1a The story of Enoch: how the Lord took him to heaven

|There was| a wise man and a great artisan whom the LORD took away.

And he loved him so that he might see the highest realms;

and of the most wise and great and inconceivable and unchanging

kingdom of God almighty, *and of the most marvelous and glorious and shining and many-eyed station of the LORD's servants, and of the LORD's immovable throne,

* and of the ranks and organization of the bodiless armies, and of the indescribable composition of the multitude of elements,

* singing of the army of the cherubim, and of the light without measure, to be an eyewitness.

1 |Concerning Enoch's dream|

At that time he said, When 165 years were complete for me, I fathered my son Methusala; and after that I lived 200 years.

I completed all the years of my life, 365 years. *In the first month, on the assigned day of the first month, I was in my house alone.

And I lay on my bad sleeping. *And, while I slept, a great distress entered my heart, and I was weeping with my eyes in a dream. And I could not figure out what this distress might be, |nor| what might be

happening to me. *Then two huge men appeared to me, the like of which I had never seen on earth.

            Their faces were like the shining sun;

            their eyes were like burning lamps;

            from their mouths fire was coming forth;

            their clothing was various singing;

            their wings were more glistening than gold;

            their hands were whiter than snow.

And they stood at the head of my bed and called me by my name.

Then I awake from my sleep, and saw those men, standing in front of me, in actuality.

*Then I bowed down to them; and I was terrified; and the appearance of my face was changed because of fear. *Then those men said to me, "Be brave, Enoch! In truth, do not fear! The eternal God has sent us to you. And behold, you will ascend with us to heaven today. *And tell your sons 〈|and all the members of your household,|〉 everything that they must do in your house while they are without you on the earth. And let no one search for you until the LORD returns you to them." *And I hurried and obeyed them; and I went out of my house and I shut the doors as I had been ordered. And I called my sons, Methusalam and Regim and Gaidad. And I declared to them all the marvels that those men had told me.

2 |The instruction. How Enoch instructs his sons. "1."|

"Listen, my children! I do not know where I am going,

nor what will confront me. *Now, my children, |I say to you|:

            Do not turn away from God.

            Walk before his face,

            and keep his commandments.

            Do not abhor the prayers of your salvation,

            so that the LORD will not curtail the work of your hands.

And do not be ungenerous with the LORD's gifts, and the LORD will not be ungenerous with his donations and love-gifts in your storehouses.

And bless the LORD with the firstborn of your herds and the firstborn of your children, and the blessing will be on you forever.

And do not turn away from the LORD, and do not worship vain gods, gods who did not created the heaven and the earth or any other created thing; for they will perish, and so will those who worship them.

And may God make your hearts true in reverence for him.

And now, my children, no one must search for me until the LORD returns me to you."

3 |About the taking away of Enoch; how the angels took him on the 1^st heaven. "2."|

And it came about, when I had spoken to my sons, those med called me. And they took me up onto their wings, and carried me up to the first heaven, and placed me on the clouds. *And, behold, they were moving. And there I perceived the air higher up, and higher still I saw the ether. *And they placed me on the first heaven. And they showed me a vast ocean, much bigger than the earthly ocean.

4 |About the angels who govern the stars. "3."|

They led before my face the elders, the rulers of the stellar orders.

And they showed me the 200 angels who govern the stars and the heavenly combinations. *And they fly with their wings, and do the rounds of all the planets.

5 |About how the angels guard the storehouses of the snow. Word "4."|

And there I perceived the treasuries of the snow and the ice, and the angels who guard their terrible storehouses, *

and the treasury of the clouds, from which they come out and go in.