Visions | Enoch IV Chapter 5

Two visions I saw before I took a wife, and the one was quite unlike the other.

Book IV

Chapter 5

1 And now, my son Methuselah, I will show thee all my visions which I have

seen, recounting them before thee.

2 Two visions I saw before I took a wife, and the one was quite unlike the other.

The first when I was learning to write: the second before I took thy mother I saw

a terrible vision.

3 And regarding them I prayed to the Lord. I had laid me down in the house of

my grandfather Mahalaleel I saw in a vision how the heaven collapsed and was

borne off and fell to the earth.

4 And when it fell to the earth I saw how the earth was swallowed up in a great

abyss, and mountains were suspended on mountains, and hills sank down on

hills, and high trees were rent from their stems and hurled down and sunk in the

abyss.

5 And thereupon a word fell into my mouth and I lifted up to cry aloud, and said:

"The earth is destroyed!"

6 And my grandfather Mahalaleel waked me as I lay near him, and said unto me:

"Why dost thou cry so my son, and why dost thou make such lamentation?"

7 And I recounted to him the whole vision which I had seen, and he said unto

me: "A terrible thing hast thou seen, my son, and of grave moment is thy dream

vision as to the secrets if all the sin of the earth: it must sink into the abyss and

be destroyed with a great destruction.

8 And now, my son, arise and make petition to the Lord of glory, since thou art a

believer that a remnant may remain on the earth, and that He may not destroy the

whole earth. My son, from heaven all this will come upon the earth, and upon

the earth there will be great destruction."

9 After that I arose and prayed and implored and besought, and wrote down my

prayer for the generations of the world, and I will show everything to thee, my

son Methuselah.

10 And when I had gone forth below and seen the heaven and the sun rising in

the east, and the moon setting in the west, and a few stars, and the whole earth,

and everything as He had known it in the beginning then I blessed the Lord of

judgement and extolled Him because He had made the sun to go forth from the

windows of the east, and He ascended and rose on the face of the heaven, and set

out and kept traversing the path shown unto Him.

11 And I lifted up my hands in righteousness and blessed the Holy and Great

One and spake with the breath of my mouth, and with the tongue of flesh which

God has made for the children of the flesh of men that they should speak

therewith, and He gave them breath and a tongue and a mouth that they should

speak therewith:

12 "Blessed be Thou, O Lord, King, Great and mighty in Thy greatness, Lord of

the whole creation of the heaven, King of kings and God of the whole world.

13 And Thy power and kingship and greatness abide for ever and ever, and

throughout all generations Thy dominion; and all the heavens are Thy throne for

ever, and the whole earth Thy footstool for ever and ever.

14 For Thou hast made and Thou rulest all things and nothing is too hard for

Thee.

15 Wisdom departs not from the place of Thy throne nor turns away from Thy

presence.

16 And Thou knowest and seest and hearest everything and there is nothing

hidden from Thee for Thou seest everything.

17 And now the angels of Thy heavens are guilty of trespass and upon the flesh

of men abideth Thy wrath until the great day of judgement.

18 And now, O God and Lord and Great King, I implore and beseech Thee to

fulfil my prayer to leave me a posterity on earth and not destroy all the flesh of

man and make the earth without inhabitant so that there should be an eternal

destruction.

19 And now, my Lord, destroy from the earth the flesh which has aroused Thy

wrath but the flesh of righteousness and uprightness establish as a plant of the

eternal seed and hide not Thy face from the prayer of Thy servant, O Lord."

20 And after this I saw another dream, and I will show the whole dream to thee,

my son.

21 And Enoch lifted up and spake to his son Methuselah: "To thee, my son, will

I speak: hear my words−incline thine ear to the dream−vision of thy father.

22 Before I took thy mother Edna, I saw in a vision on my bed, and behold a bull

came forth from the earth, and that bull was white; and after it came forth a

heifer, and along with this came forth two bulls, one of them black and the other

red.

23 And that black bull gored the red one and pursued him over the earth, and

thereupon I could no longer see that red bull.

24 But that black bull grew and that heifer went with him, and I saw that many

oxen proceeded from him which resembled and followed him.

