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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 98

1 And now I swear to you, to the wise and to the foolish, for you will experience many things on the earth. 2 For men will wear more ornaments than a woman, and colored garments more than a virgin: in royalty, grandeur, and power, and in silver, gold, and purple, and in splendor and food they will be lavished on as if with water. 3 So they will lack teaching and wisdom, and will perish along with their possessions; and with all their glory and splendor, and in shame, slaughter, and great poverty, their spirits will be thrown into the furnace of fire. 4 I have sworn to you, sinners, that just as a mountain has not become a servant, nor a hill the maidservant of a woman, so sin was not sent upon the earth, but man created it himself, and those who commit it will fall under a great curse.⁠ 5 Barrenness was not given to the woman, but she dies without children because of the deeds of her own hands. 6 I have sworn to you, sinners, by the Holy Great One, that all your evil deeds are revealed in the heavens, and none of your deeds of oppression are concealed or hidden. 7 Do not think in your spirit nor say in your heart that you do not know or see that every sin is recorded every day in heaven in the presence of the Most High.⁠ 8 From now on you know that all the oppression with which you oppress is recorded every day until the day of your judgment. 9 Woe to you, fools, for through your folly you will perish; and you transgress against the wise, and good fortune will not be your lot. 10 And now, know that you are prepared for the day of destruction; so do not hope to live, sinners, but you will depart and die; for you know no ransom, for you are prepared for the day of great judgment, for the day of tribulation and great shame for your spirits. 11 Woe to you, stubborn of heart, who do wickedness and eat blood: where do you expect to receive good things to eat and drink and be satisfied? From all the good things which the Lord the Most High has placed abundantly on the earth;⁠ so you will have no peace. 12 Woe to you who love the deeds of unrighteousness: why do you hope for good fortune for yourselves? Know that you will be handed over into the hands of the righteous, and they will cut off your heads and kill you, and have no mercy on you. 13 Woe to you who rejoice in the trouble of the righteous, for no grave will be dug for you. 14 Woe to you who reject the words of the righteous, for you will have no hope of life. 15 Woe to you who write down lying and godless words; for they write their lies so that men may hear them and act wickedly toward their neighbors.⁠ 16 So they will have no peace but die a sudden death.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 98:11 and Ecclesiastes 2:24

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

1 Enoch 98 echoes the saying to eat, drink, and be merry while criticizing the unrighteous, language based on Ecclesiastes where enjoyment of food, drink, and work is presented as an option in the search for satisfaction.

Passages

1 Enoch 98:11

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
10 And now, know that you are prepared for the day of destruction; so do not hope to live, sinners, but you will depart and die; for you know no ransom, for you are prepared for the day of great judgment, for the day of tribulation and great shame for your spirits. 11 Woe to you, stubborn of heart, who do wickedness and eat blood: where do you expect to receive good things to eat and drink and be satisfied? From all the good things which the Lord the Most High has placed abundantly on the earth; so you will have no peace. 12 Woe to you who love the deeds of unrighteousness: why do you hope for good fortune for yourselves? Know that you will be handed over into the hands of the righteous, and they will cut off your heads and kill you, and have no mercy on you. 13 Woe to you who rejoice in the trouble of the righteous, for no grave will be dug for you.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Ecclesiastes 2:24

Hebrew Bible
22 What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth? 23 For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax. This also is futile! 24 There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God. 25 For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him. 26 For to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth—only to give it to the one who pleases God. This task of the wicked is futile—like chasing the wind!
300–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ecclesiastes

References

"... One might ask questions: Where will he store his goods while the bigger barns are being built? And why tear down existing barns? Why not simply build additional ones? Such questions are not dealt with in the story; it is typical for parables to portray 'all-or-nothing' activity. In 12:19 the man rehearses the existential consequences of the action regarding his future. He speaks to himself, addressing himself as though talking to a separate personality ('soul ...'). To do so is not unique in the scriptural tradition (compare Psalm 42:5; 103:1; 104:1, 35) and Jewish literature. He assures himself that he will have plenty; that he will have no need or want for many years. The term 'soul' does not designate a particular part of the man's being, but rather the entire self. The final saying ('eat, drink, and be merry') is commonplace. Similar sayings appear elsewhere in Jewish tradition (LXX Ecclesiastes 8:15 having the same Greek verbs as here ... compare also Ecclesiastes 2:24; Isaiah 22:13; Tobit 7:10; 1 Enoch 98:11) ..."
Arland J. Hultgren, The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary, The Bible in Its World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 106–107.

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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1 Enoch 98:11 and Ecclesiastes 2:24

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