1 Enoch 14

This is the book of the words of righteousness, and of the rebuke of the everlasting Watchers, given as the Holy Great One commanded in that vision.

1The book of the words of righteousness, and of the reprimand of the eternal Watchers in accordance with the command of the Holy Great One in that vision.

Note"Watchers" renders a term (Aramaic *'ir*) meaning "waking one," a class of angels thought of as never sleeping. In this book it refers above all to the angels of chapters 6 to 13 who came down from heaven, took human wives and taught forbidden crafts. "Everlasting" describes the Watchers themselves, beings who do not die, rather than the rebuke.

2In my sleep I saw what I am now going to say with a tongue of flesh and with the breath of my mouth, which the Great One has given to people so they can talk with one another and understand with the heart.

2I saw in my sleep what I will now say with a tongue of flesh and with the breath of my mouth: which the Great One has given to men to converse therewith and understand with the heart.

Note"A tongue of flesh" means ordinary human speech, as opposed to the speech of angels. Enoch is flagging that what he saw in heaven is being reported in the language people use with each other, which the passage treats as a gift given to human beings along with understanding.

3Just as he created human beings and gave them the power to understand the word of wisdom, so he also created me and gave me the power to rebuke the Watchers, the children of heaven.

3As He has created and given to man the power of understanding the word of wisdom, so hath He created me also and given me the power of reprimanding the Watchers, the children of heaven.

Note"The children of heaven" is a standing phrase in this book for angels, heaven being where they belong and where they were born. The sentence sets up a comparison: as people were made able to speak wisdom, Enoch was made able to speak a verdict to angels.

4I wrote out your request, and in my vision it appeared like this: that your request will not be granted to you through all the days of eternity, and that judgment has been finally passed on you. Yes, your request will not be granted to you.

4I wrote out your petition, and in my vision it appeared thus, that your petition will not be granted unto you throughout all the days of eternity, and that judgement has been finally passed upon you: yea (your petition) will not be granted unto you.

NoteThe "request" is the petition the fallen Watchers asked Enoch to draft on their behalf in the previous chapter, a written appeal for pardon which he was to read out before God. Enoch is a scribe by trade in this book, and the "you" throughout verses 4 to 7 is the Watchers, who are being read their answer.

5And from now on you will never go up into heaven again, and the order has gone out to bind you in bonds of the earth for all the days of the world.

5And from henceforth you shall not ascend into heaven unto all eternity, and in bonds of the earth the decree has gone forth to bind you for all the days of the world.

Note"Bonds of the earth" means imprisonment in or under the ground, the sentence already pronounced on the Watchers earlier in the book, where the offending angels are bound and buried until the day of judgment. "The order has gone out" is the language of a royal decree that has already been issued and cannot be recalled.

6And it appeared that before that you will have seen the destruction of your beloved sons, and you will have no pleasure in them, but they will fall in front of you by the sword.

6And (that) previously you shall have seen the destruction of your beloved sons and ye shall have no pleasure in them, but they shall fall before you by the sword.

NoteThe "beloved sons" are the giants born to the Watchers by human women. Earlier in the book the giants are to destroy one another in war, and the point of the wording here is that the fathers are made to watch it happen before their own sentence is carried out.

7And your request on their behalf will not be granted, and neither will one on your own behalf, even though you weep and pray and speak every word in the writing I have written.

7And your petition on their behalf shall not be granted, nor yet on your own: even though you weep and pray and speak all the words contained in the writing which I have written.

Note"The writing I have written" is again the petition Enoch drafted for them. The sense is that reciting the appeal will change nothing, however often it is read.

8This is how the vision was shown to me. Look: in the vision clouds invited me and a mist called me, and the course of the stars and the lightnings sped me on and hurried me. In the vision the winds made me fly and lifted me upward and carried me into heaven.

8And the vision was shown to me thus: Behold, in the vision clouds invited me and a mist summoned me, and the course of the stars and the lightnings sped and hastened me, and the winds in the vision caused me to fly and lifted me upward, and bore me into heaven.

NoteClouds, mist, winds and lightning carrying the seer upward is the standard furniture of a heavenly journey in this kind of literature, the equivalent of a vehicle. "Invited" and "called" are deliberate: the elements summon him rather than seize him.

9And I went in until I came near a wall that was built of crystals and surrounded by tongues of fire, and it began to frighten me.

9And I went in till I drew nigh to a wall which is built of crystals and surrounded by tongues of fire: and it began to affright me.

NoteThe word behind "crystals" covers both rock crystal and ice, and ancient writers commonly held that rock crystal was water frozen so hard it could never melt again. The same substance can therefore be described as ice and as clear stone at once, which is why the building can be freezing and blazing in the same breath in verse 13.

10And I went into the tongues of fire and came near a large house that was built of crystals. The walls of the house were like a floor of small crystal tiles fitted together, and its foundation was crystal.

