The Book of Enoch 103
Book V The Epistle of Enoch Chapters 91–108 · 2nd - 1st century BCE
Enoch's testament to his children: woes against the wicked and rich, comfort for the righteous, the Apocalypse of Weeks, and a closing appendix on the miraculous birth of Noah.
Dating & manuscripts. The Apocalypse of Weeks is one of the earliest datable parts. Chapters 106-107 (the Birth of Noah) are a later appendix drawn from a separate Noah tradition.
In the manuscripts the Apocalypse of Weeks runs 93:1-10 then 91:11-17; Charles rearranged the verses to restore that order, which is why some editions number these chapters differently.
1 Enoch is an anthology of five distinct works, composed over roughly three centuries.
Contrast of the Righteous and Sinners in Sheol
Enoch has read the heavenly tablets and holy books, finding that all goodness and joy are prepared for the righteous dead. Themes: Faith and Righteousness of the Patriarchs
1ow, therefore, I swear to you, the righteous, by the glory of the Great and Honoured and Mighty One in dominion, and by His greatness I swear to you.
2 I know a mystery And have read the heavenly tablets, And have seen the holy books, And have found written therein and inscribed regarding them:
3 That all goodness and joy and glory are prepared for them, And written down for the spirits of those who have died in righteousness, And that manifold good shall be given to you in recompense for your labours, And that your lot is abundantly beyond the lot of the living.
4 And the spirits of you who have died in righteousness shall live and rejoice, And their spirits shall not perish, nor their memorial from before the face of the Great One Unto all the generations of the world: wherefore no longer fear their contumely.
5 Woe to you, ye sinners, when ye have died, If ye die in the wealth of your sins, And those who are like you say regarding you: ' Blessed are the sinners: they have seen all their days.
6 And how they have died in prosperity and in wealth, And have not seen tribulation or murder in their life; And they have died in honour, And judgement has not been executed on them during their life."
7 Know ye, that their souls will be made to descend into Sheol And they shall be wretched in their great tribulation.
8 And into darkness and chains and a burning flame where there is grievous judgement shall your spirits enter; And the great judgement shall be for all the generations of the world. Woe to you, for ye shall have no peace.
9 Say not in regard to the righteous and good who are in life: " In our troubled days we have toiled laboriously and experienced every trouble, And met with much evil and been consumed, And have become few and our spirit small.
10 And we have been destroyed and have not found any to help us even with a word: We have been tortured and destroyed, and not hoped to see life from day to day.
11 We hoped to be the head and have become the tail: We have toiled laboriously and had no satisfaction in our toil; And we have become the food of the sinners and the unrighteous, And they have laid their yoke heavily upon us.
12 They have had dominion over us that hated us and smote us; And to those that hated us we have bowed our necks But they pitied us not.
13 We desired to get away from them that we might escape and be at rest, But found no place whereunto we should flee and be safe from them.
14 And are complained to the rulers in our tribulation, And cried out against those who devoured us, But they did not attend to our cries And would not hearken to our voice.
15 And they helped those who robbed us and devoured us and those who made us few; and they concealed their oppression, and they did not remove from us the yoke of those that devoured us and dispersed us and murdered us, and they concealed their murder, and remembered not that they had lifted up their hands against us.
Did You Know?
Enoch has read the heavenly tablets and holy books, finding that all goodness and joy are prepared for the righteous dead.
The spirits of those who died in righteousness shall live and rejoice and their memorial shall not perish unto all the generations of the world.
Sinners who die in prosperity and wealth without tribulation will have their souls descend into Sheol and be wretched in great tribulation.
Spirits of sinners enter darkness and chains and a burning flame of grievous judgement for all generations of the world.
The living righteous toiled as the food of sinners, hoped to be the head but became the tail, and found no place of escape.
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Commentary
In brief
Enoch swears that the heavenly tablets promise joy and glory to the spirits of the righteous who die, so they live and rejoice forever. He warns sinners who die in wealth that their souls enter Sheol's darkness, chains and flame without peace and counters claims that the living righteous suffer toil and oppression without hope.