1 Enoch 45

This is the second parable. It is about those who say no to the name of the dwelling place of the holy ones and of the Lord of Spirits.

1And this is the second Parable concerning those who deny the name of the dwelling of the holy ones and the Lord of Spirits.

NoteIn this book a "parable" is not a short story with a moral. It is a revealed discourse: a long oracle or vision disclosed to the seer and then recited. This is the second of three such parables, running from here through chapter 57. "The holy ones" are the angels, the heavenly beings who surround God, so "the dwelling of the holy ones" is a way of saying heaven itself. "Lord of Spirits" is the standard title for God all through these chapters, the spirits being that same heavenly host. To deny a name is to refuse to acknowledge it and to reject the claim it makes, not merely to be ignorant of it.

2They will not go up into the sky, and they will not come onto the earth. That is what will happen to the sinners, the ones who have denied the name of the Lord of Spirits, the ones who are kept in this way for the day of suffering and trouble.

2And into the heaven they shall not ascend, And on the earth they shall not come: Such shall be the lot of the sinners Who have denied the name of the Lord of Spirits, Who are thus preserved for the day of suffering and tribulation.

NoteSky and earth together are the whole of the created world, so being shut out of both leaves nowhere at all to be. Charles's "preserved" carries the older English sense of kept in reserve, held back for a set purpose; these people are being stored up for the day of reckoning, not kept safe. "The day of suffering and tribulation" is a fixed phrase in this book for the day of judgment.

3On that day my Elect One will sit on the throne of glory. He will test what they have done, and their resting places will be too many to count. Their souls will grow strong inside them when they see my elect ones and the ones who have called on my glorious name.

3On that day Mine Elect One shall sit on the throne of glory And shall try their works, And their places of rest shall be innumerable. And their souls shall grow strong within them when they see Mine elect ones, And those who have called upon My glorious name:

NoteTwo different things are named in this verse with the same English word. "Mine Elect One," singular and capitalized, is a title for one particular heavenly figure, called elsewhere in these chapters the Righteous One, the Anointed One, and that Son of Man. "Mine elect ones," plural, are the righteous human beings God has chosen. The "throne of glory" is a judge's seat, and to "try" works is to examine and test them, the way metal is assayed for purity. "Places of rest" are dwelling places; whose they are is left open in the text, either the people being judged or the elect ones named in the next line.

4Then I will make my Elect One live among them. And I will change the sky and make it a blessing and a light that lasts forever.

4Then will I cause Mine Elect One to dwell among them. And I will transform the heaven and make it an eternal blessing and light:

Note"Heaven" here covers both the visible sky and the heavenly world above it; one word does both jobs. To transform it is to remake it, not to repair it. Calling something "a blessing" in this idiom means making it a source of good to those who live under it, as one speaks of a good season or a well watered field as a blessing.

5And I will change the earth and make it a blessing. And I will make my elect ones live on it. But the sinners and the ones who do evil will not set foot on it.

5And I will transform the earth and make it a blessing: And I will cause Mine elect ones to dwell upon it: But the sinners and evil-doers shall not set foot thereon.

Note"Set foot thereon" is the ordinary idiom for entering a land and taking possession of it, not just for walking across it.

6For I have provided for my righteous ones and filled them with peace, and I have made them live in front of me. But for the sinners, judgment is waiting with me, so that I will destroy them from the face of the earth.

6For I have provided and satisfied with peace My righteous ones And have caused them to dwell before Me: But for the sinners there is judgement impending with Me, So that I shall destroy them from the face of the earth.

Note"Provided" in Charles's English means made provision for, supplied with what was needed. To dwell "before Me" is to live in God's presence, the position of a courtier or honored guest admitted to the king's own hall. "Judgement impending" describes a sentence already settled and waiting to fall, not one still being weighed.