2 Enoch

Enoch's Dream

1 At that time, he said, when my 165th year was completed, I fathered my son Mathusal. After this too I lived two hundred years and completed three hundred and sixty-five years in all the years of my life. 2 On the first day of the first month I was in my house alone and was resting on my couch and slept. 3 And when I was asleep, great distress came up into my heart, and I was weeping with my eyes in sleep, and I could not understand what this distress was, or what would happen to me. 4 And two men appeared to me, so enormous that I had never seen anyone like them on earth;⁠a 5 their faces were shining like the sun, their eyes too were like a burning light,⁠b and from their lips fire was coming out with clothing and singing of various kinds purple in appearance, their wings were brighter than gold, their hands whiter than snow. They were standing at the head of my couch and began to call me by my name. 6 And I got up from my sleep and clearly saw those two men standing in front of me. 7 And I greeted them and was seized with fear and the appearance of my face changed with terror, and those men said to me: 8 'Take courage, Enoch, do not fear; the eternal God sent us to you, and today you will ascend with us into heaven, 9 and you shall tell your sons and all your household all that they are to do without you on earth in your house, and let no one seek you until the Lord returns you to them.' 10 And I hurried to obey them and went out from my house, and headed for the doors, as I had been ordered, and summoned my sons Mathusal and Regim and Gaidad and made known to them all the marvels those men had told me.

1 Listen to me, my children. I do not know where I am going, or what will happen to me; 2 so now, my children, I tell you: do not turn from God to follow worthless gods, who did not make Heaven and earth, for they and those who worship them will perish, 3 and may the Lord make your hearts confident in the fear of him. 4 And now, my children, let no one think of seeking me, until the Lord returns me to you.

The First Heaven

1 When Enoch had told his sons, the angels took him onto their wings and carried him up onto the first heaven and placed him on the clouds. 2 And there I looked, and again I looked higher, and saw the ether, 3 and they placed me on the first heaven and showed me a very great Sea, greater than the earthly sea.

1 They brought before my face the elders and rulers of the stellar orders, and showed me two hundred angels, who rule the stars and their services to the heavens,⁠a 2 and fly with their wings and come around all those who sail.

1 And here I looked down and saw the treasure houses of the snow, and the angels who keep⁠a 2 their terrible storehouses, and the clouds from where they come out and into which they go.

1 They showed me the treasure house of the dew, like olive oil, and the appearance of its form, like that of all the flowers of the earth; and many angels guarding the treasure houses of these things, and how they are made to shut and open.

The Second Heaven

1 And those men took me and led me up onto the second heaven, and showed me darkness, greater than earthly darkness, and there I saw prisoners hanging, watched, awaiting the great and boundless judgment,⁠a 2 and these angels were dark-looking, more than earthly darkness, and incessantly weeping through all hours, and I said to the men who were with me: 3 'Why are these incessantly tortured?' they answered me: 'These are God's apostates, who did not obey God's commands, but followed their own plans, and turned away with their prince, who is also fastened on the fifth heaven.' 4 And I felt great pity for them, and they greeted me, and said to me: 'Man of God, pray for us to the Lord'; 5 and I answered them: 'Who am I, a mortal man, that I should pray for angels? who knows where I am going, or what will happen to me? or who will pray for me?'

The Third Heaven

1 And those men took me from there, and led me up onto the third heaven,⁠a and placed me there; and I looked down, and saw the produce of these places, whose goodness was beyond anything ever known. 2 And I saw all the sweet-flowering trees and saw their fruits, which were sweet-smelling, and all the food they produced bubbling and giving off a sweet fragrance.⁠b 3 And among the trees was the tree of life, in that place on which the Lord rests, when he goes up into paradise;⁠c and this tree is so good and fragrant that words cannot describe it, and adorned more than every existing thing; 4 and on all sides its form is gold-looking and vermilion and fire-like and covers all, and it has produce from all fruits. Its root is in the garden at the earth's end. 5 And paradise is between what can decay and what cannot decay. And two springs come out which send out honey and milk, and their springs send out oil and wine, and they separate into four parts, and go around with a quiet course, 6 and go down into the paradise of Eden, between what can decay and what cannot decay. And from there they go out along the earth, and follow a circular course like the other elements. 7 And here there is no unfruitful tree, and every place is blessed. 8 And there are three hundred very bright angels, who keep the garden, and with incessant sweet singing and never-silent voices serve the Lord throughout all days and hours. And I said: 'How very sweet this place is,' and those men said to me:

1 'This place, Enoch, is prepared for the righteous,⁠a who endure all kinds of wrongs from those who torment them,⁠b who turn their eyes away from wickedness, and judge justly, and give bread to the hungry, and cover the naked with clothing, and raise up the fallen, and help injured orphans,⁠c and who walk without fault before the face of the Lord, and serve him alone, and for them this place is prepared for eternal inheritance.'

1 And those two men led me up onto the Northern side, and showed me a very terrible place there, 2 and there were all kinds of tortures in that place: cruel darkness and unlit gloom, and there is no light there, but murky fire constantly flames upward, and there is a fiery river coming out, and that whole place is everywhere fire, and everywhere there is frost and ice, thirst and shivering, 3 while the restraints are very cruel, and the angels are terrifying and merciless, carrying weapons of anger and inflicting merciless torture, 4 and I said: 'How dreadful, how dreadful, how very terrible this place is,' and those men said to me: 'This place, Enoch, is prepared for those who dishonor God, who on earth practice sin against nature, which is child-corruption in the manner of Sodom, practicing magic, enchantments and devilish witchcraft, and who boast of their wicked deeds, 5 stealing, lies, slanders, envy, resentment, sexual immorality, murder, and who, cursed, steal the souls of men, who see the poor and take away their goods and themselves grow rich, injuring them for other men's goods; who could have fed the hungry but let them die; who could have clothed the naked but stripped them; 6 and who did not know their creator, and bowed down to soulless Gods, who can neither see nor hear, vain gods, who also built carved images and bow down to unclean handiwork, for all these this place is prepared among these, for eternal inheritance.'

The Fourth Heaven

1 Those men took me, and led me up onto the fourth heaven, and showed me all the successive movements, and all the rays of the light of sun and moon. 2 And I measured their movements, and compared their light, and saw that the sun's light is greater than the moon's. Its circle and the wheels on which it goes always, like a wind going past with very marvelous speed, and day and night it has no rest. 3 Its passage and return are accompanied by four great stars, and each star has under it a thousand stars, to the right of the sun's wheel, and by four to the left, each having under it a thousand stars, altogether eight thousand, going out with the sun continually. 4 And by day one hundred and fifty thousand angels attend it, and by night a thousand. And six-winged ones go out with the angels before the sun's wheel into the fiery flames, 5 and a hundred angels kindle the sun and set it alight.

1 And I looked and saw other flying elements of the sun, whose names are Phoenixes and Chalkydri,⁠a marvelous and wonderful, with feet and tails in the form of a lion, and a crocodile's head, their appearance is purple, like the rainbow; their size is nine hundred measures, 2 their wings are like those of angels, each has twelve, and they attend and accompany the sun, bearing heat and dew, as they are ordered by God. 3 Thus the sun revolves and goes, and rises under the heaven, and its course goes under the earth with the light of its rays incessantly.

1 Those men carried me away to the east, and placed me at the sun's gates, where the sun goes out according to the regulation of the seasons and the circuit of the months of the whole year, and the number of the hours day and night. 2 And I saw six gates open, each gate having sixty-one stadia and a quarter of one stadium, and I measured them truly, and understood that this was their size, through which the sun goes out, and goes to the west, and is made even, 3 going out through the first gate for forty-two days, through the second for thirty-five, through the fourth for thirty-five, through the fifth for thirty-five, and through the sixth … 4 and rises throughout all the months, and turns back again from the six gates according to the succession of the seasons; 5 thus the period of the whole year is finished after the returns of the four seasons.

1 And again those men led me away to the western parts, and showed me six great gates open corresponding to the Eastern gates, opposite where the sun sets, according to the number of the days three hundred and sixty-five and a quarter. 2 Thus again it goes down to the western gates, and draws away its light, the greatness of its brightness, under the earth; for since the crown of its shining is in heaven with the Lord, 3 and guarded by four hundred angels, while the sun goes around on its wheel under the earth, and stands seven great hours in night, and spends half its course under the earth, when it comes to the eastern approach in the eighth hour of the night, it brings its lights, and the crown of shining, and the sun blazes more than fire.

