Part 6

6. The course of the moon’s path to the righteous is light, but to sinners it is darkness; in the name of the Lord of spirits, who created _a division_ between light and darkness, and, separating the spirits of men, strengthened the spirits of the righteous in the name of his own righteousness.

7. Nor does the angel prevent _this_, neither is he endowed with the power of preventing it; for the Judge beholds them all, and judges them all in his own presence.

Footnote 86:

_the kingdom or paradise._

Footnote 87:

_the work or labour of man._

Footnote 88:

_of woods._

Footnote 89:

_they._

Footnote 90:

_by an oath to which they adhered._

Footnote 91:

_to their path._

CHAP. XLII.

1. Wisdom found not a place _on earth_ where she could inhabit; her dwelling therefore is in heaven.

2. Wisdom went forth to dwell among the sons of men, but she obtained not an habitation. Wisdom returned to her place, and seated herself in the midst of the angels. But iniquity went forth after her return, who unwillingly found _an habitation_, and resided among them, as rain in the desert, and as a dew in a thirsty land.

CHAP. XLIII.

1. I beheld another splendour, and the stars of heaven. I observed that he called them all by their respective names, and that they heard. In a righteous balance I saw that he weighed out with their light the amplitude of their places, and the day of their appearance,[92] and their conversion. Splendour produced splendour; and their conversion _was_ into the number of the angels, and of the faithful.

2. Then I inquired of the angel, who proceeded with me, and explained to me secret things, What _their names_ were. He answered, A similitude of those has the Lord of spirits shown thee. They are names of the righteous who dwell upon earth, and who believe in the name of the Lord of spirits for ever and for ever.

Footnote 92:

_of their existing._

CHAP. XLIV.

Another thing also I saw respecting splendour; that it rises out of the stars, and becomes splendour; being incapable of forsaking them.

CHAP. XLV. [SECT. VII.[93]]

1. Parable the second, respecting these who deny[94] the name of the habitation of the holy ones, and of the Lord of spirits.

2. Heaven they shall not ascend, nor shall they come on the earth. This shall be the portion of sinners, who deny the name of the Lord of spirits, and who are thus reserved for the day of punishment and of affliction.

3. In that day shall the Elect One sit upon a throne of glory; and shall choose their conditions and countless habitations (while their spirits within them shall be strengthened, when they behold my Elect One), _shall choose them_ for those who have fled for protection to my holy and glorious name.

4. In that day I will cause my Elect One to dwell in the midst of them; will change _the face of_ heaven; will bless it, and illuminate it for ever.

5. I will also change _the face of_ the earth; will bless it; and cause those whom I have elected to dwell upon it. But those who have committed sin and iniquity shall not inhabit it,[95] for I have marked their proceedings.[96] My righteous ones will I satisfy with peace, placing them before me; but the condemnation of sinners shall draw near, that I may destroy them from the face of the earth.

Footnote 93:

In the Paris MS. it is section viii. In the Bodleian MS. section vii.

Footnote 94:

In the Bodleian MS. there seems here an evident omission. This omission is supplied in the Paris MS. I have followed the latter.

Footnote 95:

_tread upon it._

Footnote 96:

_for I have seen them._

CHAP. XLVI.

1. There I beheld the Ancient of days,[97] whose head was like white wool, and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of man. His countenance was full of grace, like _that of_ one of the holy angels. Then I inquired of one of the angels,[98] who went with me, and who showed me every secret thing, concerning this Son of man; who he was; whence he was; and why he accompanied the Ancient of days.

2. He answered and said to me, This is the Son of man, to whom righteousness belongs; with whom righteousness has dwelt; and who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed: for the Lord of spirits has chosen him; and his portion has surpassed[99] all before the Lord of spirits in everlasting uprightness.

3. This Son of man, whom thou beholdest, shall raise up kings and the mighty from their couches, and the powerful from their thrones; shall loosen the bridles of the powerful, and break in pieces the teeth of sinners.

4. He shall hurl kings from their thrones and their dominions; because they will not exalt and praise him, nor humble themselves _before him_, by whom[100] their kingdoms were granted to them. The countenance likewise of the mighty shall He cast down, filling them with confusion. Darkness shall be their habitation, and worms shall be their bed; nor from _that_ their bed shall they hope to be again raised, because they exalted not the name of the Lord of spirits.