25 And that cow, that first one, went from the presence of that first bull in order

to seek that red one, but found him not, and lamented with a great lamentation

over him and sought him.

26 And I looked till that first bull came to her and quieted her, and from that time

onward she cried no more.

27 And after that she bore another white bull, and after him she bore many bulls

and black cows.

28 And I saw in my sleep that white bull likewise grow and become a great

white bull, and from him proceeded many white bulls, and they resembled him.

And they began to beget many white bulls, which resembled them, one

following the other, many.

29 And again I saw with mine eyes as I slept, and I saw the heaven above, and

behold a star fell from heaven, and it arose and eat and pastured amongst those

oxen.

30 And after that I saw the large and the black oxen, and behold they all changed

their stalls and pastures and their cattle, and began to live with each other.

31 And again I saw in the vision, and looked towards the heaven, and behold I

saw many stars descend and cast themselves down from heaven to that first star,

and they became bulls amongst those cattle and pastured with them amongst

them.

32 And I looked at them and saw, and behold they all let out their privy

members, like horses, and began to cover the cows of the oxen, and they all

became pregnant and bare elephants, camels, and asses.

33 And all the oxen feared them and were affrighted at them, and began to bite

with their teeth and to devour, and to gore with their horns.

34 And they began, moreover, to devour those oxen; and behold all the children

of the earth began to tremble and quake before them and to flee from them.

35 And again I saw how they began to gore each other and to devour each other,

and the earth began to cry aloud.

36 And I raised mine eyes again to heaven, and I saw in the vision, and behold

there came forth from heaven beings who were like white men: and four went

forth from that place and three with them.

37 And those three that had last come forth grasped me by my hand and took me

up away from the generations of the earth, and raised me up to a lofty place, and

showed me a tower raised high above the earth and all the hills were lower.

38 And one said unto me: "Remain here till thou seest everything that befalls

those elephants, camels, and asses, and the stars and the oxen, and all of them."

39 And I saw one of those four who had come forth first, and he seized that first

star which had fallen from the heaven, and bound it hand and foot and cast it into

an abyss.

40 Now that abyss was narrow and deep, and horrible and dark.

41 And one of them drew a sword, and gave it to those elephants and camels and

asses: then they began to smite each other, and the whole earth quaked because

of them.

42 And as I was beholding in the vision, lo, one of those four who had come

forth stoned them from heaven, and gathered and took all the great stars whose

privy members were like those of horses and bound them all hand and foot, and

cast them in an abyss of the earth.

43 And one of those four went to that white bull and instructed him in a secret

without his being terrified: he was born a bull and became a man, and built for

himself a great vessel and dwelt thereon; and three bulls dwelt with him in that

vessel and they were covered in.

44 And again I raised mine eyes towards heaven and saw a lofty roof, with seven

water torrents thereon and those torrents flowed with much water into an

enclosure.

45 And I saw again, and behold fountains were opened on the surface of that

great enclosure, and that water began to swell and rise upon the surface and I

saw that enclosure till all its surface was covered with water.

46 And the water, the darkness, and mist increased upon it; and as I looked at the

height of that water, that water had risen above the height of that enclosure, and

was streaming over that enclosure, and it stood upon the earth.

47 And all the cattle of that enclosure were gathered together until I saw how

they sank and were swallowed up and perished in that water.

48 But that vessel floated on the water, while all the oxen and elephants and

camels and asses sank to the bottom with all the animals, so that I could no

longer see them, and they were not able to escape, perished and sank into the

depths.

49 And again I saw in the vision till those water torrents were removed from that

high roof, and the chasms of the earth were leveled up and other abysses were

opened.

50 Then the water began to run down into these, till the earth became visible; but

that vessel settled on the earth, and the darkness retired and light appeared.

51 But that white bull which had become a man came out of that vessel, and the

three bulls with him, and one of those three was white like that bull, and one of

them was red as blood, and one black: and that white bull departed from them.

52 And they began to bring forth beasts of the field and birds, so that there arose

different genera: lions, tigers, wolves, dogs, hyenas, wild boars, foxes, squirrels,

swine, falcons, vultures, kites, eagles, and ravens; and among them was born a

white bull.

53 And they began to bite one another; but that white bull which was born

amongst them begat a wild ass and a white bull with it, and the wild asses

multiplied. But that bull which was born from him begat a black wild boar and a

white sheep; and the former begat many boars, but that sheep begat twelve

sheep.

54 And when those twelve sheep had grown, they gave up one of them to the

asses, and those asses again gave up that sheep to the wolves, and that sheep

grew up among the wolves.

55 And the Lord brought the eleven sheep to live with it and to pasture with it

among the wolves: and they multiplied and became many flocks of sheep.

56 And the wolves began to fear them, and they oppressed them until they

destroyed - cry aloud on account of their little ones, and to complain unto their

Lord.

57 And a sheep which had been saved from the wolves fled and escaped to the

wild asses; and I saw the sheep how they lamented and cried, and besought their

Lord with all their might, till that Lord of the sheep descended at the voice of the

sheep from a lofty abode, and came to them and pastured them.

58 And He called that sheep which had escaped the wolves, and spake with it

concerning the wolves that it should admonish them not to touch the sheep.

59 And the sheep went to the wolves according to the word of the Lord, and

another sheep met it and went with it, and the two went and entered together into

the assembly of those wolves, and spake with them and admonished them not to

touch the sheep from henceforth.

60 And thereupon I saw the wolves, and how they oppressed the sheep

exceedingly with all their power; and the sheep cried aloud.

61 And the Lord came to the sheep and they began to smite those wolves and the

wolves began to make lamentation; but the sheep became quiet and forthwith

ceased to cry out.

62 And I saw the sheep till they departed from amongst the wolves; but the eyes

of the wolves were blinded, and those wolves departed in pursuit of the sheep

with all their power.

63 And the Lord of the sheep went with them, as their leader, and all His sheep

followed Him: and his face was dazzling and glorious and terrible to behold.

64 But the wolves began to pursue those sheep till they reached a sea of water.

And that sea was divided, and the water stood on this side and on that before

their face, and their Lord led them and placed Himself between them and the

wolves.

65 And as those wolves did not yet see the sheep, they proceeded into the midst

of that sea, and the wolves followed the sheep, and those wolves ran after them

into that sea.

66 And when they saw the Lord of the sheep, they turned to flee before His face,

but that sea gathered itself together, and became as it had been created, and the

water swelled and rose till it covered those wolves.

67 And I saw till all the wolves who pursued those sheep perished and were

drowned.

68 But the sheep escaped from that water and went forth into a wilderness,

where there was no water and no grass; and they began to open their eyes and to

see; and I saw the Lord of the sheep pasturing them and giving them water and

grass, and that sheep going and leading them.

69 And that sheep ascended to the summit of that lofty rock, and the Lord of the

sheep sent it to them.

70 And after that I saw the Lord of the sheep who stood before them, and His

appearance was great and terrible and majestic, and all those sheep saw Him and

were afraid before His face.

71 And they all feared and trembled because of Him, and they cried to that sheep

with them which was amongst them: "We are not able to stand before our Lord

or to behold Him."

72 And that sheep which led them again ascended to the summit of that rock, but

the sheep began to be blinded and to wander from the way which he had showed

them, but that sheep wot not thereof.

73 And the Lord of the sheep was wrathful exceedingly against them, and that

sheep discovered it, and went down from the summit of the rock, and came to

the sheep, and found the greatest part of them blinded and fallen away.

74 And when they saw it they feared and trembled at its presence, and desired to

return to their folds.

75 And that sheep took other sheep with it, and came to those sheep which had

fallen away, and began to slay them; and the sheep feared its presence, and thus

that sheep brought back those sheep that had fallen away, and they returned to

their folds.

76 And I saw in this vision till that sheep became a man and built a house for the

Lord of the sheep, and placed all the sheep in that house.

77 And I saw till this sheep which had met that sheep which led them fell asleep:

and I saw till all the great sheep perished and little ones arose in their place, and

they came to a pasture, and approached a stream of water.

