”

And Methusalam answered his people: “Wait, O men, until 〈the LORD〉, the God of my father Enoch, shall himself raise up for himself

a priest over his own people.” •And the people waited until that night

in vain at the place Akhuzan. •And Methusalam remained near the altar and prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, the only One of the whole world, who has taken away my father Enoch, you raise up a priest for 〈your〉 people, and give their heart understanding to fear your glory and to perform everything in accordance with your will.”

Methusalam fell asleep, and the LORD appeared to him in a night vision and said to him, “Listen, Methusalam! I am the LORD, the God of your father Enoch. Give heed to the voice of these people and stand in front                                of my altar, and I shall glorify you in front of the face of all the people, and you will be glorified

all the days of your life, and I shall bless you.” •And Methusalam got up from his sleep and blessed the LORD who had appeared to him.

And the elders of the people hurried to Methusalam,

and the LORD God directed Methusalam’s heart to give heed to the voice of the people. And he said to them, “The LORD God is the one who has

given grace to these people in front of my eyes today.” •And Sarkhasan and Kharmis and Zazas, the elders of the people, hurried and attired Methusalam in the designated garments and place a blazing crown on his head.

And the people hurried, and they brought sheep and oxen and some birds, all of them having passed inspection, for Methusalam to sacrifice in the name of the LORD and in the name of the people.

And Methusalam came up to the LORD’s altar, and his face was radiant, like the sun at midday rising up, with all the

people in procession behind him. •And Methusalam stood in front of the altar of the LORD, with all the people standing around the place of sacrifice.

And when the elders of the people had taken sheep and oxen, they tied their four legs together, and place them at the head of the altar.

And they said to Methusalam, “Pick the knife! And slaughter

them in the required manner in the face of the LORD.” •And Methusalam stretched out his hands to heaven and he called out to the LORD thus, saying, “Accept 〈me〉, O LORD! Who am I, to stand at the head of your

place of sacrifice and over the head of these people? •And now, O LORD, look upon your servant 〈and〉 upon all these people. Now all the inquiries, let them come to pass! And give a blessing to your servant in front of the face of all the people, so that they may realize that you are the one who has appointed 〈me〉 to be priest over your people.”

And it happened, when Methusalam had prayed, that the altar was shaken, and the knife rose up from the altar, and leaped into Methusalam’s hand in front of the face of all the people. And the people trembled and glorified God.

And Methusalam was honored in front of the face of the LORD and in front of the face of all the people from that day.

And Methuselam took the knife and slaughtered all that had been brought by the people. And 〈the people〉 rejoiced greatly, and they made merry in front of the face of the LORD and in front of the face of Methusalam on that day. •And then the people went off to their own shelters, each one of them.

70

And Methusalam began to stand at the altar in front of the face of the LORD, and all the people, from that day for 10 years, hoping in an eternal inheritance, and having thoroughly taught all the earth and all his own people.

                                                                                    And there was not one single person turning himself away in vanity from the LORD during all the days that

Methusalam lived. •And the LORD blessed Methusalam and was gratified by his sacrifices and by his gifts and by every kind of service which he performed in front of the face of the LORD. •And when the time of the departure days of Methusalam arrived, the LORD appeared to him in a night vision and said to him, “Listen, Methusalam! I am the LORD, the God of your father Enoch. I want you to know that the days of your life have come to an end, and the day of your rest has come close.

Call Nir, the second son of your son Lamekh, born after Noe, and invest him in the garments of your consecration. And make him stand at my altar. And tell him everything that will happen in his days, for the time of the destruction of all the earth, and of every human being and of everything that lives on

the earth, is drawing near. •For in his days there will be a very great breakdown on the earth, for each one has begun to envy his neighbor, and people against people have destroyed boundaries, and the nation wages war. And all the earth is filled with vileness

and blood and every kind of evil. •〈And〉 even more than that, they have abandoned their LORD, and they will do obeisance to unreal gods, and to the vault above the sky, and to what moves above the earth, and to the waves of the sea. And the adversary will make himself great and will be delighted with his deeds, to my great provocation.

And all the earth will change its seasons 〈and every tree and every fruit will change their seeds〉 anticipating the time of destruction. And all the races will change on the earth by my conflagration.

Then I shall give the command. The Bottomless will be poured out over the earth, and the great storages of the waters of heaven will come down onto the earth 〈in a great substance and in accordance with the first substance〉.

