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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 71

1 After that my spirit was taken up, and I ascended into the heavens. I saw the holy sons of God walking on flames of fire; their garments were white, and their faces shone like snow. 2 I saw two streams of fire, and the light from the fire was like hyacinth. Overwhelmed, I fell on my face before the Lord of Spirits.⁠ 3 The archangel Michael took me by my right hand, lifted me up, and led me through all the secrets, showing me all the secrets of righteousness. 4 He revealed to me all the secrets of the ends of heaven, and all the chambers of the stars and the lights, from where they come out before the holy ones. 5 My spirit was taken into the highest heaven, where I saw a structure built of crystals with tongues of living fire between them.⁠ 6 I saw the band of fire surrounding this fiery house, with streams of living fire on all four sides. 7 Around it were Seraphim, Cherubim, and Ophanim, who do not sleep and guard the throne of His glory. 8 There I saw countless angels, thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand, surrounding the house.⁠ Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Phanuel, and the holy angels from above the heavens went in and out of the house. 9 They came out of that house, and along with Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Phanuel came many holy angels beyond number. 10 With them was the Head of Days,⁠ whose head was white and pure as wool, and whose garments were beyond description. 11 Overcome, I fell on my face, my whole body went limp, and my spirit was transformed;⁠ I cried out with a loud voice, blessing, glorifying, and exalting Him. 12 These blessings from my mouth pleased the Head of Days.⁠ 13 The Head of Days came with Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Phanuel, accompanied by thousands and tens of thousands of angels beyond number. 14 One of the angels came to me and said, 'This is the Son of Man who was born for righteousness. Righteousness dwells with him, and the righteousness of the Head of Days never leaves him.' 15 He told me, 'He proclaims peace to you in the name of the world to come. Since the creation of the world, peace has come from here, and so it will be for you forever.' 16 'All will follow his path because righteousness never leaves him. They will dwell with him, and their inheritance will be with him, never to be separated from him forever.' 17 'So the Son of Man will have long days,⁠ and the righteous will have peace and walk in upright ways in the name of the Lord of Spirits forever.'

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 19:14 and 1 Enoch 71:12

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

1 Enoch 71 ends with language from Psalm 19, showing the psalm was already being used as a liturgical closing prayer. This early use points to a pattern later followed in Jewish and Christian traditions.

Passages

Psalm 19:14

Hebrew Bible
11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; those who obey them receive a rich reward. 12 Who can know all his errors? Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of. 13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins; do not allow such sins to control me. Then I will be blameless and innocent of blatant rebellion. 14 May my words and my thoughts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my sheltering rock and my redeemer.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

1 Enoch 71:12

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
10 With them was the Head of Days, whose head was white and pure as wool, and whose garments were beyond description. 11 Overcome, I fell on my face, my whole body went limp, and my spirit was transformed; I cried out with a loud voice, blessing, glorifying, and exalting Him. 12 These blessings from my mouth pleased the Head of Days. 13 The Head of Days came with Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Phanuel, accompanied by thousands and tens of thousands of angels beyond number.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

References

“... The melting of the seer’s flesh notwithstanding, the immediate presence of the deity evokes from the seer an energetic response characterized by the repetitive “I cried out with a loud voice, with a spirit of power | I blessed and praised and exalted.” For this latter vocabulary in one place, see the description of the angelic praise in 61:6-12 and especially v. 6. Perhaps it is the transformation of Enoch’s spirit that overcomes his melting flesh and enables this worshipful outburst. Verse 12 may echo the wording of Ps 19:14 (Gk., Eth. 18:15): May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight (Eth. šemur qedma, as here), O YHWH, my rock and my redeemer. A paraphrase from this Psalm of cosmic praise would be appropriate in this context. ...”
George W. E. Nickelsburg and James C. VanderKam, 1 Enoch 2: A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch, Chapters 37-82 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012), 327.

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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Psalm 19:14 and 1 Enoch 71:12

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