1 Then the elements of the sun, called Phoenixes and Chalkydri break into song, therefore every bird flutters with its wings, rejoicing at the giver of light, and they broke into song at the command of the Lord. 2 The giver of light comes to give brightness to the whole world,⁠a and the morning guard takes shape, which is the rays of the sun, and the sun of the earth goes out, and receives its brightness to light up the whole face of the earth, 3 and they showed me this calculation of the sun's course. And the gates it enters are the great gates used to calculate the hours of the year; 4 for this reason the sun is a great creation, whose circuit lasts twenty-eight years, and begins again from the beginning.

1 Those men showed me the other course, that of the moon, twelve great gates, crowned from west to east, by which the moon goes in and out of the customary times. 2 It goes in at the first gate to the western places of the sun, by the first gates with thirty-one days exactly, by the second gates with thirty-one days exactly, by the third with thirty days exactly, by the fourth with thirty days exactly, by the fifth with thirty-one days exactly, by the sixth with thirty-one days exactly, by the seventh with thirty days exactly, by the eighth with thirty-one days perfectly, by the ninth with thirty-one days exactly, by the tenth with thirty days perfectly, by the eleventh with thirty-one days exactly, by the twelfth with twenty-eight days exactly. 3 And it goes through the western gates in the order and number of the eastern, 4 and accomplishes the three hundred and sixty-five and a quarter days of the solar year, 5 while the lunar year has three hundred and fifty-four, and it lacks twelve days of the solar circle, which are the lunar epacts of the whole year. Thus, too, the great circle contains five hundred and thirty-two years. 6 The quarter of a day is omitted for three years, the fourth fulfills it exactly. Therefore they are taken outside of heaven for three years and are not added to the number of days, because they change the time of the years to two new months toward completion, to two others toward diminution. 7 And when the western gates are finished, it returns and goes to the eastern to the lights, and goes thus day and night around the heavenly circles, lower than all circles, swifter than the heavenly winds, and spirits and elements and angels flying; each angel has six wings. 8 It has a sevenfold course in nineteen years.

1 In the middle of the heavens I saw armed soldiers, serving the Lord, with drums and pipe instruments, with unceasing voices, with sweet voices, with sweet and unceasing voices and many kinds of singing, which it is impossible to describe, and which astonishes every mind, because the singing of those angels is so wonderful and marvelous, and I was delighted listening to it.

The Fifth and Sixth Heavens

1 The men took me onto the fifth heaven and placed me, and there I saw many and countless soldiers, called Grigori, of human appearance, and their size was greater than that of great giants 2 and their faces were withered, and their mouths were always silent, and there was no service on the fifth heaven, and I said to the men who were with me: 'Why are these so withered, with such sad faces and silent mouths, and why is there no service on this heaven?' 3 And they said to me: These are the Grigori, who with their prince Satanail rejected the Lord of light,⁠a 4 and after them are those who are held in great darkness on the second heaven, and three of them went down onto earth from the Lord's throne, to the place Ermon, and broke through their vows on the shoulder of the hill Ermon and saw how good the daughters of men are, and took wives for themselves, 5 and fouled the earth with their deeds, who in all the times of their age made lawlessness and mixing, 6 and giants are born and marvelous big men and great enmity. And therefore God judged them with great judgment, and they weep for their brothers and they will be punished on the Lord's great day. 7 And I said to the Grigori: 'I saw your brothers and their works, and their great torments, and I prayed for them, but the Lord has condemned them to be under the earth until heaven and earth end forever.' 8 And I said: 'Why do you wait, brothers, and do not serve before the Lord's face, and why have you not offered your service before the Lord's face, so as not to anger your Lord utterly?' 9 And they listened to my admonition, and spoke to the four ranks in heaven, and as I stood with those two men four trumpets trumpeted together with a great voice, and the Grigori broke into song with one voice, and their voice went up before the Lord pitifully and movingly.

1 And from there those men took me and bore me up onto the sixth heaven, and there I saw seven bands of angels, very bright and very glorious, and their faces shining more than the sun's shining, glistening, and there is no difference in their faces, or behavior, or manner of dress; 2 and these make the orders, and learn the movements of the stars, and the alteration of the moon, or the revolution of the sun, and the good government of the world. 3 And when they see evildoing they make commandments and instruction, and sweet and loud singing, and all songs of praise. These are the archangels who are above angels, measure all life in heaven and on earth, 4 and the angels who are appointed over seasons and years, the angels who are over rivers and sea,⁠a and who are over the fruits of the earth, and the angels who are over every grass, giving food to all, to every living thing, 5 and the angels who write all the souls of men, and all their deeds, and their lives before the Lord's face; 6 among them are six Phoenixes and six Cherubim and six six-winged ones continually singing together with one voice, and it is not possible to describe their singing, and they rejoice before the Lord at his footstool.

The Seventh to Tenth Heavens

1 And those two men lifted me up from there onto the seventh Heaven, and I saw there a very great light, and fiery troops of great archangels, bodiless forces, and dominions, orders and governments,⁠a cherubim and seraphim, thrones and many-eyed ones, nine regiments, the Ioanit stations of light,⁠b and I became afraid, and began to tremble with great terror, 2 and those men took me, and led me after them, and said to me: 3 'Have courage, Enoch, do not fear,' and showed me the Lord from a distance, sitting on His very high throne. For what is there on the tenth heaven, since the Lord dwells here? God is in the tenth heaven, in the Hebrew language he is called Aravat. And all the heavenly troops would come and stand on the ten steps according to their rank, and would bow down to the Lord,⁠c 4 and would again go to their places in joy and happiness, singing songs in the boundless light with small and tender voices, gloriously serving him.

1 And the cherubim and seraphim standing around the throne, the six-winged and many-eyed ones do not depart, standing before the Lord's face doing his will, and cover his whole throne, singing with gentle voice before the Lord's face: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord Ruler of Sabaoth, heavens and earth are full of Your glory.' 2 When I saw all these things, those men said to me: 'Enoch, this far we are commanded to journey with you,' and those men went away from me, and then I did not see them. And I remained alone at the end of the seventh heaven and became afraid, and fell on my face and said to myself: 'How miserable I am, what has happened to me?' 3 And the Lord sent one of his glorious ones, the archangel Gabriel, and he said to me: 'Have courage, Enoch, do not fear, rise and stand before the Lord's face forever; rise, come with me,' 4 and I answered him, and said to myself: 'My Lord, my soul has departed from me, from terror and trembling,' and I called to the men who led me up to this place, I relied on them, and it is with them I go before the Lord's face. 5 And Gabriel caught me up, like a leaf caught up by the wind, and placed me before the Lord's face. 6 And I saw the eighth Heaven, which in the Hebrew language is called Muzaloth, changer of the seasons, of drought and rain, and of the twelve signs of the zodiac, which are above the seventh Heaven. And I saw the ninth Heaven, which in Hebrew is called Kuchavim, where the heavenly homes of the twelve signs of the zodiac are.

1 On the tenth Heaven, Aravoth, I saw the appearance of the Lord's face, like iron made to glow in fire, and brought out, emitting sparks, and it burns.⁠a Thus I saw the Lord's face, but the Lord's face is beyond description, marvelous and deeply awe-inspiring, and very, very terrifying. 2 And who am I to tell of the Lord's being, which is beyond words, and of his very wonderful face? and I cannot tell the quantity of his many instructions, and various voices, the Lord's throne very great and not made with hands, nor the quantity of those standing around him, troops of cherubim and seraphim, 3 nor their incessant singing, nor his unchanging beauty, and who will tell of the indescribable greatness of his glory? 4 And I fell face down and bowed down to the Lord, 5 and the Lord with his lips said to me: 'Have courage, Enoch, do not fear, rise and stand before my face forever.' 6 And the chief commander Michael lifted me up, and led me before the Lord's face. And the Lord said to his servants testing them: 'Let Enoch stand before my face forever,' 7 and the glorious ones bowed down to the Lord, and said: 'Let Enoch go according to Your word.' 8 And the Lord said to Michael: 'Go and take Enoch out of his earthly garments, and anoint him with my sweet ointment, and put him into the garments of My glory.'⁠b 9 And Michael did so, as the Lord told him. He anointed me, and dressed me, and the appearance of that ointment is more than the great light, and his ointment is like sweet dew, and its smell mild, shining like the sun's ray, 10 and I looked at myself, and was like one of his glorious ones. 11 And the Lord summoned one of his archangels named Pravuil, whose understanding was sharper and wiser than that of the other archangels, who wrote all the deeds of the Lord; 12 and the Lord said to Pravuil: 'Bring out the books from my storehouses, and a reed pen for swift writing, and give it to Enoch, and hand him the finest books, which bring comfort.'⁠c

1 And he was telling me all the works of heaven, earth and sea,⁠a and all the elements, their paths and movements, and the rumblings of thunder, the sun and moon, the movements and changes of the stars, the seasons, years, days, and hours, the risings of the wind, the numbers of the angels, 2 and the formation of their songs, and all human things, the tongue of every human song and life, the commandments, instructions, and sweet-voiced singings, and all things that it is fitting to learn. And Pravuil told me: 'All the things that I have told you, we have written. 4 Sit and write all the souls of mankind, however many of them are born, and the places prepared for them for eternity; 5 for all souls are prepared for eternity, before the formation of the world.' 6 And for sixty days and sixty nights I wrote out all things exactly, and wrote three hundred and sixty-six books.

