1 Enoch 48

And in that place I saw the fountain of righteousness, which never ran dry. Around it were many fountains of wisdom. All who were thirsty drank from them and were filled with wisdom, and their homes were with the righteous and the holy and the chosen.

1And in that place I saw the fountain of righteousness Which was inexhaustible: And around it were many fountains of wisdom: And all the thirsty drank of them, And were filled with wisdom, And their dwellings were with the righteous and holy and elect.

Note"The Lord of Spirits" is this book's usual title for God, and it runs through the whole section. It is roughly equivalent to the Hebrew Bible's "Lord of hosts," where "hosts" means the armies or ranks of heaven; here the ranks are the spirits and angels who stand before him. "In that place" ties this scene to the guided tour of the heavenly world that Enoch is being shown in the surrounding chapters.

2And at that hour that Son of Man was named in the presence of the Lord of Spirits, and his name was named before the Head of Days.

2And at that hour that Son of Man was named In the presence of the Lord of Spirits, And his name before the Head of Days.

Note"Son of Man" is an ordinary Aramaic and Hebrew phrase that means simply "a human being," as "son of Israel" means an Israelite. In this part of 1 Enoch it has hardened into a title for one particular figure, the man-like being Enoch has been seeing in his vision, which is why the text can say "that Son of Man": the one already pointed out. The usage draws on Daniel 7:13, where "one like a son of man" comes with the clouds to the Ancient of Days. "Head of Days" is this book's version of Daniel's "Ancient of Days," a title for God as the one who is older than time, or at the head of all the days there are. "His name was named" is not just a matter of being mentioned. In the ancient world naming something was part of bringing it into being or appointing it to its office, so to have your name spoken before God is to be designated and given your role.

3Yes, before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of the sky were made, his name was named before the Lord of Spirits.

3Yea, before the sun and the signs were created, Before the stars of the heaven were made, His name was named before the Lord of Spirits.

Note"The signs" are the fixed groupings of stars used to mark out the seasons and the calendar, what we would call the constellations. Compare Genesis 1:14, where the lights of the sky are made "for signs, and for seasons." 1 Enoch elsewhere devotes whole chapters to how these markers govern the year.

4He will be a staff for the righteous, something to lean on so they do not fall. He will be the light of the Gentiles, and the hope of those whose hearts are troubled.

4He shall be a staff to the righteous whereon to stay themselves and not fall, And he shall be the light of the Gentiles, And the hope of those who are troubled of heart.

NoteA staff is a walking stick, the thing a traveler or an old man puts his weight on; the image is of something that keeps you upright on rough ground. "Gentiles" translates a word meaning the nations, that is, all the peoples other than Israel. The phrasing here echoes Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6, where a servant figure is made "a light of the Gentiles."

5All who live on the earth will fall down and worship in front of him, and will praise and bless the Lord of Spirits and celebrate him with song.

5All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him, And will praise and bless and celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits.

6And for this reason he was chosen and hidden in the presence of the Lord of Spirits, before the world was created and forever after.

6And for this reason hath he been chosen and hidden before Him, Before the creation of the world and for evermore.

Note"Hidden" here means kept in reserve, stored up out of sight with God until the time comes, rather than merely secret or unknown. The same idea is used of treasure put away for later.

7And the wisdom of the Lord of Spirits has revealed him to the holy and the righteous, for he has kept safe the portion that belongs to the righteous. This is because they have hated and looked down on this world of wrongdoing, and have hated all its works and ways, in the name of the Lord of Spirits. For it is in his name that they are saved, and what has happened to their life has been according to what pleases him.

7And the wisdom of the Lord of Spirits hath revealed him to the holy and righteous; For he hath preserved the lot of the righteous, Because they have hated and despised this world of unrighteousness, And have hated all its works and ways in the name of the Lord of Spirits: For in his name they are saved, And according to his good pleasure hath it been in regard to their life.

Note"The lot of the righteous" means their allotted share. The word comes from the practice of dividing property, especially land, by casting lots, so a person's "lot" is the portion assigned to him and then, by extension, his inheritance and his destiny.

8In these days the kings of the earth will have become downcast, their faces low, and so will the strong men who own the land because of what their own hands have made. For on the day of their anguish and suffering they will not be able to save themselves.

8In these days downcast in countenance shall the kings of the earth have become, And the strong who possess the land because of the works of their hands, For on the day of their anguish and affliction they shall not (be able to) save themselves.

Note"The works of their hands" is genuinely double-edged and the translation keeps both senses open. It can mean simply what these men have built up by their own effort, the wealth and estates they made for themselves. But it is also the standard biblical idiom for idols, images literally manufactured by hand, in which case they hold their land by the favor of the gods they made. The text does not settle which is meant.

9And I will hand them over to my chosen ones. Like straw in a fire, so they will burn in front of the holy. Like lead in water, so they will sink in front of the righteous, and no trace of them will ever be found again.

9And I will give them over into the hands of Mine elect: As straw in the fire so shall they burn before the face of the holy: As lead in the water shall they sink before the face of the righteous, And no trace of them shall any more be found.

NoteLead was the heaviest metal in common use, cast into fishing weights and plumb bobs, so "as lead in the water" is a proverbial image of something that goes straight to the bottom and stays there. Compare Exodus 15:10, where Pharaoh's men "sank as lead in the mighty waters." Straw, the dry stalk left after threshing, is the opposite kind of image: it flares up and leaves nothing.

10And on the day of their suffering there will be rest on the earth. In front of the chosen and the righteous they will fall and not get up again, and there will be no one to take hold of them with his hands and lift them up. For they have denied the Lord of Spirits and his Anointed. Blessed be the name of the Lord of Spirits.

10And on the day of their affliction there shall be rest on the earth, And before them they shall fall and not rise again: And there shall be no one to take them with his hands and raise them: For they have denied the Lord of Spirits and His Anointed. The name of the Lord of Spirits be blessed.

Note"His Anointed" means the one he has anointed, that is, had oil poured over as the ceremony that installed a man as king or priest. The Hebrew word is mashiach, which comes into English as Messiah; the Greek equivalent is christos, which comes into English as Christ. The title here means the figure God has formally appointed, and it is the word itself, not a later interpretation, that connects this line to the vocabulary of messianic expectation. In the original, the line reads "before them they shall fall," and who "them" refers to is not stated. The rendering supplies "the chosen and the righteous" from the previous verse, but the pronoun is ambiguous in the text.