5. They shall condemn the stars of heaven, shall lift up their hands against the Most High, shall tread upon and inhabit the earth, exhibiting all their works of iniquity, even their works of iniquity. Their strength shall be in their riches, and their faith in the gods whom they have formed with their own hands. They shall deny the name of the Lord of spirits, and shall expel him from the temples, in which they assemble;

6. And _with him_ the faithful, who suffer in the name of the Lord of spirits.

Footnote 97:

_The Chief_ or _Head of days_, Dan. vii. 9.

Footnote 98:

The words, _Then I inquired of one of the angels_, are omitted in the Bodleian MS. They occur in the Paris MS.

Footnote 99:

_conquered._

Footnote 100:

_from whence._

CHAP. XLVII.

1. In that day the prayer of the holy and the righteous, and the blood of the righteous, shall ascend from the earth into the presence of the Lord of spirits.

2. In that day shall the holy ones assemble, who dwell above the heavens, and with united voice petition, supplicate, praise, laud, and bless the name of the Lord of spirits, on account of the blood of the righteous which has been shed; that the prayer of the righteous may not be intermitted before the Lord of spirits; that for them he would execute judgment; and that his patience may not endure for ever.

3. At that time I beheld the Ancient of days, while he sat upon the throne of his glory, _while_ the book of the living was opened in his presence, and _while_ all the powers which were above the heavens stood around and before him.

4. Then were the hearts of the saints full of joy, because the consummation[101] of righteousness was arrived, the supplication of the saints heard, and the blood of the righteous appreciated by the Lord of spirits.

Footnote 101:

_the number._

CHAP. XLVIII.

1. In that place I beheld a fountain of righteousness, which never failed, encircled by many springs of wisdom. Of these all the thirsty drank, and were filled with wisdom, having their habitation with the righteous, the elect, and the holy.

2. In that hour was this Son of man invoked before the Lord of spirits, and his name in the presence of the Ancient of days.

3. Before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of heaven were formed, his name was invoked in the presence of the Lord of spirits. A support shall he be for the righteous and the holy to lean upon, without falling; and he shall be the light of nations.

4. He shall be the hope of those whose hearts are troubled. All, who dwell on earth, shall fall down and worship before him; shall bless and glorify him, and sing praises to the name of the Lord of spirits.

5. Therefore the Elect and the Concealed One existed in his presence, before the world was created, and for ever.

6. In his presence _he existed_, and has revealed to the saints and to the righteous the wisdom of the Lord of spirits; for he has preserved the lot of the righteous, because they have hated and rejected this world of iniquity, and have detested all its works and ways, in the name of the Lord of spirits.

7. For in his name shall they be preserved; and his will shall be their life. In those days shall the kings of the earth and the mighty men, who have gained the world by their achievements,[102] become humble in countenance.

8. For in the day of their anxiety and trouble their souls shall not be saved; and _they shall be_ in subjection to[103] those whom I have chosen.

9. I will cast them like hay into the fire, and like lead into the water. Thus shall they burn in the presence of the righteous, and sink in the presence of the holy; nor shall a tenth part of them be found.

10. But in the day of their trouble, the world shall obtain tranquillity.[104]

11. In his presence shall they fall, and not be raised up again; nor shall there be any one to take them out of his hands, and to lift them up: for they have denied the Lord of spirits, and his Messiah. The name of the Lord of spirits shall be blessed.

Footnote 102:

_by the work of their own hands._

Footnote 103:

_in the hand of._

Footnote 104:

_rest shall be on earth._

CHAP. XLVIII.[105]

1. Wisdom is poured forth like water, and glory fails not before him for ever and ever; for potent is he in all the secrets of righteousness.

2. But iniquity passes away like a shadow, and possesses not a fixed station: for the Elect One stands before the Lord of spirits; and his glory is for ever and ever; and his power from generation to generation.

3. With him dwells the spirit of intellectual wisdom, the spirit of instruction and of power, and the spirit of those who sleep in righteousness; he shall judge secret things.

4. Nor shall any be able to utter a single word before him; for the Elect One is in the presence of the Lord of spirits, according to his own pleasure.

Footnote 105:

Chap. xlviii. occurs twice.

CHAP. XLIX.

1. In those days the saints and the chosen shall undergo a change. The light of day shall rest upon them; and the splendour and glory of the saints shall be changed.