The Secrets of Creation

1 And the Lord summoned me, and said to me: 'Enoch, sit down on my left with Gabriel.' And I bowed down to the Lord, and the Lord spoke to me: 2 Enoch, beloved, I am telling you about everything you see, everything that now stands completed, starting even before the very beginning, all that I created from non-being, and visible things from invisible. 3 Listen, Enoch, and take in these words of mine, for I have not told my secret to My angels, and I have not told them their rise, nor my endless realm, nor have they understood my work of creation, which I tell you today.⁠a 4 For before all things were visible, I alone used to go about in the invisible things, like the sun from east to west, and from west to east. 5 But even the sun has peace in itself, while I found no peace, because I was creating all things, and I conceived the thought of placing foundations, and of creating visible creation.

1 I commanded in the very lowest parts, that visible things should come down from invisible, and Adoil came down very great, and I saw him, 2 and he had a belly of great light. And I said to him: 'Become undone, Adoil, and let the visible come out of you.' 3 And he came undone, and a great light came out. And I was in the middle of the great light, and as light is born from light, a great age emerged, and showed all creation, which I had thought to create.⁠a 4 And I saw that it was good. And I placed for myself a throne, and took my seat on it, and said to the light: 'Go up higher and fix yourself high above the throne, and be a foundation to the highest things.' 5 And above the light there is nothing else, and then I bent up and looked up from my throne.

1 And I summoned the very lowest a second time, and said: 'Let Archas emerge solid,' and he emerged solid from the invisible. And Archas emerged, solid, heavy, and very red. 2 And I said: 'Open up, Archas, and give birth,' and he came undone, an age emerged, very great and very dark, bearing the creation of all lower things, 3 and I saw that it was good and said to him: 'Go down below, and make yourself firm, and be a foundation for the lower things,' and it happened and he went down and fixed himself, and became the foundation for the lower things, and below the darkness there is nothing else.⁠a

1 And I commanded that there should be taken from light and darkness, 2 and I said: 'Be thick,' and it became so, and I spread it out with the light, and it became water, and I spread it out over the darkness, below the light, 3 and then I made the waters firm, that is to say the bottomless, and I made a foundation of light around the water, and created seven circles from inside, and shaped it like crystal, wet and dry, that is to say like glass, and the circular movement of the waters and the other elements, and I showed each one of them its road, and the seven stars each one of them in its heaven, so that they go this way, 4 and I saw that it was good. And I separated between light and between darkness, that is to say in the middle of the water here and there, and I said to the light, that it should be the day, and to the darkness, that it should be the night, and there was evening and there was morning the first day.

1 And then I made the heavenly circle firm, and made the lower water which is under heaven collect itself together, into one whole, and the chaos become dry, and it became so. 2 Out of the waves I created rock, hard and big, and from the rock I piled up the dry, and I called the dry earth, 3 and I called the middle of the earth abyss, that is to say the bottomless, 4 I collected the sea in one place and bound it together with a yoke. And I said to the sea: 'Look, I give you your eternal limits, and you shall not break loose from your component parts.' So I made the vault of heaven firm. 5 I called this day the first-created.

1 Then it became evening, and then again morning, and it was the second day. Monday is the first day. And for all the heavenly troops I imaged the image and essence of fire, and my eye looked at the very hard, firm rock, and from the gleam of my eye the lightning received its wonderful nature, 2 which is both fire in water and water in fire, and one does not put out the other, nor does the one dry up the other, therefore the lightning is brighter than the sun, softer than water and firmer than hard rock. 3 And from the rock I cut off a great fire, and from the fire I created the orders of the ten troops of bodiless angels, and their weapons are fiery and their clothing a burning flame, and I commanded that each one should stand in his order. 4 And one out of the order of angels, having turned away with the order that was under him, conceived an impossible thought, to place his throne higher than the clouds above the earth, so that he might become equal in rank to my power. 5 And I threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless depths.⁠a

1 And then I created all the heavens, and the third day was. Tuesday. On the third day I commanded the earth to grow great and fruitful trees, and hills, and seed to sow, and I planted Paradise, and enclosed it, and placed flaming angels as armed guardians, and thus I created renewal. 2 Then evening came, and morning came, the fourth day. Wednesday. On the fourth day I commanded that there should be great lights on the heavenly circles. 3 On the first uppermost circle I placed the stars, Kruno, and on the second Aphrodit, on the third Aris, on the fifth Zeus, on the sixth Ermis, on the seventh the lesser moon, 4 and adorned it with the lesser stars. 5 And on the lower I placed the sun for the illumination of day, and the moon and stars for the illumination of night. 6 The sun, so that it would go according to each animal, twelve, and I appointed the succession of the months and their names and lives, their thunderings, and their hour-markings, how they should succeed. 7 Then evening came and morning came the fifth day. Thursday. On the fifth day I commanded the sea, that it should produce fish, and feathered birds of many varieties, and all animals creeping over the earth, moving over the earth on four legs, and soaring in the air, male and female, and every soul breathing the spirit of life. 8 And evening came, and morning came, the sixth day. Friday. On the sixth day I commanded my wisdom to create man from seven substances:⁠a one, his flesh from the earth; two, his blood from the dew; three, his eyes from the sun; four, his bones from stone; five, his intelligence from the swiftness of the angels and from cloud; six, his veins and his hair from the grass of the earth; seven, his soul from my breath and from the wind. 9 And I gave him seven natures: to the flesh, hearing, the eyes for sight, to the soul, smell, the veins for touch, the blood for taste, the bones for endurance, to the intelligence, sweetness. 10 I devised a skillful saying to express this: I created man from invisible and from visible nature, from both come his death and life and image, he knows speech like some created thing, small in greatness and again great in smallness, 11 and I placed him on earth, a second angel, honorable, great and glorious, 12 and I appointed him as ruler to rule on earth and to have my wisdom, and there was none like him on earth among all my existing creatures. 13 And I appointed him a name, from the four component parts, from east, from west, from south, from north,⁠b 14 and I appointed for him four special stars, and I called his name Adam,⁠c 15 and showed him the two ways, the light and the darkness, and I told him:⁠d 'This is good, and that is bad,' so that I might learn whether he has love toward me, or hatred, so that it would be clear which of his race love me. 16 For I have seen his nature, but he has not seen his own nature, therefore through not seeing he will sin worse, and I said: 'After sin what is there but death?' 17 And I put sleep into him and he fell asleep. And I took from him a rib, and created him a wife, 18 so that death would come to him through his wife, and I took his last word and called her name mother, that is to say, Eva.

1 Adam has life on earth, and I created a garden in Eden in the east, so that he would observe the testament and keep the command. 2 I made the heavens open to him, so that he would see the angels singing the song of victory, and the light without darkness. 3 And he was continuously in paradise, and the devil understood that I want to create another world, because Adam was lord on earth, to rule and control it. 4 The devil is the evil spirit of the lower places, as a fugitive he made, he made Sotona from the heavens as his name was Satomail, 5 thus he became different from the angels, but his nature did not change his intelligence as far as his understanding of righteous and sinful things. 6 And he understood his condemnation and the sin which he had sinned before, therefore he conceived a thought against Adam, in such a form he entered and seduced Eva, but did not touch Adam. 7 But I cursed ignorance, but what I had blessed previously, those I did not curse, I did not curse man, 8 nor the earth, nor other creatures, but man's evil fruit, and his works.

1 I said to him: 'You are earth, and into the earth from where I took you, you shall go, and I will not ruin you, but send you from where I took you. Then I can take you again at My second coming.' And I blessed all my creatures visible and invisible. And Adam was five and a half hours in paradise. 2 And I blessed the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, on which he rested from all his works.