78 Then that sheep, their leader which had become a man, withdrew from them

and fell asleep, and all the sheep sought it and cried over it with a great crying.

79 And I saw till they left off crying for that sheep and crossed that stream of

water, and there arose the two sheep as leaders in the place of those which had

led them and fallen asleep.

80 And I saw till the sheep came to a goodly place, and a pleasant and glorious

land, and I saw till those sheep were satisfied; and that house stood amongst

them in the pleasant land.

81 And sometimes their eyes were opened, and sometimes blinded, till another

sheep arose and led them and brought them all back, and their eyes were opened.

82 And the dogs and the foxes and the wild boars began to devour those sheep

till the Lord of the sheep raised up another sheep a ram from their midst, which

led them. And that ram began to butt on either side those dogs, foxes, and wild

boars till he had destroyed them all.

83 And that sheep whose eyes were opened saw that ram, which was amongst

the sheep, till it forsook its glory and began to butt those sheep and trampled

upon them, and behaved itself unseemly.

84 And the Lord of the sheep sent the lamb to another lamb and raised it to being

a ram and leader of the sheep instead of that ram which had forsaken its glory.

85 And it went to it and spake to it alone, and raised it to being a ram, and made

it the prince and leader of the sheep; but during all these things those dogs

oppressed the sheep.

86 And the first ram pursued that second ram, and that second ram arose and fled

before it; and I saw till those dogs pulled down the first ram.

87 And that second ram arose and led the little sheep. And those sheep grew and

multiplied; but all the dogs, and foxes, and wild boars feared and fled before it,

and that ram butted and killed the wild beasts, and those wild beasts had no

longer any power among the 49sheep and robbed them no more of ought.

88 And that ram begat many sheep and fell asleep; and a little sheep became ram

in its stead, and became prince and leader of those sheep and that house became

great and broad, and it was built for those sheep.

89 A tower lofty and great was built on the house for the Lord of the sheep, and

that house was low, but the tower was elevated and lofty, and the Lord of the

sheep stood on that tower and they offered a full table before Him.

90 And again I saw those sheep that they again erred and went many ways, and

forsook that their house, and the Lord of the sheep called some from amongst the

sheep and sent them to the sheep, but the sheep began to slay them.

91 And one of them was saved and was not slain, and it sped away and cried

aloud over the sheep; and they sought to slay it, but the Lord of the sheep saved

it from the sheep, and brought it up to me, and caused it to dwell there.

92 And many other sheep He sent to those sheep to testify unto them and lament

over them.

93 And after that I saw that when they forsook the house of the Lord and His

tower they fell away entirely, and their eyes were blinded; and I saw the Lord of

the sheep how He wrought much slaughter amongst them in their herds until

those sheep invited that slaughter and betrayed His place.

94 And He gave them over into the hands of the lions and tigers, and wolves and

hyenas, and into the hand of the foxes, and to all the wild beasts, and those wild

beasts began to tear in pieces those sheep.

95 And I saw that He forsook that their house and their tower and gave them all

into the hand of the lions, to tear and devour them, into the hand of all the wild

beasts.

96 And I began to cry aloud with all my power, and to appeal to the Lord of the

sheep, and to represent to Him in regard to the sheep that they were devoured by

all the wild beasts.

97 But He remained unmoved, though He saw it, and rejoiced that they were

devoured and swallowed and robbed, and left them to be devoured in the hand of

all the beasts.

98 And He called seventy shepherds, and cast those sheep to them that they

might pasture them, and He spake to the shepherds and their companions: "Let

each individual of you pasture the sheep henceforward, and everything that I

shall command you that do ye. And I will deliver them over unto you duly

numbered, and tell you which of them are to be destroyed and them destroy ye."

99 And He gave over unto them those sheep.

100 And He called another and spake unto him: "Observe and mark everything

that the shepherds will do to those sheep; for they will destroy more of them than

I have commanded them. And every excess and the destruction which will be

wrought through the shepherds, record how many they destroy according to my

command, and how many according to their own caprice: record against every

individual shepherd all the destruction he effects. And read out before me by

number how many they destroy, and how many they deliver over for destruction,

that I may have this as a testimony against them, and know every deed of the

shepherds, that I may comprehend and see what they do, whether or not they

abide by my command which I have commanded them. But they shall not know

it, and thou shalt not declare it to them, nor admonish them, but only record

against each individual all the destruction which the shepherds effect each in his

time and lay it all before me."

