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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 13

1 Enoch went and said: 'Azâzêl, you will have no peace. A severe sentence has gone out against you, to put you in chains. 2 You will not be tolerated, nor will your requests be granted, because of the unrighteousness you have taught, and because of all the godlessness, unrighteousness, and sin you have shown to men.'⁠ 3 Then I went and spoke to them all together, and they were all afraid, and fear and trembling seized them. 4 They begged me to write a petition for them so that they might find forgiveness, and to read their petition in the presence of the Lord of heaven.⁠ 5 For from then on they could not speak or lift up their eyes to heaven because of the shame of the sins for which they had been condemned.⁠ 6 Then I wrote out their petition and the prayer for their spirits and their deeds, along with their requests for forgiveness and for a longer lifespan. 7 I went off and sat down by the waters of Dan, in the land of Dan, to the southwest of Hermon, and I read their petition until I fell asleep. 8 Then a dream came to me, and visions fell upon me. I saw visions of punishment, and a voice commanded me to tell it to the sons of heaven and to reprimand them. 9 When I awoke, I came to them, and they were all sitting gathered together, weeping in 'Abelsjâîl, which is between Lebanon and Sênêsêr, with their faces covered. 10 I recounted to them all the visions I had seen in my sleep, and I began to speak words of righteousness and to reprimand the heavenly Watchers.

Texts in conversation

Compare Ezra 9:6 and 1 Enoch 13:5

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

Ezra 9 and 1 Enoch 13 use honor and shame language, describing people too ashamed to lift their faces to heaven. In Ezra, this expression accompanies a prayer of confession. In 1 Enoch, this posture is used for the Watchers, who are unable to speak.

Passages

Ezra 9:6

Hebrew Bible
5 At the time of the evening offering I got up from my self-abasement, with my tunic and robe torn, and then dropped to my knees and spread my hands to the Lord my God. 6 I prayed: “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God! For our iniquities have climbed higher than our heads, and our guilt extends to the heavens. 7 From the days of our fathers until this very day our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities we, along with our kings and priests, have been delivered over by the local kings to sword, captivity, plunder, and embarrassment—right up to the present time.
400–301 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ezra

1 Enoch 13:5

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
4 They begged me to write a petition for them so that they might find forgiveness, and to read their petition in the presence of the Lord of heaven. 5 For from then on they could not speak or lift up their eyes to heaven because of the shame of the sins for which they had been condemned. 6 Then I wrote out their petition and the prayer for their spirits and their deeds, along with their requests for forgiveness and for a longer lifespan.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

References

"... The description of the watchers’ attitude reflects the wording of Ezra’s classic prayer of confession (Ezra 9:6; compare with Luke 18:13). The surpassing enormity of their sin is reflected, however, in their inability to pray. The watchers’ petition is for forgiveness, which is consonant with the nature of the sentence against them in 12:5 ..."
George W. E. Nickelsburg, A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 1-36, 81-108 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001), 238.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Ezra 9:6 and 1 Enoch 13:5

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