1 And I appointed the eighth day also, that the eighth day should be the first-created after my work, 2 and that the first seven revolve in the form of the seventh thousand, and that at the beginning of the eighth thousand there should be a time of not-counting, endless, with neither years nor months nor weeks nor days nor hours. 3 And now, Enoch, all that I have told you, all that you have understood, all that you have seen of heavenly things, all that you have seen on earth, and all that I have written in books by my great wisdom, all these things I have devised and created from the uppermost foundation to the lower and to the end, 4 and there is no counselor or inheritor to my creations. I am eternal in myself, not made with hands, and without change. My thought is my counselor, my wisdom and my word are made, and my eyes observe how all things stand here and tremble with terror. If I turn away my face, then all things will be destroyed. 5 And apply your mind, Enoch, and know him who is speaking to you, and take the books which you yourself have written. 6 And I give you Samuil and Raguil, who led you up, and the books, and go down to earth, and tell your sons all that I have told you, and all that you have seen, from the lower heaven up to my throne, and all the troops. 7 For I created all forces, and there is none that resists me or that does not subject himself to me. For all subject themselves to my monarchy, and labor for my sole rule. 8 Give them the books of the handwriting, and they will read them and will know me as the creator of all things, and will understand that there is no other God but me. 9 And let them distribute the books of your handwriting—children to children, generation to generation, nations to nations. 10 And I will give you, Enoch, my intercessor, the chief commander Michael, for the handwritings of your fathers Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahaleleel, and Jared your father.

Judgment and Enoch's Return

1 They have rejected my commandments and my yoke, worthless seed has come up, not fearing God, and they would not bow down to me, but have begun to bow down to vain gods, and 2 denied my unity, and have loaded the whole earth with untruths, offenses, disgusting acts of lust, namely one with another, and all kinds of other unclean wickednesses, which are disgusting to describe. 3 And therefore I will bring down a flood on the earth and will destroy all men, and the whole earth will crumble together into great darkness.

1 Look, from their seed another generation will arise, much later, but many of them will be very insatiable. 2 He who raises that generation will reveal to them the books of your handwriting, of your fathers, to those to whom he must reveal the guardianship of the world, to the faithful men and those who do what pleases me, who do not acknowledge my name in vain. 3 And they will tell another generation, and those others, having read, will be glorified afterward, more than the first.

1 Now, Enoch, I give you a term of thirty days to spend in your house, and tell your sons and all your household, so that all may hear from my face what is told them by you, so that they may read and understand, that there is no other God but me. And so that they may always keep my commandments, and begin to read and take in the books of your handwriting. 2 And after thirty days I will send my angel for you, and he will take you from earth and from your sons to me.

1 And the Lord called up one of the older angels, terrible and menacing, and placed him beside me, in appearance white as snow, and his hands like ice, having the appearance of great frost, and he froze my face, because I could not endure the terror of the Lord, just as it is not possible to endure a stove's fire and the sun's heat, and the frost of the air. 2 And the Lord said to me: 'Enoch, if your face is not frozen here, no man will be able to look at your face.'

1 And the Lord said to those men who first led me up: 'Let Enoch go down to earth with you, 2 and wait for him until the determined day.' And they placed me at night on my couch. 3 And Mathusal, expecting my coming, keeping watch day and night at my couch, was filled with awe when he heard me coming, and I told him, 'Let all my household come together, so that I may tell them everything.'

Enoch Teaches His Sons

1 Oh my children, my beloved ones, listen to your father's warning, as much as is according to the Lord's will. 2 I have been allowed to come to you today, and to announce to you, not from my lips, but from the Lord's lips, all that is and was and all that is now, and all that will be until judgment-day. 3 For the Lord has let me come to you, so hear the words of my lips, of a man made big for you, but I am one who has seen the Lord's face, like iron made to glow from fire it sends out sparks and burns. 4 You now look at my eyes, the eyes of a man big with meaning for you, but I have seen the Lord's eyes, shining like the sun's rays and filling the eyes of man with awe.⁠a 5 You see now, my children, the right hand of a man that helps you, but I have seen the Lord's right hand filling heaven as he helped me. 6 You see the scope of my work like your own, but I have seen the Lord's limitless and perfect scope, which has no end. 7 You hear the words of my lips, as I heard the words of the Lord, like great thunder incessantly, with the hurling of clouds. 8 And now, my children, listen to the speeches of your earthly father, how frightening and overwhelming it is to come before the face of the ruler of the earth, how much more terrifying and overwhelming it is to come before the face of the ruler of heaven, the controller of the living and the dead, and of the heavenly troops. Who can endure that endless pain?

1 And now, my children, I know all things, for this is from the Lord's lips, and my eyes have seen this, from beginning to end. 2 I know all things, and have written all things into books, the heavens and their end, and their fullness, and all the armies and their marchings. I have measured and described the stars, the great countless multitude of them.⁠a 3 What person has seen their orbits and the places where they enter? For not even the angels see their number, while I have written all their names. 6 And I measured the sun's circle, and measured its rays, counted the hours, 7 I also wrote down all things that go over the earth, I have written the things that are nourished, and all seed sown and unsown, which the earth produces and all plants, and every grass and every flower, and their sweet smells, and their names, 8 and the dwelling-places of the clouds, and their composition, and their wings, and how they bear rain and raindrops. 9 And I investigated all things, and wrote the road of the thunder and of the lightning,⁠b and they showed me the keys and their guardians, their rise, the way they go; it is let out in measure by a chain, so that it does not, by a heavy chain and violence, hurl down the angry clouds and destroy all things on earth. 10 I wrote the treasure-houses of the snow, and the storehouses of the cold and the frosty airs, and I observed their season's key-holder, who fills the clouds with them, and does not exhaust their treasure-houses. 11 And I wrote the resting-places of the winds and observed and saw how their key-holders bear weighing-scales and measures; first, they put them in one weighing-scale, then the weights in the other and let them out according to measure skillfully over the whole earth, so that they do not make the earth rock by heavy breathing. 12 And I measured out the whole earth, its mountains, and all hills, fields, trees, stones, rivers, all existing things I wrote down, the height from earth to the seventh heaven, and downward to the very lowest hell, and the judgment-place, and the very great, open and weeping hell. And I saw how the prisoners are in pain, 13 expecting the limitless judgment. And I wrote down all those being judged by the judge, and all their judgments and all their works.

1 And I saw all the ancestors from all time with Adam and Eva, and I sighed and burst into tears and said of the ruin of their dishonor: 'How miserable I am because of my weakness and the weakness of my ancestors,' and thought in my heart and said: 2 'Blessed is the man who has not been born or who has been born and will not sin before the Lord's face, so that he will not come into this place or bring the yoke of this place.'

1 I saw the key-holders and guards of the gates of hell standing,⁠a like great serpents, and their faces like extinguished lamps,⁠b and their eyes of fire, their sharp teeth. 2 And I said to them, 'I wish I had never seen you. May no one from my family ever come to you.' 3 And I saw a blessed place there, where every creature was blessed and everyone lived in joy and boundless happiness, in eternal life. 4 Guards are posted at the great eastern gates of the sun: fiery angels who sing songs of triumph and never stop rejoicing in the presence of the righteous. 5 At the last coming they will lead out Adam with our ancestors and bring them there so that they may rejoice, as a man invites the people he loves to a feast. They arrive full of joy and talk together outside his house, gladly waiting for his feast, for its delights and its boundless wealth, for joy and celebration in the light, and for eternal life. 6 Then I said: My children, now I tell you this. Blessed is the one who fears God and serves him. And you, my children, learn to bring gifts to the Lord, so that you may enjoy life. 7 Blessed is the one who judges justly, 8 who clothes the naked and gives bread to the hungry, 9 who defends the widow and the orphan and helps everyone who is wronged. 10 Blessed is the one who turns away from the shifting path and walks the straight one. 11 Blessed is the one who sows the seeds of righteousness, for that person will reap sevenfold. 12 Blessed is the one in whom truth lives, so that they speak the truth to their neighbor. 13 Blessed is the one whose mouth speaks with mercy and gentleness. 14 And I saw all the Lord's works, how they are right, while some of the works of man are good, and others bad, and the deeds of those who tell malicious lies reveal who they are.

