1 Enoch 90

And I kept watching until, in this same way, thirty-five shepherds took up the care of the sheep, and each one finished his own period of time just as the first ones had done. Then others took the sheep into their hands, to care for them during their period, each shepherd in his own period.

1And I saw till that in this manner thirty-five shepherds undertook the pasturing (of the sheep), and they severally completed their periods as did the first; and others received them into their hands, to pasture them for their period, each shepherd in his own period.

NoteA shepherd in this vision is not a herdsman but a figure put in charge of the flock for a fixed stretch of time. Earlier in the vision (chapter 89) seventy of them are handed the sheep in turn, each with his own "period," and the running count is tracked through this chapter. The thirty-five here is a cumulative total, not a new batch.

2After that I saw in my vision all the birds of the sky coming: the eagles, the vultures, the kites and the ravens. The eagles led all the birds. They began to eat those sheep, to peck out their eyes, and to eat their flesh.

2And after that I saw in my vision all the birds of heaven coming, the eagles, the vultures, the kites, the ravens; but the eagles led all the birds; and they began to devour those sheep, and to pick out their eyes and to devour their flesh.

NoteThe vision works by a fixed code, set up in chapters 85 to 89: peoples appear as animals. The sheep are the people of Israel, and the wild beasts and birds of prey are the foreign nations that attack them. The text never names a single nation outright, and readers from antiquity onward have matched the birds and beasts to particular empires in different ways. A kite is a bird of prey of the hawk family, a scavenger, not a toy on a string.

3The sheep cried out because their flesh was being eaten by the birds. As for me, I looked on and I mourned in my sleep over that shepherd who was caring for the sheep.

3And the sheep cried out because their flesh was being devoured by the birds, and as for me I looked and lamented in my sleep over that shepherd who pastured the sheep.

NoteCharles's English slips from many shepherds to one "that shepherd" here, following the Ethiopic. It most likely means the shepherd whose period was running at that moment, rather than a single figure over the whole stretch.

4And I kept watching until those sheep were eaten by the dogs and the eagles and the kites. They left no flesh, no skin and no sinew on them, until only their bones were standing there. Their bones too fell to the ground, and the sheep became few.

4And I saw until those sheep were devoured by the dogs and eagles and kites, and they left neither flesh nor skin nor sinew remaining on them till only their bones stood there: and their bones too fell to the earth and the sheep became few.

5And I kept watching until twenty-three shepherds had taken up the care of the sheep and had completed, in their own periods, fifty-eight times.

5And I saw until that twenty-three had undertaken the pasturing and completed in their several periods fifty-eight times.

NoteThe arithmetic is cumulative and is meant to be added up: thirty-five in verse 1 plus twenty-three here makes fifty-eight, and the twelve of verse 17 completes the seventy shepherds of verse 22.

6But look: lambs were born to those white sheep, and they began to open their eyes and to see, and to cry out to the sheep.

6But behold lambs were borne by those white sheep, and they began to open their eyes and to see, and to cry to the sheep.

NoteColor carries meaning throughout this vision. From chapter 85 on, white marks the animals the vision treats as good and black those it treats as wicked, so "white sheep" is a description of character, not of fleece. Lambs born to them are simply a new generation inside the flock.

7Yes, they cried out to them, but the sheep did not listen to what they said to them. They were extremely deaf, and their eyes were blinded beyond all measure.

7Yea, they cried to them, but they did not hearken to what they said to them, but were exceedingly deaf, and their eyes were very exceedingly blinded.

NoteOpen eyes and blind eyes run through the whole vision as its word for perceiving or failing to perceive. Being "exceedingly deaf" and "blinded" is not a physical condition here but the vision's standing image for refusing to take something in.

8And I saw in the vision how the ravens swooped down on those lambs, and took one of those lambs, and tore the sheep to pieces and ate them.

8And I saw in the vision how the ravens flew upon those lambs and took one of those lambs, and dashed the sheep in pieces and devoured them.

9And I kept watching until horns grew on those lambs, and the ravens knocked their horns down. And I kept watching until a great horn sprouted on one of those sheep, and their eyes were opened.

9And I saw till horns grew upon those lambs, and the ravens cast down their horns; and I saw till there sprouted a great horn of one of those sheep, and their eyes were opened.

NoteA horn stands for strength, and a single great horn for a strong leader who rises out of the group. The image is standard in Hebrew writing: to raise up a horn is to raise up a powerful ruler, and to break or cast down a horn is to destroy his power.