2. In the day of trouble evil shall be heaped up upon sinners; but the righteous shall triumph in the name of the Lord of spirits.

3. Others shall be made to see, that they must repent, and forsake the works of their hands; and that glory awaits them not in the presence of the Lord of spirits; yet that by his name they may be saved. The Lord of spirits will have compassion on them: for great is his mercy; and righteousness is in his judgment, and in the presence of his glory; nor in his judgment shall iniquity stand. He who repents not before him shall perish.

4. Henceforward I will not have mercy on them, saith the Lord of spirits.

CHAP. L.

1. In those days shall the earth deliver up from her womb, and hell deliver up from hers, that which it has received; and destruction shall restore that which it owes.

2. He shall select the righteous and holy from among them; for the day of their salvation has approached.

3. And in those days shall the Elect One sit upon his throne, while every secret of intellectual wisdom shall proceed from his mouth; for the Lord of spirits has gifted and glorified him.

4. In those days the mountains shall skip like rams, and the hills shall leap like young sheep[106] satiated with milk; and all _the righteous_ shall become angels in heaven.

5. Their countenance shall be bright with joy; for in those days shall the Elect One be exalted. The earth shall rejoice; the righteous shall inhabit it, and the elect possess it.[107]

Footnote 106:

Psalm cxiv. 4.

Footnote 107:

_go and walk upon it._

CHAP. LI.

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

2. There my eyes beheld the secrets of heaven, and all which existed on earth; a mountain of iron, a mountain of copper,[108] a mountain of silver, a mountain of gold, a mountain of fluid metal, and a mountain of lead.

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

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

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

6. In those days men[109] shall not be saved by gold and by silver.

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

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

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

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

Footnote 108:

_nummus minutissimus. Obolus._

Footnote 109:

_they._

CHAP. LII.

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

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

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

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

5. He said, These they are preparing for the kings and powerful ones of the earth, that thus[110] they may perish.

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

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

Footnote 110:

_by this._

CHAP. LIII.

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

2. To this valley they brought monarchs and the mighty.

3. And there my eyes beheld the instruments which they were making, fetters of iron without weight.[111]

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

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

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

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

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

9. The water which is above heaven shall be the agent;[112]

10. And the water which is under the earth shall be the recipient[113]: and all shall be destroyed who dwell upon earth, and who dwell under the extremities of heaven.

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

Footnote 111:

_in which there was not weight._

Footnote 112:

_male._

Footnote 113:

_female._

CHAP. LIV.

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

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

3. But I will place a sign in the heavens;[114] and it shall be a faithful witness[115] between me and them for ever, as long as the days of heaven and earth last upon the earth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnote 114:

Gen. ix. 13. “I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.”

Footnote 115:

_faith_, or _fidelity_.

CHAP. LV.

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

2. And they came upon the wind from the east, from the west, and from the south.[116]

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

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

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

6. This is the end of the second parable.

Footnote 116:

_from the midst of the day._ The army alluded to was probably Roman.

CHAP. LVI. [SECT. IX.[117]]

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

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

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

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

5. Henceforward shall the saints be told to seek in heaven the secrets of righteousness, the portion of faith; for like the sun has it arisen upon the earth, while darkness has passed away. There shall be light interminable:[118] nor shall they enter upon the enumeration of time; for darkness shall be previously destroyed, and light shall increase before the Lord of spirits; before the Lord of spirits shall the light of uprightness increase for ever.

Footnote 117:

Paris MS.

Footnote 118:

_which cannot be numbered._

CHAP. LVII.

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

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

3. And there I saw the secrets of the thunder, when it rattles[119] above in heaven, and its sound is heard.

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

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

Footnote 119:

_it is grinding_, as in a mortar.

CHAP. LVIII.[120] [SECT. X.[121]]

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

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

3. Then holy Michael said to me, Wherefore art thou disturbed at this vision?

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

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

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

7. In that day shall be distributed _for food_ two monsters; a female monster, whose name is Leviathan, dwelling in the depths of the sea, above the springs of waters;

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

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

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

11. And he said, Thou, son of man, art here desirous of understanding secret things.

12.[122] And the angel of peace, who was with me, said, These two monsters are by the power of God prepared to become food, that the punishment of God may not be in vain.

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

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

Footnote 120: