Apocryphal books (Old Testament); Enoch (Biblical figure); Ethiopic book of Enoch -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
CVIII. 1. Another book which Enoch wrote for his son Methuselah and for
those who will come after him, and keep the law in the last days. 2. Ye
who have done good shall wait for those days till an end is made of
those who work evil, and an end of the might of the transgressors. 3.
And wait ye indeed till sin has passed away, for their names shall be
blotted out of the book of life and out of the holy books, and their
seed shall be destroyed for ever, and their spirits shall be slain, and
they shall cry and make lamentation in a place that is a chaotic
wilderness, and =in the fire shall they burn=; for there is no earth
there. 4. And I saw there something like an invisible cloud; for by
reason of its depth I could not †look over†, and I saw a flame of fire
blazing brightly, and things like shining mountains circling and
sweeping to and fro. 5. And I asked one of the holy angels who was with
me and said unto him: ‘What is this shining thing? for it is not a
heaven, but only the flame of a blazing fire, and the voice of weeping
and crying and lamentation and strong pain.’ 6. And he said unto me:
‘This place which thou seest—here are cast the spirits of sinners and
blasphemers, and of those who work wickedness, and of those who pervert
every thing that the Lord hath spoken through the mouth of the
prophets—(even) the things that shall be. 7. For some of them are
written and inscribed above in the heaven, in order that the angels may
read them and know that which shall befall the sinners, and the spirits
of the humble, and of those who have afflicted their bodies, and been
recompensed by God; and of those who have been put to shame by wicked
men: 8. Who love God and loved neither gold nor silver nor any of the
good things which are in the world, but gave over their bodies to
torture. 9. Who, since they came into being, longed not after earthly
food, but regarded everything as a passing breath, and lived
accordingly, and the Lord tried them much, and their spirits were found
pure so that they should bless His name. 10. And all the blessings
destined for them I have recounted in the books. And He hath assigned
them their recompense, because they have been found to be such as loved
heaven more than their life in the world, and though they were trodden
under foot of wicked men, and experienced abuse and reviling from them
and were put to shame, yet they blessed Me. 11. And now I will summon
the spirits of the good who belong to the generation of light, and I
will transform those who were born in darkness, who in the flesh were
not recompensed with such honour as their faithfulness deserved. 12. And
I will bring forth in shining light those who have loved My holy name,
and I will seat each on the throne of his honour. 13. And they shall be
resplendent for times without number; for righteousness is the judgement
of God; for to the faithful He will give faithfulness in the habitation
of upright paths. 14. And they shall see those who were born in darkness
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account