The Book Of The Secrets Of Enoch
1926 anthology, complete selected publisher reading text
Rutherford H. Platt
XXXVII.
Here God summons an angel.
AND the Lord called up one of the older angels, terrible and menacing, and placed him by me, in appearance white as snow, and his hands like ice, having the appearance of great frost, and he froze my face, because I could not endure the terror of the Lord, just as it is not possible to endure a stove’s fire and the sun’s heat, and the frost of the air.
2 And the Lord said to me: ‘Enoch, if thy face be not frozen here, no man will be able to behold thy face.’
XXXVIII.
Mathusal continued to have hope and to await his father Enoch at his couch day and night.
AND the Lord said to those men who first led me up: ‘Let Enoch go down on to earth with you, and await him till the determined day.’
2 And they placed me by night on my couch.
3 And Mathusal expecting my coming, keeping watch by day and by night at my couch, was filled with awe when he heard my coming, and I told him, ‘Let all my household come together, that I tell them everything.’
XXXIX.
Enoch’s pitiful admonition to his sons with weeping and great lamentation, as he spoke to them.
Oh my children, my beloved ones, hear the admonition of your father, as much as is according to the Lord’s will.
2 I have been let come to you to-day, and announce to you, not from my lips, but from the Lord’s lips, all that is and was and all that is now, and all that will be till judgement-day.
3 For the Lord has let me come to you, you hear therefore the words of my lips, of a man made big for you, but I am one who has seen the Lord’s face, like iron made to glow from fire it sends forth sparks and burns,
4 You look now upon my eyes, the eyes of a man big with meaning for you, but I have seen the Lord’s eyes, shining like the sun’s rays and filling the eyes of man with awe.
5 You see now, my children, the right hand of a man that helps you, but I have seen the Lord’s right hand filling heaven as be helped me.
6 You see the compass of my work like your own, but I have seen the Lord’s limitless and perfect compass, which has no end.
7 You hear the words of my lips, as I heard the words of the Lord, like great thunder incessantly with hurling of clouds.
8 And now, my children, hear the discourses of the father of the earth, how fearful and awful it is to come before the face of the ruler of the earth, how much more terrible and awful it is to come before the face of the ruler of heaven, the controller of quick and dead, and of the heavenly troops. Who can endure that endless pain?
XL.
Enoch admonishes his children truly of all things from the Lord’s lips, how he saw and heard and wrote down.
AND now, my children, I know all things, for this is from the Lord’s lips, and this my eyes have seen, from beginning to end.
2 I know all things, and have written all things into books, the heavens and their end, and their plenitude, and all the armies and their marchings.
3 I have measured and described the stars, the great countless multitude of them.
4 What man has seen their revolutions, and their entrances? For not even the angels see their number, while I have written all their names.
5 And I measured the sun’s circle, and measured its rays, counted the hours, I wrote down too all’ things that go over the earth I have written the things that are nourished, and all seed sown and unsown, which the earth produces and all plants, and every grass and every flower, and their sweet smells, and their names, and the dwelling-places of the clouds, and their composition, and their wings, and how they bear rain and raindrops.
6 And I investigated all things, and wrote the road of the thunder and of the lightning, and they showed me the keys and their guardians, their rise, the way they go; it is let out in measure (sc. gently) by a chain, lest by a heavy chain and violence it hurl down the angry clouds and destroy all things on earth.
7 I wrote the treasure-houses of the snow, and the store-houses of the cold and the frosty airs, and I observed their season’s key-holder, he fills the clouds with them, and does not exhaust the treasure-houses.
8 And I wrote the resting-places of the winds and observed and saw how their key-holders bear weighing-scales and measures; first, they put them in one weighing-scale, then in the other the weights and let them out according to measure cunningly over the whole earth, lest by heavy breathing they make the earth to rock.
9 And I measured out the whole earth, its mountains, and all hills, fields, trees, stones, rivers, all existing things I wrote down, the height from earth to the seventh heaven, and downwards to the very lowest hell, and the judgement-place, and the very great, open and weeping hell.
10 And I saw how the prisoners are in pain, expecting the limitless judgement.
11 And I wrote down all those being judged by the judge, and all their judgements (sc. sentences) and all their works.
XLI.
Of how Enoch lamented Adam’s sin.
AND I saw all forefathers from all time with Adam and Eva, and I sighed and broke into tears and said of the ruin of their dishonour:
2. ‘Woe is me for my infirmity and for that of my forefathers,’ and thought in my, heart and said:
3 ‘Blessed is the man who has not been born or who has been born and shall not sin before the Lord’s face, that he come not into this place, nor bring the yoke of this place!
XLII.
Of how Enoch saw the key-holders and guards of the gates of hell standing.
SAW the key-holders and guards of the gates of hell standing, like great serpents, and their faces like extinguished lamps, and their eyes of fire, their sharp teeth, and I saw all the Lord’s works, how they are right, while the works of man are some good, and others bad, and in their works are known those who lie evilly.