And the whole constitution of the earth will perish, and all the earth will quake, and it will be deprived of its strength from that day. •Then I will preserve the son of your son Lamekh, his first son, Noe. And from his seed I will raise up another world, and his seed will exist forever, until the second destruction when once again mankind will have committed sin in front of my face.”

And Methusalam leaped up from his sleep, and his dream was very disturbing. And he summoned all the elders of the people, and recounted to them all that the LORD had said to him and all the vision that had been revealed to him by the LORD. •And all the people were disturbed by his vision. And they answered him, “The LORD is lord, and he will act in accordance with his own will. And now, Methusalam, you do everything just as the LORD has told you.”

And Methusalam summoned Nir, the son of Lamekh, Noe’s younger brother, and he invested him with the vestments of priesthood in front of the face of all the people, and made him stand at the head of the altar of the LORD. And he taught him everything that he would have to do among the people.

〈And Methusalam spoke to the people:〉 “Here is Nir. He will be in front of your face from the present day as a prince and a leader.”

And the people said to Methusalam, “Let it be so 〈for us〉 in accordance with your word. And you will be the voice of the LORD, just as he said to you.”

And when Methusalam had spoken to the people in front of the altar, his spirit was convulsed, and, having knelt on his knees, he stretched out his hands to heaven, and prayed to the LORD. And, as he was praying to him, his spirit went

out in accordance with 〈the will of〉 the LORD. •And Nir and all the people hurried and constructed a sepulcher for Methusalam in the place Akhuzan, very thoughtfully adorned with all holy things, with lamps.

And Nir came with many praises, and the people lifted up Methusalam’s body, glorifying 〈God〉; they performed the service for him at the sepulcher which they had made for him and they covered him over.

And they said, “〈How〉 blessed was Methusalam in front of the face of the LORD and in front of the face of all the people!” And when they wanted to go away to their own places, Nir said to the people, “Hurry up today and bring sheep and bulls and turtledoves and pigeons, so that you may make a sacrifice in front of the face of the LORD today.

And then go away to your houses.” •And the people gave heed to Nir the priest, and they hurried and they brought 〈them〉 and tied 〈them〉 up at the head of the altar. •And Nir took the knife of sacrifice, and slaughtered all that had been brought to be sacrificed in front of the face of the LORD. •And all the people made merry in front of the face of the LORD, and on that day they glorified the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, (the God) of Nir. And from that day there was peace and order over all the earth in the days of Nir – 202 years.

And then the people turned away from the LORD, and they began to be envious one against another, and people went to war against people, and race rose up against race and struggled and insulted one another.

Even if the lips were the same, nevertheless the hearts chose different

things. •For the devil became ruler for the third time. The first was before paradise, the second time was in paradise; the third time was after paradise, 〈and〉 continuing right up to the Flood.

And there arose disputation and great turbulence. And Nir the priest heard and was greatly aggrieved. And he said in his heart, “In truth I have come to understand how the time has arrived and the saying which the LORD said to Methusalam, the father of my father Lamekh.”

71

Behold, the wife of Nir, 〈whose〉 name was Sopanim, being sterile and never having at any time given birth to a child by Nir –

And Sopanim was in the time of her old age, and in the day of her death. She conceived in her womb, but Nir the priest had not slept with her, nor had he touched her, from the day that the LORD had appointed him to conduct the liturgy in front of the face of the people.

And when Sopanim saw her pregnancy, she was ashamed and embarrassed, and she hid herself during all the days until she gave birth. And not

one of the people knew about it. •And when 282 days had been completed, and the day of birth had begun to approach, and Nir remembered his wife, and he called her to himself in his house, so that he might converse with her.

〈And〉 Sopanim came to Nir, her husband; and, behold, she was pregnant, and the day appointed for giving birth was drawing near.

And Nir saw her, and he became very ashamed. And he said to her, “What is this that you have done, O wife? And (why) have you disgraced me in front of the face of these people? And now, depart from me, and go where you began the disgrace of your womb, so that I might not defile my hand on account of you, and sin in front of the face of the LORD.”

And Sopanim spoke to Nir, her husband, saying, “O my lord! Behold, it is the time of my old age, and the day of my death has arrived.

                                    I do not understand how my

menopause and the barrenness of my womb have been reversed.”

And Nir did not believe his wife, and for the second time he said to her, “Depart from me, or else I might assault you, and commit a sin in front of the face of the LORD.”

And it came to pass, when Nir had spoken to his wife, Sopanim, that Sopanim fell down at Nir’s feet and died.

Nir was extremely distressed, and he said in his heart, “Could this have happened because of my word, since by word and thought a person can sin in front of the face of the LORD?

Now may God have mercy upon me! I know in truth in my heart that my hand was not upon her. And so I say, ‘Glory to you, O LORD, because no one among mankind knows about this deed which the LORD has done.’ ”

And Nir hurried, and he shut the door of his house, and he went to Noe his brother, and he reported to him everything that had happened in connection with his wife. •And Noe hurried. He came with Nir his brother; he came into Nir’s house, because of the death of Sopanim, and they discussed between themselves how her womb

was at the time of giving birth. •And Noe said to Nir, “Don’t let yourself be sorrowful, Nir, my brother! For the LORD today has covered up our scandal, in that nobody from the people knows this.

Now, let us go quickly and let us bury her secretly, and the LORD will

cover up the scandal of our shame.” •And they placed Sopanim on the bed, and they wrapped her around with black garments, and shut her in the

house, prepared for burial. They dug a grave in secret. •

And a child came out from the dead Sopanim. And he sat on the bed at her side. And Noe and Nir came in to bury Sopanim, and they saw the child

sitting beside the dead Sopanim, and wiping his clothing. •And Noe and Nir were very terrified with a great fear, because the child was fully developed physically, like a three-year-old. And he spoke with

his lips, and he blessed the LORD. •And Noe and Nir looked at him,

                                                                                    and behold,

the badge of priesthood was on his chest, and it was glorious in appearance. And Noe and Nir said, “Behold, God is renewing the priesthood from blood related to us, just as he pleases.” •And Noe and Nir hurried, and they washed the child, and they dressed him in the garments of priesthood, and they gave him the holy bread and he ate it. And they called his name Melkisedek.

And Noe and Nir lifted up the body of Sopanim, and divested her of the black garments, and they washed her, and they clothed her in exceptionally bright garments, and they built a shrine for her.

Noe and Nir and Melkisedek came, and they buried her publicly. And Noe said to his brother Nir, “Look after this child in secret until the time, because people will become treacherous in all the earth, and they will begin to turn away from God, and having become totally ignorant, they will put him to death.”

And then Noe went away to his own place.

And great lawlessness began to become abundant over all the earth in the

days of Nir. •And Nir began to worry excessively, especially about the child, saying,

                                                                                                                                    “How miserable it is for me, eternal LORD, that in my days all lawlessness has begun to become abundant over the earth. And I realize how much nearer out end is, {and} over all the earth, on account of the lawlessness of the people.

And now, LORD, what is the vision about this child, and what is his destiny, and what will I do for him? Is it possible that he too will be joined with us in the destruction?” •And the LORD heeded Nir, and appeared to him in a night vision. He said to him, “Nir, the great lawlessness which has come about on the earth among the

multitude {which} I shall not tolerate.

And behold, I desire now to send out a great destruction onto the earth, and everything that stands on the earth shall perish.

But, concerning the child, don’t be anxious, Nir; because in a short while I shall send my archistratig, Michael. And he will take the child, and put him in the paradise of Edem, in the Paradise where Adam was formerly for 7 years, having heaven open all the time up until when he sinned.

And this child will not perish along with those who are perishing in this generation, as I have revealed it, so that Melkisedek will be the priest to all holy priests, and I will establish him so that

he will be the head of the priests of the future.” •And Nir arose from his sleep and blessed the LORD who had appeared to him, saying,

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of my fathers,

who has told me how he has made a great priest in my day,

in the womb of Sopanim, my wife.

Because I had no child in this tribe who might become the great

priest, but this is

my son and your servant, and you are the great God.

Therefore honor him together with your servants and great priests, with Sit, and Enos, and Rusi, and Amilam, and Prasidam, and Maleleil, and Serokh, and Arusan, and Aleem, and Enoch, and Methusalam, and me, your servant Nir.