1 I, my children, measured and wrote out every work and every measure and every righteous judgment. 2 As one year is more honorable than another, so one man is more honorable than another, some for great possessions, some for wisdom of heart, some for particular intellect, some for skill, one for keeping silent, another for cleanliness, one for strength, another for beauty, one for youth, another for sharp wit, one for the shape of his body, another for perceptiveness, 3 let it be heard everywhere, but there is no one better than the one who fears God; he will be more glorious in the time to come.

1 The Lord created man with his hands, in the likeness of his own face; the Lord made him small and great. Whoever reviles the ruler's face, and abhors the Lord's face, has despised the Lord's face, 2 and he who vents anger on any man without having been harmed, the Lord's great anger will cut him down, 3 he who spits on the face of man reproachfully will be cut down at the Lord's great judgment. 4 Blessed is the man who does not direct his heart with malice against any man, and helps the injured and condemned, and raises the broken down, 5 and gives charity to the needy, because on the day of the great judgment every weight, every measure and every additional weight used to balance the scales will be as in the market, that is, they are hung on scales and stand in the market, and everyone will learn his own measure, and will receive his reward according to his measure.⁠a

1 Whoever hastens to make an offering before the Lord's face, the Lord for his part will hasten that offering by granting of his work. 2 But whoever increases his lamp before the Lord's face and does not make true judgment, the Lord will not increase his treasure in the realm of the highest. 3 When the Lord demands bread, or candles, or flesh, or any other sacrifice, then that is nothing; but God demands pure hearts, and with all that only tests the heart of man.

1 Hear, my people, and take in the words of my lips. If anyone brings any gifts to an earthly ruler, and has disloyal thoughts in his heart, and the ruler knows this, will he not be angry with him, refuse his gifts, and hand him over for judgment? 2 Or if one man makes himself appear good to another by speaking deceitfully, but has evil in his heart, then will the other not understand the treachery of his heart, and will the deceiver himself not be condemned, since his untruth was plain to all? 3 And when the Lord sends a great light, then there will be judgment for the just and the unjust, and there no one will escape notice.

1 And now, my children, take thought in your hearts, pay close attention to the words of your father, which have all come to you from the Lord's lips. 2 Take these books of your father's handwriting and read them. For the books are many, and in them you will learn all the Lord's works, all that has been from the beginning of creation, and will be until the end of time. 3 And if you observe my handwriting, you will not sin against the Lord; because there is no other except the Lord, neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor in the very lowest places, nor in the one foundation. 4 The Lord has placed the foundations in the unknown, and has spread out heavens visible and invisible; he fixed the earth on the waters, and created countless creatures, 5 and who has counted the water and the foundation of the unfixed, or the dust of the earth, or the sand of the sea, or the drops of the rain, or the morning dew, or the breaths of the wind? Who has filled earth and sea, and the indissoluble winter? I cut the stars out of fire, and decorated heaven, and put it in their midst.

1 So that the sun goes along the seven heavenly circles, which are the appointment of one hundred and eighty-two thrones, 2 so that it goes down on a short day, and again one hundred and eighty-two, so that it goes down on a big day, and he has two thrones on which he rests, revolving here and there above the thrones of the months, from the seventeenth day of the month Tsivan it goes down to the month Thevan, from the seventeenth of Thevad it goes up. 3 And thus it goes close to the earth, then the earth is glad and makes its fruit grow, and when it goes away, then the earth is sad, and trees and all fruits do not flower. 4 All this he measured, with good measurement of hours, and fixed a measure by his wisdom, of the visible and the invisible. 5 From the invisible he made all things visible, himself being invisible. 6 Thus I make known to you, my children, and distribute the books to your children, to all your generations,⁠a 7 and among the nations who have the sense to fear God, let them receive them, and may they come to love them more than any food or earthly sweets, and read them and apply themselves to them. 8 And those who do not understand the Lord, who do not fear God, who do not accept, but reject, who do not receive them, a terrible judgment awaits these. 9 Blessed is the man who bears their yoke and drags them along, for he will be released on the day of the great judgment.

1 I swear to you, my children, but I do not swear by any oath, neither by heaven nor by earth, nor by any other creature which God created.⁠a The Lord said: 'There is no oath in me, nor injustice, but truth.' If there is no truth in men, let them swear by the words 'yes, yes', or else, 'no, no.' 2 And I swear to you, yes, yes, that no one has ever been in his mother's womb without a place already prepared for that soul to rest and a measure fixed for how much a person is to be tested in this world. Yes, children, do not deceive yourselves, for a place has been previously prepared for every soul of man.

1 I have put every man's work in writing and no one born on earth can remain hidden, nor can his works remain concealed. 2 I see all things. So now, my children, spend your days with patience and humility, so that you may inherit endless life.⁠a 3 Endure for the sake of the Lord every wound, every injury, every evil word and attack. 4 If you are repaid with evil, do not repay it to either neighbor or enemy, because the Lord will repay it for you and be your avenger on the day of great judgment, so that there may be no avenging here among men. 5 Whoever of you spends gold or silver for his brother's sake, he will receive ample treasure in the world to come. Do not injure widows or orphans or strangers, so that God's anger does not come upon you.⁠b

1 Stretch out your hands to the poor according to your strength.⁠a 2 Do not hide your silver in the earth. Help the faithful man in distress, and distress will not find you in the time of your trouble. 3 And endure everything for the Lord's sake, every painful and cruel yoke placed on you, and in this way you will find your reward on the day of judgment. 4 It is good to go morning, midday, and evening into the Lord's dwelling, for the glory of your creator. 5 Because every breathing thing glorifies him, and every creature visible and invisible returns praise to him.

1 Blessed is the man who opens his lips in praise of the God of Sabaoth and praises the Lord with his heart. 2 Cursed is every man who opens his lips to bring contempt and slander on his neighbor, because he brings God into contempt. 3 Blessed is he who opens his lips blessing and praising God. 4 Anyone who opens his lips to curse and abuse is cursed before the Lord all the days of his life. 5 Blessed is he who blesses all the Lord's works. 6 Cursed is he who brings the Lord's creation into contempt. 7 Blessed is he who looks down and raises the fallen. 8 Cursed is he who looks to and is eager for the destruction of what is not his. 9 Blessed is he who keeps the foundations of his fathers made firm from the beginning. 10 Cursed is he who perverts the decrees of his ancestors. 11 Blessed is he who implants peace and love.⁠a 12 Cursed is he who disturbs those who love their neighbors. 13 Blessed is he who speaks with a humble tongue and heart to all. 14 Cursed is he who speaks peace with his tongue, while in his heart there is no peace but a sword. 15 For all these things will be laid bare in the weighing-scales and in the books, on the day of the great judgment.

1 And now, my children, do not say: 'Our father is standing before God, and is praying for our sins,' for there is no helper of any man who has sinned. 2 You see how I wrote all the works of every man, before his creation, all that is done among all men for all time, 3 and no one can tell or relate my handwriting, because the Lord sees all the thoughts of man, how they are vain, where they lie in the treasure-houses of the heart. 4 And now, my children, pay close attention to all the words of your father that I tell you, so that you will not regret it, saying: 'Why did our father not tell us?'

Final Instructions

1 At that time, not understanding this, let these books which I have given you be an inheritance of your peace. Hand them to all who want them, and instruct them, so that they may see the Lord's very great and marvelous works.

1 'My children, look, the day and time of my departure are near. For the angels who will go with me are standing before me and urge me to depart from you; they are standing here on earth, waiting for what they have been told. 2 For tomorrow I will go up to heaven, to the uppermost Jerusalem, to my eternal inheritance. 3 Therefore I urge you to do everything that pleases him before the Lord's face.

1 Methosalam answered his father Enoch and said: 'What is pleasing in your eyes, father, that I may do before your face, so that you may bless our dwellings, and your sons, and so that your people may be made glorious through you, and then so that you may depart in this way, as the Lord said?' 2 Enoch answered his son Methosalam and said: 'Listen, child, from the time when the Lord anointed me with the ointment of his glory, there has been no food in me, and my soul does not remember earthly enjoyment, nor do I want anything earthly.'

