Apocryphal books (Old Testament); Enoch (Biblical figure); Ethiopic book of Enoch -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
51. 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. 52. 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. 53. And many other sheep He sent to
those sheep to testify unto them and lament over them. 54. 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. 55. 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. 56. 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. 57. 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. 58. 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. 59. 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.
60. And I will deliver them over unto you duly numbered, and tell you
which of them are to be destroyed—and them destroy ye.” And He gave over
unto them those sheep. 61. 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. 62. And
every excess and the destruction which will be wrought through the
shepherds, record (namely) 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. 63. 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. 64. 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.” 65.
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