10And it looked at them, and their eyes were opened, and it cried out to the sheep. The rams saw it, and they all ran to it.

10And it †looked at† them and their eyes opened, and it cried to the sheep, and the rams saw it and all ran to it.

NoteA ram is a full-grown male sheep; in this vision the ones that grow horns are the flock's fighters and leaders. The daggers Charles prints around "†looked at†" are his own marks, used throughout his translation to flag words where he judged the Ethiopic manuscripts corrupt, damaged, or beyond confident translation. Several more appear in this chapter.

11In spite of all this, those eagles and vultures and ravens and kites still kept tearing at the sheep, swooping down on them and eating them. The sheep still stayed silent, but the rams mourned and cried out.

11And notwithstanding all this those eagles and vultures and ravens and kites still kept tearing the sheep and swooping down upon them and devouring them: still the sheep remained silent, but the rams lamented and cried out.

12Those ravens fought and battled with it and tried to bring its horn down, but they had no power over it.

12And those ravens fought and battled with it and sought to lay low its horn, but they had no power over it.

13And I kept watching until the shepherds and the eagles and those vultures and kites came, and they called to the ravens to break the horn of that ram. They battled and fought with it, and it fought with them and cried out that its help might come.

13And I saw till the †shepherds and† eagles and those vultures and kites came, and †they cried to the ravens† that they should break the horn of that ram, and they battled and fought with it, and it battled with them and cried that its help might come.

14And I kept watching until that man came, the one who wrote down the names of the shepherds and carried the record up into the presence of the Lord of the sheep. He helped the ram and showed it everything; he had come down to help that ram.

14And I saw till that man, who wrote down the names of the shepherds and carried up into the presence of the Lord of the sheep came and helped it and showed it everything: he had come down for the help of that ram.

NoteThis is the record keeper introduced in chapter 89: a figure who writes down everything the shepherds do and carries the written account up to the Lord of the sheep, so that it can be read out at a reckoning. He appears again in verses 17, 20 and 22.

15And I kept watching until the Lord of the sheep came to them in anger, and everyone who saw him ran away, and they all fell into his shadow, away from his face.

15And I saw till the Lord of the sheep came unto them in wrath, and all who saw Him fled, and they all fell †into His shadow† from before His face.

Note"†Into His shadow†" is one of Charles's flagged spots. The Ethiopic phrase is obscure, and it is not clear whether it means they fell prostrate in his presence, fled into darkness, or something the copyists garbled.

16All the eagles and vultures and ravens and kites gathered together, and with them came all the sheep of the field. Yes, they all came together, and they helped one another to break that horn of the ram.

16All the eagles and vultures and ravens and kites were gathered together, and there came with them all the sheep of the field, yea, they all came together, and helped each other to break that horn of the ram.

Note"All the sheep of the field" is odd, since sheep elsewhere in the vision are the victims, not the attackers. Many scholars read it as a copying slip for "all the beasts of the field," the phrase used in verses 19, 30 and 33.

17And I watched that man, who wrote the book at the command of the Lord, until he opened that book about the destruction that those twelve last shepherds had carried out. He showed, in front of the Lord of the sheep, that they had destroyed much more than the shepherds before them.

17And I saw that man, who wrote the book according to the command of the Lord, till he opened that book concerning the destruction which those twelve last shepherds had wrought, and showed that they had destroyed much more than their predecessors, before the Lord of the sheep.

NoteTwelve is the last block of shepherds, closing the count of seventy. "The book" is the written record of verse 14, opened and read aloud like evidence produced in a court.

18And I kept watching until the Lord of the sheep came to them and took the staff of his anger in his hand and struck the earth. The earth split open, and all the beasts and all the birds of the sky fell from among those sheep and were swallowed up in the earth, and it covered them over.

18And I saw till the Lord of the sheep came unto them and took in His hand the staff of His wrath, and smote the earth, and the earth clave asunder, and all the beasts and all the birds of the heaven fell from among those sheep, and were swallowed up in the earth and it covered them.

NoteThe staff is the shepherd's own crook, the tool used to guide and count sheep. Here the owner of the flock takes it up himself and uses it as a weapon, striking the ground with it.

19And I kept watching until a great sword was given to the sheep, and the sheep went out against all the beasts of the field to kill them; and all the beasts and the birds of the sky fled from them.