1 'My child Methosalam, summon all your brothers and all your household and the elders of the people, so that I may talk to them and depart, as is planned for me.' 2 And Methosalam hurried, and summoned his brothers, Regim, Riman, Uchan, Chermion, Gaidad, and all the elders of the people before the face of his father Enoch; and he blessed them, and said to them:

1 'Listen to me, my children, today. In those days when the Lord came down to earth for Adam's sake, and visited all his creatures, which he created himself, after all these he created Adam, 2 and the Lord called all the beasts of the earth, all the reptiles, and all the birds that soar in the air, and brought them all before the face of our father Adam. And Adam gave names to all the things living on earth. 3 And the Lord appointed him ruler over all, and subjected to him all things under his hands, and made them mute and made them dull so that they might be commanded by man, and be in subjection and obedience to him. So also the Lord created every man lord over all his possessions. 4 The Lord will not judge a single soul of a beast for man's sake, but adjudges the souls of men to their beasts in this world; 5 for men have a special place. And as every soul of man is numbered, similarly beasts will not perish, 6 nor all souls of beasts which the Lord created, until the great judgment, and they will accuse man, if he feeds them badly.

1 Whoever defiles the soul of a beast defiles his own soul. 2 For man brings clean animals to make sacrifice for sin, so that he may have a cure for his soul. And if they bring for sacrifice clean animals, and birds, man has a cure, he cures his soul. 3 Everything is given to you for food, bind it by the four feet, that is to make good the cure, he cures his soul. 4 But whoever kills a beast without a wound kills his own soul and defiles his own flesh. 5 And anyone who secretly injures an animal in any way commits an evil act and defiles his own soul.

1 He who does injury to the soul of a man does injury to his own soul, and there is no cure for his flesh, nor pardon for all time. 2 He who brings about the killing of a man's soul kills his own soul, and kills his own body, and there is no cure for him for all time. 3 He who puts a man in any snare will be stuck in it himself, and there is no cure for him for all time. 4 He who puts a man in any vessel, his retribution will not be lacking at the great judgment for all time. 5 He who acts crookedly or speaks evil against any soul will not obtain justice for himself for all time.

1 And now, my children, keep your hearts from every injustice, which the Lord hates. Just as a man asks for his own soul from God, so let him do to every living soul,⁠a 2 because I know all things, how in the great time many dwellings are prepared for men, good for the good, and bad for the bad, many without number. 3 Blessed are those who enter the good houses, for in the bad there is no peace or return. 4 Listen, my children, small and great! When man puts a good thought in his heart, brings gifts from his labors before the Lord's face and his hands did not make them, then the Lord will turn away his face from the labor of his hand, and he cannot find the labor of his hands. 5 And if his hands made it, but his heart complains, and his heart does not stop complaining constantly, he has no advantage.

1 Blessed is the man who in his patience brings his gifts with faith before the Lord's face, because he will find forgiveness of sins. 2 But if he takes back his words before the time, there is no repentance for him; and if the time passes and he does not do what is promised of his own will, there is no repentance after death. 3 Because every work that man does before the time is all deceit before men, and sin before God.

1 When man clothes the naked and fills the hungry, he will find reward from God. 2 But if his heart complains, he commits a double evil: ruin of himself and of what he gives; and he will find no reward on account of that. 3 And if his own heart is filled with his food and his own flesh with his clothing, he commits contempt, and will forfeit all his endurance of poverty, and will not find reward for his good deeds. 4 Every proud person who speaks pompously is hateful to the Lord, and every false speech, clothed in untruth; it will be cut with the blade of the sword of death, and thrown into the fire, and shall burn for all time.'

1 When Enoch had spoken these words to his sons, all people far and near heard how the Lord was calling Enoch. They discussed it together: 2 'Let us go and kiss Enoch,' and two thousand men came together and came to the place Achuzan where Enoch was, and his sons. 3 And the elders of the people, the whole assembly, came and bowed down and began to kiss Enoch and said to him: 'Our father Enoch, be blessed by the Lord, the eternal ruler, 4 and now bless your sons and all the people, so that we may be glorified today before your face. 5 For you shall be glorified before the Lord's face for all time, since the Lord chose you, rather than all men on earth, and designated you writer of all his creation, visible and invisible, and redeemer of the sins of man, and helper of your household.' And Enoch answered all his people, saying:

1 'Hear, my children, before all creatures were created, the Lord created the visible and invisible things. 2 And as much time as there was and went past, understand that after all that he created man in the likeness of his own form, and put into him eyes to see, and ears to hear, and a heart to reflect, and an intellect with which to deliberate. 3 And the Lord saw all man's works, and created all his creatures, and divided time, from time he fixed the years, and from the years he appointed the months, and from the months he appointed the days, and of days he appointed seven. 4 And in those he appointed the hours, measured them out exactly, so that man might reflect on time and count years, months, and hours, their alternation, beginning, and end, and that he might count his own life, from the beginning until death, and reflect on his sin and write his work bad and good; 5 because no work is hidden before the Lord, so that every man might know his works and never transgress all his commandments, and keep my handwriting from generation to generation. 6 When all creation visible and invisible, as the Lord created it, ends, then every man goes to the great judgment, 7 and then all time shall perish, and the years, and from then on there will be neither months nor days nor hours, they will be stuck together and will not be counted. 8 There will be one age, and all the righteous who escape the Lord's great judgment shall be collected in the great age, the great age will begin for the righteous, and they will live eternally, 9 and then too there will be among them neither labor, nor sickness, nor humiliation, nor anxiety, nor need, nor violence, nor night, nor darkness, but great light. 10 And they shall have a great indestructible wall, and a paradise bright and incorruptible, for all corruptible things shall pass away, and there will be eternal life.

1 And now, my children, keep your souls from all injustice, which the Lord hates. 2 Walk before his face with terror and trembling and serve him alone. Bow down to the true God, not to mute idols, but bow down to his picture, and bring all just offerings before the Lord's face. The Lord hates what is unjust. 3 For the Lord sees all things; when man ponders in his heart, then he counsels the intellects, and every thought is always before the Lord, who made the earth firm and put all creatures on it. 4 If you look to heaven, the Lord is there; if you think of the sea's deep and all the under-earth, the Lord is there. 5 For the Lord created all things. Do not bow down to things made by man, leaving the Lord of all creation, because no work can remain hidden before the Lord's face. 6 Live, my children, with patience, humility, honesty, in provocation, in grief, in faith and in truth, in reliance on promises, in illness, in abuse, in wounds, in temptation, in nakedness, in deprivation, loving one another, until you go out from this age of suffering, so that you become inheritors of endless time. 7 Blessed are the just who escape the great judgment, for they shall shine seven times more than the sun,⁠a 8 for in this world the seventh part is taken off from all, light, darkness, food, enjoyment, sorrow, paradise, torture, fire, frost, and other things; he put all down in writing, so that you might read and understand.'

Enoch Is Taken Up

1 When Enoch had talked to the people, the Lord sent out darkness onto the earth, and there was darkness, and it covered those men standing and talking with Enoch, 2 and they took Enoch up onto the highest heaven, where the Lord is; and he received him and placed him before his face, and the darkness went away from the earth, and light came again. 3 And the people saw and did not understand how Enoch had been taken, and glorified God, and found a scroll on which were traced the words: 'the invisible God,' and all went to their homes.

1 Enoch was born on the sixth day of the month Tsivan, and lived three hundred and sixty-five years. He was taken up to heaven on the first day of the month Tsivan and remained in heaven sixty days. 2 He wrote all these signs of all creation, which the Lord created, and wrote three hundred and sixty-six books, 3 and handed them over to his sons and remained on earth thirty days, and was again taken up to heaven on the sixth day of the month Tsivan, on the very day and hour when he was born. 4 As every man's nature in this life is dark, so too are his conception, birth, and departure from this life. He was born at the same hour at which he was conceived, and he died at that hour too. 5 Methosalam and his brothers, all the sons of Enoch, hurried, and erected an altar at the place called Achuzan, where and from where Enoch had been taken up to heaven. 6 And they took sacrificial oxen and summoned all people and offered the sacrifice before the Lord's face. 7 All people, the elders of the people and the whole assembly came to the feast and brought gifts to the sons of Enoch. And they made a great feast, rejoicing and celebrating for three days, praising God, who had given them such a sign through Enoch, who had found favor with him, and that they should hand it on to their sons from generation to generation, from age to age. Amen.

