Chapter 4

Wisdom of Enoch

  1. Observe the heaven, ye children of heaven, and every work of the Most High, and fear ye Him and work no evil in His presence.

  2. If He closes the windows of heaven, and withholds the rain and the dew from descending on the earth on your account, what will ye do then?

  3. And if He sends His anger upon you because of your deeds, ye cannot petition Him; for ye spake proud and insolent words against His righteousness: therefore ye shall have no peace.

  4. And see ye not the sailors of the ships, how their ships are tossed to and fro by the waves, and are shaken by the winds, and are in sore trouble?

  5. And therefore do they fear because all their goodly possessions go into the sea with them, and they have evil forebodings of heart that the sea will swallow them and they will perish therein.

  6. Are not the entire sea and all its waters, and all its movements, the work of the Most High, and has He not set limits to its doings, and confined it throughout by the sand?

  7. And at His reproof it is afraid and dries up, and all its fish die and all that is in it; But ye sinners that are on the earth fear Him not.

  8. Has He not made the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein?

  9. Who has given understanding and wisdom to everything that moves on the earth and in the sea?

  10. Do not the sailors of the ships fear the sea? Yet sinners fear not the Most High.

  11. In those days when He hath brought a grievous fire upon you, whither will ye flee, and where will ye find deliverance?

  12. And when He launches forth His Word against you will you not be affrighted and fear? And all the luminaries shall be affrighted with great fear and all the earth shall be affrighted and tremble and be alarmed.

  13. And all the angels shall execute their commandst and shall seek to hide themselves from the presence of the Great Glory, and the children of earth shall tremble and quake; and ye sinners shall be cursed for ever, and ye shall have no peace.

  14. Fear ye not, ye souls of the righteous and be hopeful ye that have died in righteousness.

  15. And grieve not if your soul into Sheol has descended in grief, and that in your life your body fared not according to your goodness but wait for the day of the judgement of sinners and for the day of cursing and chastisement.

  16. And yet when ye die the sinners speak over you: "As we die, so die the righteous, and what benefit do they reap for their deeds? Behold, even as we, so do they die in grief and darkness and what have they more than we? From henceforth we are equal. And what will they receive and what will they see for ever? Behold, they too have died, And henceforth for ever shall they see no light."

  17. I tell you, "Ye sinners, ye are content to eat and drink, and rob and sin, and strip men naked, and acquire wealth and see good days. Have ye seen the righteous how their end falls out, that no manner of violence is found in them till their death?

  18. Nevertheless they perished and became as though they had not been, and their spirits descended into Sheol in tribulation."