101 And I saw till those shepherds pastured in their season, and they began to

slay and to destroy more than they were bidden, and they delivered those sheep

into the hand of the lions.

102 And the lions and tigers eat and devoured the greater part of those sheep,

and the wild boars eat along with them; and they burnt that tower and

demolished that house.

103 And I became exceedingly sorrowful over that tower because that house of

the sheep was demolished, and afterwards I was unable to see if those sheep

entered that house.

104 And the shepherds and their associates delivered over those sheep to all the

wild beasts, to devour them, and each one of them received in his time a definite

number: it was written by the other in a book how many each one of them

destroyed of them.

105 And each one slew and destroyed many more than was prescribed; and I

began to weep and lament on account of those sheep.

106 And thus in the vision I saw that one who wrote, how he wrote down every

one that was destroyed by those shepherds, day by day, and carried up and laid

down and showed actually the whole book to the Lord of the sheep − everything

that they had done, and all that each one of them had made away with, and all

that they had given over to destruction.

107 And the book was read before the Lord of the sheep, and He took the book

from his hand and read it and sealed it and laid it down.

108 And forthwith I saw how the shepherds pastured for twelve hours, and

behold three of those sheep turned back and came and entered and began to build

up all that had fallen down of that house; but the wild boars tried to hinder them,

but they were not able.

109 And they began again to build as before, and they reared up that tower, and

it was named the high tower; and they began again to place a table before the

tower, but all the bread on it was polluted and not pure.

110 And as touching all this the eyes of those sheep were blinded so that they

saw not, and their shepherds likewise; and they delivered them in large numbers

to their shepherds for destruction, and they trampled the sheep with their feet and

devoured them.

111 And the Lord of the sheep remained unmoved till all the sheep were

dispersed over the field and mingled with them and they did not save them out of

the hand of the beasts.

112 And this one who wrote the book carried it up, and showed it and read it

before the Lord of the sheep, and implored Him on their account, and besought

Him on their account as he showed Him all the doings of the shepherds, and

gave testimony before Him against all the shepherds.

113 And he took the actual book and laid it down beside Him and departed.

114 And I saw till that in this manner thirty−five shepherds undertook the

pasturing, and they severally completed their periods as did the first; and others

receive them into their hands, to pasture them for their period, each shepherd in

his own period.

115 And after that I saw in my vision all the birds of heaven coming, the eagles,

the vultures, the kites, the ravens; but the eagles led all the birds; and they began

to devour those sheep, and to pick out their eyes and to devour their flesh.

116 And the sheep cried out because their flesh was being devoured by the birds

and as for me I looked and lamented in my sleep over that shepherd who

pastured the sheep.

117 And I saw until those sheep were devoured by the dogs and eagles and kites,

and they left neither flesh nor skin nor sinew remaining on them till only their

bones stood there: and their bones too fell to the earth and the sheep became few.

118 And I saw until that twenty−three had undertaken the pasturing and

completed in their several periods fifty−eight times.

119 But behold lambs were borne by those white sheep, and they began to open

their eyes and to see, and to cry to the sheep.

120 Yea, they cried to them, but they did not hearken to what they said to them,

but were exceedingly deaf, and their eyes were very exceedingly blinded.

121 And I saw in the vision how the ravens flew upon those lambs and took one

of those lambs, and dashed the sheep in pieces and devoured them.

122 And I saw till horns grew upon those lambs, and the ravens cast down their

horns; and I saw till there sprouted a great horn of one of those sheep, and their

eyes were opened.

123 And it looked at them and their eyes opened, and it cried to the sheep, and

the rams saw it and all ran to it.

124 And notwithstanding all this those eagles and vultures and ravens and kites

still kept tearing the sheep and swooping down upon them and devouring them:

still the sheep remained silent, but the rams lamented and cried out.