The Priesthood of Methusalam

Appendix: The Melchizedek Legend

1 And on the third day in the evening the elders of the people spoke to Methusalam, saying: ‘Stand before the face of the Lord, and before the face of all the people, and before the face of the altar of the Lord, and you shall be glorified among the people.’ 2 And Methusalam answered his people: ‘Wait, men, until the Lord God of my father Enoch—himself raises up a priest for himself over his people.’ 3 And the people waited one more night in vain at the place Akhuzan. 4 And Methusalam was near the altar, and prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Oh! only Lord of all the world, you who have taken my father Enoch, raise up a priest for your people, and teach their hearts to fear your glory, and to do everything according to your will.’ 5 And Methusalam slept, and the Lord appeared to him in a vision at night, and said to him: ‘Listen, Methusalam, I am the Lord God of your father Enoch, hear the voice of this people, and stand before My altar and I will glorify you before the face of all the people, and you shall be glorified all the days of your life.’ 6 And Methusalam rose from his sleep, and blessed the Lord who had appeared to him. 7 And the elders of the people hurried to Methusalam and the Lord God inclined the heart of Methusalam to hear the voice of the people, and he said: ‘The Lord God gives His blessing on all these people before my eyes today. (May the Lord your God) do what is good in His eyes for this people.’ 8 And Sarsan and Kharmis, and Zazus, the elders of the people hurried and clothed Methusalam in beautiful garments and placed a bright crown on his head. 9 And the people hurried, and brought sheep and cattle and all the birds that were known (to be proper for) Methusalam to sacrifice before the face of the Lord, and in the name of the people. 10 And Methusalam went out to the altar of the Lord, and his face shone like the sun, as it is rising in the day, and all the people were following him. 11 And Methusalam stood before the altar of the Lord, and all the people stood around the altar. 12 And the elders of the people took sheep, and oxen, and bound their four feet, and laid them on the top of the altar, and said to Methusalam: 13 ‘Lift the knife and kill them according to the proper way before the face of the Lord.’ 14 And Methusalam stretched out his hands to the heavens and called to the Lord, saying: ‘How miserable I am, Lord! who am I to stand at the head of Your altar and at the head of these people. 15 Now, Lord, look down on Your servant and on all these people. Now let all the things sought for happen and give a blessing to Your servant before the face of all the people, so that they may understand that you have appointed a priest over Your people.’ 16 And it happened that when Methusalam had prayed, the altar shook, and a knife rose from the altar, and leaped into the hand of Methusalam before the face of all the people. And the people trembled, and glorified the Lord. 17 And Methusalam was honored before the face of the Lord, and before the face of all the people from that day. 18 And Methusalam took the knife, and killed everything that was brought by the people. And they rejoiced, and celebrated before the face of the Lord and before the face of Methusalam on that day. 19 And afterward the people went back, each to his own house.

1 Methusalam began to stand at the altar before the face of the Lord and all the people from that day for ten years, trusting in an eternal inheritance, and having taught the whole land and all his people well; and no man was found to turn from the Lord in vanity during all the days in which Methusalam lived. 2 And the Lord blessed Methusalam and was pleased with his sacrifices, and his gifts and all his services which he served before the face of the Lord. 3 And when the time came for Methusalam to die, the Lord appeared to him in a vision in the night, and said to him: ‘Listen, Methusalam! I am the Lord God of your father Enoch, I order you to see how the days of your life are finished, and the day when you will rest in death is near. 4 Call Nir, the son of your son Lamech, the second, born after Noah, and clothe him in the robes of your consecration, and place him by my altar, and tell him all that will be in his days, because the time of the destruction of the whole earth draws near, and of every man and every living thing on the earth. 5 For in his days there will be a very great confusion on the earth, because a man has been envious of his neighbor, and people have become inflamed against people and nation stirs up war against nation, and all the earth is filled with foulness and blood, and every kind of evil. 6 And moreover in addition they deserted their Maker, and have bowed down to vain gods, and to the firmament of heaven, and the course of the earth and the waves of the sea. And the adversary is multiplied and rejoices in his deeds to My great distress. 7 And all the earth changes its form, and every tree and every fruit changes its seeds, expecting the time of destruction. And all peoples are changing on the earth to My grief. 8 Then I will command the abysses to pour themselves out onto the earth, and the great treasuries of the waters of heaven will come upon the earth in their nature and according to their first nature. 9 And all the stability of the earth will perish and all the earth will tremble and will be deprived of its strength from that day. 10 Then I will preserve the son of your son Lamech, his first son Noe, and from his seed I will raise up another world, and his seed will exist forever until the second destruction, when men will also sin before my face.’ 11 Methusalam leaped up from his sleep and his dream troubled him greatly. And he called all the elders of the people and told them all that the Lord had said to him, and all the vision that had appeared to him from the Lord. 12 And the people were grieved at his vision, and answered him: ‘Let the Lord God do according to his will! And now, Methusalam, accomplish all the things that the Lord commanded you.’ 13 And Methusalam called Nir, the son of Lamech, the younger brother of Noe, and clothed him in the robes of the priesthood before the face of all the people, and placed him at the head of the altar, and taught him all that he was to do among the people. 14 And Methusalam called to the people: ‘Nir will be before your face from today as a prince and a leader.’ 15 And the people said to Methusalam, ‘Let it be to us according to your word, and let the voice of the Lord be as He spoke to you.’ 16 And when Methusalam had spoken to the people before the altar, his spirit was confused, and he bent his knees, and stretched out his hands to the heavens, and prayed to God. And as he prayed his spirit went out to the Lord. 17 And Nir and all the people hurried and made a grave for Methusalam in the place Aruzan. 18 And Nir came in glorious attire in all his priestly robes, with lights, with much pomp, and the people lifted up the body of Methusalam, and having glorified it, laid it in the grave which they had made for him, and buried him, and said: ‘Blessed was Methusalam before the face of the Lord, and before the face of all people.’ 19 When they were about to depart to their own households, Nir said to the people: ‘Go quickly now, and bring sheep and heifers, and turtle-doves, and pigeons, and let us offer them before the face of the Lord, and then go to your houses.’ 20 And the people listened to Nir the priest, and hurried and brought the sacrificial animals, and bound them to the head of the altar. 21 And Nir took the sacrificial knife, and killed all the animals [victims] that were brought, and offered them before the face of the Lord. 22 And all the people rejoiced before the face of the Lord, and on that day glorified the Lord of Nir, the ruler of heaven and earth. From that day there was peace and order over the whole earth in the days of Nir, for 202 years. 23 And then the people turned from God and began to be jealous of one another, and people rebelled against people, and tongue arose against tongue, in reviling. 24 And if lips were the same, hearts chose different things. 25 And then the devil began to reign for the third time, the first time before paradise, the second time in paradise, the third time outside of paradise, he continued (doing so) until the flood. 26 And there arose a great dispute and confusion. And Nir the priest heard it, and was greatly grieved, and said in his heart, ‘Truly I have understood that the time has drawn near, and the end which the Lord spoke of to Methusalam, the father of my father Lamech.’