19And I saw till a great sword was given to the sheep, and the sheep proceeded against all the beasts of the field to slay them, and all the beasts and the birds of the heaven fled before their face.

20And I kept watching until a throne was set up in the pleasant land, and the Lord of the sheep sat down on it. And the other one took the sealed books and opened those books in front of the Lord of the sheep.

20And I saw till a throne was erected in the pleasant land, and the Lord of the sheep sat Himself thereon, and the other took the sealed books and opened those books before the Lord of the sheep.

Note"The pleasant land" is a traditional way of naming the land of Israel; similar phrases appear in the Hebrew scriptures, where it is called the pleasant or glorious land. "The other" is the record keeper of verse 14. The books are sealed the way legal documents were sealed, closed with a seal that only the proper authority may break, so that opening them is itself a formal act.

21The Lord called those men, the seven first white ones, and commanded them to bring before him all the stars whose private parts were like those of horses, beginning with the first star that had led the way. And they brought them all before him.

21And the Lord called those men the seven first white ones, and commanded that they should bring before Him, beginning with the first star which led the way, all the stars whose privy members were like those of horses, and they brought them all before Him.

NoteThe "seven first white ones" are the seven angelic figures of the earlier chapters; chapter 20 names seven by name. Stars in this vision stand for heavenly beings, and the stars that fell in chapter 86 picture the watchers of chapters 6 to 8, who took human wives. "Privy members" is 1917 English for genitals; the comparison to horses echoes a stock image in Ezekiel 23:20 for gross and animal sexual appetite.

22And he spoke to that man who did the writing in front of him, who was one of those seven white ones, and said to him: 'Take those seventy shepherds to whom I handed over the sheep, who took the sheep on their own authority and killed more of them than I had commanded them to kill.'

22And He said to that man who wrote before Him, being one of those seven white ones, and said unto him: ‘Take those seventy shepherds to whom I delivered the sheep, and who taking them on their own authority slew more than I commanded them.’

23And look, they were all bound, I saw it, and they all stood in front of him.

23And behold they were all bound, I saw, and they all stood before Him.

24The judgment was held first over the stars. They were judged and found guilty, and they went to the place of condemnation, and they were thrown into an abyss full of fire and flame and full of pillars of fire.

24And the judgement was held first over the stars, and they were judged and found guilty, and went to the place of condemnation, and they were cast into an abyss, full of fire and flaming, and full of pillars of fire.

NoteAn abyss is a deep pit or chasm with no visible bottom. The place described here, burning and set about with columns of fire, is the prison for rebellious heavenly beings that Enoch is shown on his travels in chapters 18 to 21.

25Then those seventy shepherds were judged and found guilty, and they were thrown into that fiery abyss.

25And those seventy shepherds were judged and found guilty, and they were cast into that fiery abyss.

26And at that time I saw how a similar abyss was opened in the middle of the earth, full of fire. They brought those blinded sheep, and they were all judged and found guilty and thrown into this fiery abyss, and they burned. Now this abyss was to the right of that house.

26And I saw at that time how a like abyss was opened in the midst of the earth, full of fire, and they brought those blinded sheep, and they were all judged and found guilty and cast into this fiery abyss, and they burned; now this abyss was to the right of that house.

NoteIn this vision the house built for the sheep stands for the city of Jerusalem and the tower inside it for the temple (chapter 89). "To the right" follows the ancient habit of taking one's bearings while facing east, which puts the right hand to the south.

27And I saw those sheep burning, and their bones burning.

27And I saw those sheep burning †and their bones burning†.

28And I stood up to watch until they folded up that old house. They carried off all the pillars, and all the beams and decorations of the house were folded up along with it at the same time. They carried it off and laid it down in a place in the south of the land.

28And I stood up to see till they folded up that old house; and carried off all the pillars, and all the beams and ornaments of the house were at the same time folded up with it, and they carried it off and laid it in a place in the south of the land.

NoteThe house is treated as if it were made of cloth: folded up, pillars and beams and all, and carried away like a tent struck at the end of a stay.

29And I kept watching until the Lord of the sheep brought a new house, bigger and taller than the first one, and set it up in the place of the first one, which had been folded up. All its pillars were new, and its decorations were new and larger than those of the first house, the old one that he had taken away. And all the sheep were inside it.

29And I saw till the Lord of the sheep brought a new house greater and loftier than that first, and set it up in the place of the first which had been folded up: all its pillars were new, and its ornaments were new and larger than those of the first, the old one which He had taken away, and all the sheep were within it.