125 And those ravens fought and battled with it and sought to lay low its horn,

but they had no power over it.

126 All the eagles and vultures and ravens and kites were gathered together and

there came with them all the sheep of the field, yea, they all came together, and

helped each other to break that horn of the ram.

127 And I saw till a great sword was given to the sheep, and the sheep proceeded

against all the beasts of the field to slay them, and all the beasts and the birds of

the heaven fled before their face.

128 And I saw that man, who wrote the book according to the command of the

Lord, till he opened that book concerning the destruction which those twelve last

shepherds had wrought, and showed that they had destroyed much more than

their predecessors, before the Lord of the sheep.

129 And I saw till the Lord of the sheep came unto them and took in His hand

the staff of His wrath, and smote the earth, and the earth clave asunder, and all

the beasts and all the birds of the heaven fell from among those sheep, and were

swallowed up in the earth and it covered them.

130 And I saw till a throne was erected in the pleasant land, and the Lord of the

sheep sat Himself thereon, and the other took the sealed books and opened those

books before the Lord of the sheep.

131 And the Lord called those men the seven first white ones, and commanded

that they should bring before Him, beginning with the first star which led the

way, all the stars whose privy members were like those of horses, and they

brought them all before Him.

132 And He said to that man who wrote before Him, being one of those seven

white ones, and said unto him: "Take those seventy shepherds to whom I

delivered the sheep, and who taking them on their own authority slew more than

I commanded them."

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

134 And the judgement was held first over the stars, and they were judged and

found guilty, and went to the place of condemnation, and they were cast into an

abyss, full of fire and flaming, and full of pillars of fire.

135 And those seventy shepherds were judged and found guilty, and they were

cast into that fiery abyss.

136 And I saw at that time how a like abyss was opened in the midst of the earth,

full of fire, and they brought those blinded sheep, and they were all judged and

found guilty and cast into this fiery abyss, and they burned; now this abyss was

to the right of that house.

137 And I saw those sheep burning and their bones burning.

138 And I stood up to see till they folded up that old house; and carried off all

the pillars, and all the beams and ornaments of the house were at the same time

folded up with it, and they carried it off and laid it in a place in the south of the

land.

139 And I saw till the Lord of the sheep brought a new house greater and loftier

than that first, and set it up in the place of the first which had beer folded up: all

its pillars were new, and its ornaments were new and larger than those of the

first, the old one which He had taken away, and all the sheep were within it.

140 And I saw all the sheep which had been left, and all the beasts on the earth,

and all the birds of the heaven, falling down and doing homage to those sheep

and making petition to and obeying them in every thing.

141 And thereafter those three who were clothed in white and had seized me by

my hand who had taken me up before, and the hand of that ram also seizing hold

of me, they took me up and set me down in the midst of those sheep before the

judgement took place.

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

143 And all that had been destroyed and dispersed, and all the beasts of the field,

and all the birds of the heaven, assembled in that house, and the Lord of the

sheep rejoiced with great joy because they were all good and had returned to His

house.

144 And I saw till they laid down that sword, which had been given to the sheep,

and they brought it back into the house, and it was sealed before the presence of

the Lord, and all the sheep were invited into that house, but it held them not.

145 And the eyes of them all were opened, and they saw the good, and there was

not one among them that did not see.

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

147 And I saw that a white bull was born, with large horns and all the beasts of

the field and all the birds of the air feared him and made petition to him all the

time.

148 And I saw till all their generations were transformed, and they all became

white bulls; and the first among them became a lamb, and that lamb became a

great animal and had great black horns on its head; and the Lord of the sheep

rejoiced over it and over all the oxen.

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

150 This is the vision which I saw while I slept, and I awoke and blessed the

Lord of righteousness and gave Him glory.

151 Then I wept with a great weeping and my tears stayed not till I could no

longer endure it: when I saw, they flowed on account of what I had seen; for

everything shall come and be fulfilled, and all the deeds of men in their order

were shown to me.

152 On that night I remembered the first dream, and because of it I wept and was

troubled−because I had seen that vision.

Translated from the original Ethiopic manuscript and logically organized by Dr. Jay Winter, 2015.

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