The Birth of Melchizedek

1 And the wife of Nir, named Sopanima, being barren, bore no child to Nir. 2 And Sopanima was in the time of her old age, and on the day of her death she conceived in her womb, and Nir the priest had neither slept with her nor had sexual relations with her since the day that the Lord appointed him to serve before the face of the people. 3 When Sopanima knew of her conception she was ashamed, and felt humbled, and concealed herself all the days, until she gave birth, and none of the people knew. 4 And when 282 days were completed and the day of birth began to draw near, Nir remembered about his wife, and called her to himself in his house, so that he might talk to her. 5 And Sopanima came to Nir, her husband, pregnant, and the appointed day of the birth was drawing near. 6 And Nir saw her and was very much ashamed, and said to her: ‘What have you done, wife, and have shamed me before the face of these people. And now depart from me, and go where you began the shame of your womb, so that I do not defile my hand upon you, and sin before the face of the Lord!’ 7 And Sopanima spoke to Nir, her husband, saying: ‘My lord, the time of my old age, and the day of my death has come (and there was no youth in me) and I do not know when the period of my years is past, and the unfruitfulness of my womb begins.’ 8 And Nir did not believe his wife, and said to her a second time: ‘Depart from me so that I do not injure you, and sin before the face of the Lord!’ 9 And it happened, when Nir had spoken to his wife, Sopanima fell at the feet of Nir, and died. 10 And Nir was very much grieved, and said in his heart: ‘Was this from my voice, since a man by his voice and thought sins before the face of the Lord. 11 Now the Lord is merciful to me; I truly know in my heart, that my hand was not upon her. And so I say: Glory to you, Lord, since no one on earth knows this deed, which the Lord has done!’ 12 And Nir hurried and shut the doors of the house, and went to Noe, his brother, and told him all that had happened concerning his wife. 13 And Noe hurried, and came with Nir, his brother, into the house of Nir, on account of the death of Sopanima, and they talked to themselves (and saw) how her womb was at the time of the birth. 14 And Noe said to Nir: ‘Do not let this cause you sorrow, Nir, my brother: the Lord has today concealed our shame because none of the people know this. 15 Now let us go quickly, and bring her secretly, and may the Lord hide our disgrace and shame.’ 16 And they laid Sopanima on the bed, and they wrapped her with black robes, and shut her in the house ready for burial, and dug a grave in secret. 17 And then an infant came from the dead Sopanima, and sat on the bed at her right hand. And Noe, and Nir entered, and saw the infant sitting by the dead Sopanima and wiping its clothes. 18 And Noe, and Nir were tested with a great fear, for the child was complete in its body, like a three-year-old; and spoke with its lips, and blessed the Lord. 19 And Noe, and Nir looked at it; and the seal of the priesthood was on its chest, and it was glorious in appearance. 20 And Noe, and Nir said ‘See, the Lord renews the consecration according to our blood, as he desires (this is from the Lord, my brother, and the Lord renews the blood of consecration in us).’ 21 And Noe and Nir hurried, and washed the child, and clothed it in priestly clothing, and gave it the blessed bread. And it ate. And they named it Melchizedek. 22 And Noe and Nir took the body of Sopanima, and stripped from her the black robes, and clothed her in very bright robes, and built a church for her. 23 And Noe, and Nir, and Melchizedek came and buried her publicly. And Noe said to his brother Nir: ‘Watch this child in secret until the time, because deceitful people shall arise over all the earth and shall begin to reject God, and having perceived nothing shall put him to death.’ And then Noe went out to his own place. 24 And great lawlessness began to multiply over the whole earth, in the days of Nir. 25 And Nir began to be very anxious, especially about the child, saying: ‘How miserable I am, eternal Lord. In my days all kinds of lawlessness have begun to multiply upon the earth, and I understand how the end is nearer to us (than ever), and upon all the earth for the lawlessness of the people. 26 And now, Lord, what is the vision, and what is the solution of it, and what shall I do for (the child)? Will it also go with us to destruction?’ 27 And the Lord heard Nir, and appeared to him in a vision at night, and said to him: ‘Nir, I do not endure the great lawlessness that has been on the earth in many things, and I wish now to send a great destruction upon the earth, and every earthly creature shall perish. 28 But do not trouble yourself about the child, Nir, for in a short time I will send my chief commander Michael, and he shall take the child and place him in the paradise of Eden, in the garden where Adam was formerly during a period of seven years, having the heaven always open until the time of his sin. 29 And this child shall not perish with those who perish in this generation, as I have shown, but shall be a holy priest in all things, Melchizedek, and I will appoint him so that he may be the chief of the priests who were before.’ 30 And Nir rose from his sleep, and blessed the Lord, who had appeared to him, saying: ‘Blessed is the Lord God of my fathers, who has spoken to me, who will not allow my priesthood to be diminished within the priesthood of my fathers, according to your word, who made a great priest in my days in the womb of my wife Sopanima. 31 Because I had no family and this child shall be to me in the place of my family, and shall be as a son to me, and you shall honor him with Your servants the priests, with Seth, and Enoch, and Tharasidam, Maleleil, and Enos, and your servant, and thus Melchizedek shall be a priest in another generation. 32 For I know that this generation shall end in confusion, and all shall perish. And Noe, my brother, shall be preserved in that day. 33 And many people shall rise up from my race, and Melchizedek shall be the chief of the priests among the people, ruling alone, serving you Lord! 34 Because I did not have another child in this family, who might be a great priest, but this son of mine, and your servant; and do, great Lord, on this account honor him with your servants, and great priests—with Seth, and Enos, and Rusii, and Almilam, and Prasidam, and Maleleil, and Seroch, and Arusan, and Aleem, and Enoch, and Methusalam, and me, your servant Nir, and Melchizedek shall be the head over twelve priests who lived before, and at last shall be the head over all, (being) the great high priest, the Word of God, and the power to work great and glorious marvels above all that have been. 35 He, Melchizedek, shall be a priest and king in the place Akhuzan, that is to say, in the middle of the earth where Adam was created: his grave shall at last be there. 36 And concerning that chief priest it has been written that he also shall be buried there, where the middle of the earth is, as Adam buried his son Abel there whom his brother Cain killed, so that he lay three years unburied, until he saw a bird called a jackdaw, burying its fledgling. 37 I know that a great confusion has come and this generation shall end in confusion, and all shall perish except that Noe my brother shall be preserved, and afterwards there shall be a planting from his family, and there shall be other people, and another Melchizedek shall be the head of the priests among the people, ruling, and serving the Lord.’

1 And when the child had been forty days under the roof of Nir, the Lord said to Michael: ‘Go down to the earth to Nir, the priest, and take My child Melchizedek, who is with him, and place him in the paradise of Eden for preservation, because the time draws near, and I will discharge all the water on the earth, and all that is on the earth will perish. 2 And I will establish another race, and Melchizedek will be the chief of the priests, in that family, just as Seth is to me in this family.’ 3 And Michael hurried, and came at night, and Nir was sleeping in his bed. And Michael appeared to him, and said to him: ‘The Lord says to you, Nir: “Send the child to me; I entrusted him to you.”’ 4 And Nir did not know that the chief commander Michael was speaking to him, and his heart was confused, and he said: ‘If the people know about the child, and take him, they will kill him. For the heart of this people is crafty before the face of the Lord.’ And Nir said to the one who was speaking to him ‘The child is not with me, and I do not know who you are, you who are speaking to me.’ 5 And the one who was speaking to me answered: ‘Do not be afraid, Nir, I am the chief commander of the Lord. The Lord has sent me, and I will take your child today, and will go with him, and will place him in the paradise of Eden, and he will be there forever. 6 And when the twelfth generation comes, and a thousand and seventy years have passed, in that generation a just man will be born, and the Lord will tell him to come out onto that mountain where the ark of your brother Noe will stand, and he will find another Melchizedek there who has lived there seven years, concealing himself from the people who worship idols, so that they would not kill him, and he will lead him out and he will be priest, and the first king in the town of Salem in the manner of this Melchizedek, the beginning of the priests. And 3432 years will be fulfilled until that time from the beginning and creation of Adam. 7 And from that Melchizedek there will be twelve priests in number until the great Igumen, that is to say leader, who will bring out all things visible and invisible.’ 8 And Nir understood his first dream, and believed it, and answering Michael, he said: ‘Blessed is the Lord, who has glorified you to me today, and now bless your servant Nir, as we are drawing near our departure from this world, and take the child, and do to him as the Lord has told you.’ 9 And Michael took the child on the same night he came, and took him on his wings, and placed him in the paradise of Eden. 10 And Nir, having gotten up the next day, went to his house, and did not find the child, and instead of joy there was very great sorrow, because he had no other son except this one. 11 So Nir died, and after him there was no priest among the people. And from that time great confusion arose on the earth.

The Flood

1 And God called Noe on the mountain of Ararat, between Assyria, and Armenia, in the land of Arabia, by the sea, and said to him: ‘Make an ark there, 300 ells in length, and 50 ells in width, and 30 in height, and two stories in the middle, and the doors about an ell. 2 And of those 300 ells, and of ours 15,000, and so of those 50, and of ours 2000 and 500, and so of those 30, and of ours 900, and of those one ell, and of ours 50.’ 3 According to this number the Jews keep this measure of the ark of Noe, as the Lord said to him, and (so) they make each measure, and each rule even up to the present time. 4 The Lord God opened the doors of the heavens, and rain came on the earth for 150 days, and all flesh died. 5 Noe was in his 500th year and fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japhet. 6 One hundred years after the birth of his three sons, he went into the ark in the month according to the Hebrew Itsars, according to the Egyptian Famenoth in eighteen days. 7 And the ark floated forty days. And they were in the ark 120 days in all. 8 And he went into the ark, being 600 years (old), and in the six hundred and first year of his life he went out of the ark in the month Farmut according to the Egyptians, and according to the Hebrews Nisan about twenty-eight days. 9 Then he lived 250 years, and died; he lived altogether 950 years according [to the will of] the Lord our God, to him be glory from the beginning, and now, and to the end of the world. Amen. 10 Enoch was altogether 365 years old. 11 It is written here in another way about Noah’s ark. Of their 300 ells, and of ours 15,000, of theirs 100, and of ours 5000: of theirs 20, and of ours 1000; of theirs 10, and of ours 500: of theirs 5, and of ours 250: of theirs 1, and of ours 50! This is the truth spoken.