10And I went into the tongues of fire and drew nigh to a large house which was built of crystals: and the walls of the house were like a tesselated floor (made) of crystals, and its groundwork was of crystal.

NoteThe description follows the plan of a temple: an outer wall, then an outer building, then in verse 15 an inner building that is larger and more splendid, holding the throne. A worshiper at the Jerusalem temple passed through courts in the same order, and only the priests went into the inner room.

11Its ceiling was like the path of the stars and the lightnings, and between them were fiery cherubim, and their heaven was clear as water.

11Its ceiling was like the path of the stars and the lightnings, and between them were fiery cherubim, and their heaven was (clear as) water.

NoteCherubim are a class of winged heavenly creatures attached to God's throne and his sanctuary, carved into the temple's inner room and pictured elsewhere as the bearers of God's moving throne. They are not the plump infants of later European art.

12A flaming fire surrounded the walls, and its doorways blazed with fire.

12A flaming fire surrounded the walls, and its portals blazed with fire.

13And I went into that house, and it was hot as fire and cold as ice. There was nothing in it that makes life pleasant. Fear covered me, and trembling took hold of me.

13And I entered into that house, and it was hot as fire and cold as ice: there were no delights of life therein: fear covered me, and trembling got hold upon me.

14And as I shook and trembled, I fell on my face.

14And as I quaked and trembled, I fell upon my face.

15And I saw a vision, and look: there was a second house, larger than the first one, and its whole doorway stood open in front of me, and it was built of flames of fire.

15And I beheld a vision, And lo! there was a second house, greater than the former, and the entire portal stood open before me, and it was built of flames of fire.

16And in every way it was so far beyond the first in splendor and greatness and size that I cannot describe its splendor and its size to you.

16And in every respect it so excelled in splendour and magnificence and extent that I cannot describe to you its splendour and its extent.

17Its floor was of fire, and above it were lightnings and the path of the stars, and its ceiling too was flaming fire.

17And its floor was of fire, and above it were lightnings and the path of the stars, and its ceiling also was flaming fire.

18And I looked and saw a high throne inside it. It looked like crystal, and its wheels were like the shining sun, and there was the vision of cherubim.

18And I looked and saw therein a lofty throne: its appearance was as crystal, and the wheels thereof as the shining sun, and there was the vision of cherubim.

NoteA throne with wheels is a throne that travels, drawn from Ezekiel's vision of God's chariot and from the fiery wheeled throne in Daniel 7. The wheels are part of the throne itself, not of a separate vehicle.

19And from underneath the throne came streams of flaming fire, so that I could not look at it.

19And from underneath the throne came streams of flaming fire so that I could not look thereon.

20And the Great Glory sat on it, and his clothing shone more brightly than the sun and was whiter than any snow.

20And the Great Glory sat thereon, and His raiment shone more brightly than the sun and was whiter than any snow.

Note"The Great Glory" is a reverent title for God that avoids naming or describing him directly, as "the Holy Great One" and "the Great One" do earlier in the chapter. Such substitutes are normal in writing of this period.

21None of the angels could go in and look at his face, because of the greatness and the glory, and no flesh could look at him.

21None of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason of the magnificence and glory and no flesh could behold Him.

Note"Flesh" here means any mortal creature, human or animal: no living body could survive the sight. The point is physical, about what a creature made of flesh can endure.

22The flaming fire was all around him, and a great fire stood in front of him, and none of those around him could come near him. Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him, yet he needed no adviser.

22The flaming fire was round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw nigh Him: ten thousand times ten thousand (stood) before Him, yet He needed no counsellor.

Note"Ten thousand times ten thousand" uses the largest round number the ancient languages had a single word for, the myriad or ten thousand; a myriad of myriads simply means a crowd beyond counting. "He needed no adviser" is court language: a human king seated in state is surrounded by a council he consults, and this king is not.

23And the most holy ones who were near him did not leave at night and did not go away from him.

23And the most holy ones who were nigh to Him did not leave by night nor depart from Him.

Note"The most holy ones" are the highest rank of angels, those stationed closest to the throne. Not leaving at night marks them as a permanent watch, unlike a royal guard that changes shift.

24And until then I had been lying face down on the ground, trembling. And the Lord called me with his own mouth and said to me: 'Come here, Enoch, and hear my word.'

24And until then I had been prostrate on my face, trembling: and the Lord called me with His own mouth, and said to me: ‘Come hither, Enoch, and hear my word.’

Note"With his own mouth" is pointed. Elsewhere in this book God's words reach people through an angelic intermediary, and here the address is direct.

25And one of the holy ones came to me and woke me, and he made me stand up and come near the door, and I bowed my face downward.

25And one of the holy ones came to me and waked me, and He made me rise up and approach the door: and I bowed my face downwards.

Note"One of the holy ones" means one of the angels. Enoch is raised from lying flat to standing, but only as far as the doorway, and the bowed head is the posture of someone admitted to the presence of a king without being allowed to look at him.