                                                And behold, Melkisedek will be the head of the 13 priests who existed before. •And afterward, in the last generation, there will be another Melkisedek, the first of 12 priests. And the last will be the head of all, a great archpriest, the Word and Power of God, who will perform

miracles, greater and more glorious than all the previous ones. •He, Melkisedek, will be priest and king in the place Akhuzan, that is to say, in the center of the earth, where Adam was created, and there will

be his final grave. •And in connection with that archpriest it is written how he also will be buried there, where the center of the earth is, just as Adam also buried his own son there – Abel, whom his brother Cain murdered; for he lay for 3 years unburied, until he saw a bird called Jackdaw, how it buried his own young.

I know that great confusion has come and in confusion this generation will come to an end; and everyone will perish, except that Noe, my brother, will be preserved. And afterward there will be a planting from his tribe, and there will be other people, and there will be another Melkisedek, the head of priests reigning over the people, and performing the liturgy for the LORD.”

72

And when the child had been 40 days in Nir’s tent, the LORD said to Michael, “Go down onto the earth to Nir the priest, and take my child Melkisedek, who is with him, and place him in the paradise of Edem for preservation. For the time is approaching, and I will pour out all the water onto the earth, and everything that is on the earth will perish.”

Michael hurried,

and he came down when it was night, and Nir was sleeping on his bed. And Michael appeared to him, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Nir! Send the child to me whom I entrusted to you.’ ”

And Nir did not realize who was speaking to him, and his heart was confused. And he said, “When the people find out about the child, then they will seize him and kill him, because the heart of these people is deceitful in front of the face of the LORD.” Nir said to the one who was speaking, “The child is not with me, and I don’t know who you are.”

And he who was speaking to me answered, “Don’t be frightened, Nir! I am the LORD’s archistratig. The LORD has sent me, and behold, I shall take your child today. I will go with him and I will place him in the paradise of Edem, and there he will be forever.

And when the twelfth generation shall come into being, and there will be one thousand and seventy years, and there will be born in that generation a righteous man. And the LORD will tell him that he should to out to that mountain where stands the ark of Noe, your brother. And he will find there another Melkisedek, who has been living there for 7 years, hiding himself from the people who sacrifice to idols, so that they might not kill him. He will bring him out, and he will be the first priest and king in the city Salim in the style of this Melkisedek, the originator of the priests. The years will be completed up to that time – 3 thousand and 4 hundred and 32 –

from the beginning and the creation of Adam. •And from that Melkisedek the priests will be 12 in number until the great Igumen, that is to say, Leader, will bring out everything visible and invisible.”

And Nir understood the first dream and believed it. And having answered Michael he said, “Blessed be the LORD who has glorified you today for me! And now, bless your servant Nir! For we are coming close to departure from this world. And take the child, and do to him just as the LORD said

to you.” •And Michael took the child on the same night on which he had come down; and he took him on his wings, and he placed him in the paradise of Edom. •And Nir got up in the morning. He went into his tent and he did not find the child. And there was instead of joy very

great grief, because he had no other son except this one. •Thus Nir ended his life. And after him there was no priest among the people. And from that time great confusion arose on the earth.

73

And the LORD called Noe onto the mount Ararat, between Assyria and Armenia, in the land of Arabia, beside the ocean. And he said to him, “Make there an ark with 300 lakets in length and in width 50 lakets and in height 30. And two stories in the middle, and its doors of one laket.

And of their lakets 300, but of ours also 15 thousand; and so of theirs 50, but of ours 2000 and 500, and so of theirs 30, but of ours 900, and of theirs one laket, but of ours 50.” •In agreement with this numeral the Jews keep their measurements of Noe’s ark, just as the LORD said to him, and they carry out all their measurements in the same way, and all their regulations, even up to the present.

The LORD God opened the doors of heaven. Rain came onto the earth for 150 days, and all flesh died.

And Noe was in the year 500. He fathered 3 sons: Sim, Kham, Afet. •After 100 years, after the birth of his three sons, he went into the ark in the month, according to the Hebrews, Iuars, according to the Egyptians, Famenoth, on the 18^th day. And the ark floated for 40 days. And in all they were in the ark for 120 days.

And he went into the ark, a son of 600 years, and in the six hundred first year of his life he went out from the ark in the month Farmout according to the Egyptians, but according to the Hebrews Nisan, on the 28^th day. •After the Flood he lived 350 years, and he died. He lived in all 950 years, according to the LORD our God.

And to him be glory, from the beginning and now

and until the end of the whole era.           AMEN+