30And I saw all the sheep that had been left, and all the beasts on the earth, and all the birds of the sky, falling down and paying honor to those sheep, and begging them, and obeying them in everything.

30And I saw all the sheep which had been left, and all the beasts on the earth, and all the birds of the heaven, falling down and doing homage to those sheep and making petition to and obeying them in every thing.

31After that, those three who were dressed in white, who had taken hold of my hand and had lifted me up before, took me up (and the hand of that ram was also holding on to me) and they set me down in the middle of those sheep, before the judgment took place.

31And thereafter those three who were clothed in white and had seized me by my hand who had taken me up before, and the hand of that ram also seizing hold of me, they took me up and set me down in the midst of those sheep †before the judgement took place†.

NoteThe three in white are the angelic figures who carried Enoch off in the earlier part of the vision (chapter 87) so that he could watch events from above. The daggered "†before the judgement took place†" is another of Charles's flagged phrases; it sits awkwardly here, since the judgment has just been described.

32Those sheep were all white, and their wool was thick and clean.

32And those sheep were all white, and their wool was abundant and clean.

33All that had been destroyed and scattered, and all the beasts of the field, and all the birds of the sky, gathered in that house. And the Lord of the sheep was full of great joy, because they were all good and had come back to his house.

33And all that had been destroyed and dispersed, and all the beasts of the field, and all the birds of the heaven, assembled in that house, and the Lord of the sheep rejoiced with great joy because they were all good and had returned to His house.

34And I kept watching until they laid down that sword which had been given to the sheep, and they brought it back into the house, and it was sealed up in the presence of the Lord. And all the sheep were invited into that house, but it did not hold them.

34And I saw till they laid down that sword, which had been given to the sheep, and they brought it back into the house, and it was sealed before the presence of the Lord, and all the sheep were invited into that house, but it held them not.

NoteThe Ethiopic is hard to pin down: "it held them not" reads most naturally as the house being unable to contain them all, yet verse 36 says the house was large and broad and very full. Translators differ over whether the sense is that the house overflowed or that no one was shut out.

35The eyes of them all were opened, and they saw the good, and there was not one among them that did not see.

35And the eyes of them all were opened, and they saw the good, and there was not one among them that did not see.

36And I saw that that house was large and wide and very full.

36And I saw that that house was large and broad and very full.

37And I saw that a white bull was born, with large horns, and all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the sky were afraid of him and made requests to him all the time.

37And I saw that a white bull was born, with large horns, and all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air feared him and made petition to him all the time.

NoteThe vision opened with human beings pictured as cattle rather than sheep, Adam as a white bull in chapter 85. The birth of a white bull here returns the imagery to where it began.

38And I kept watching until all their generations were changed, and they all became white bulls. And the first among them became a lamb, and that lamb became a great animal with large black horns on its head. And the Lord of the sheep was full of joy over it and over all the oxen.

38And I saw till all their generations were transformed, and they all became white bulls; and the first among them became a lamb, and that lamb became a great animal and had great black horns on its head; and the Lord of the sheep rejoiced over it and over all the oxen.

NoteThe word Charles translates "lamb" is a known crux: the Ethiopic reading is disputed, and many scholars take it as a corruption of a word for wild ox, which would fit the large black horns and the "oxen" at the end of the verse better than a lamb does. The rendering keeps the ambiguity rather than settling it.

39And I slept in the middle of them; and I woke up and saw everything.

39And I slept in their midst: and I awoke and saw everything.

40This is the vision I saw while I was asleep. I woke up and blessed the Lord of righteousness and gave him glory.

40This is the vision which I saw while I slept, and I awoke and blessed the Lord of righteousness and gave Him glory.

41Then I wept with great weeping, and my tears did not stop until I could bear it no longer. When I looked, they flowed because of what I had seen, for everything will come and be fulfilled, and all the deeds of people, in their order, were shown to me.

41Then I wept with a great weeping and my tears stayed not till I could no longer endure it: when I saw, they flowed on account of what I had seen; for everything shall come and be fulfilled, and all the deeds of men in their order were shown to me.

42That night I remembered the first dream, and because of it I wept and was troubled, because I had seen that vision.

42On that night I remembered the first dream, and because of it I wept and was troubled—because I had seen that vision.

Note"The first dream" is the earlier dream vision of chapters 83 to 84, in which Enoch saw the earth destroyed by water.