1 Enoch: The Hermeneia Translation

A Narrative Bridge

A Narrative Bridge (Chapter 91:1-9, 18-19) 91:1 And now, my son Methuselah, Call to me all your brothers, and gather to me all the children of your mother. For a voice is calling me, and a spirit is poured out upon me, so that I may show you everything that will happen to you forever. 2 Then Methuselah went and called all his brothers to him and gathered his relatives. 3 And he spoke (of) righteousness to all his sons,a and he said: “Hear, O sons of Enoch, every word of your father, and listen aright to the voice of my mouth; for I testify to you and speak to you, my beloved. 4 Love the truth and walk in it; but do not draw near to the truth with a double heart, and do not associate with those of a double heart. But walk in righteousness, my children; and it will guide you in the paths of goodness, and righteousness will be your companion. 5 For I know that the state of violence will grow strong on the earth, and a great scourge will be consummated on the earth. Indeed, all iniquity will be consummated, but it will be cut off from its roots, and its whole structure will vanish. a Eth mss vary in their wording of this clause. 136 1 Enoch 91:6-19 137 6 And again iniquity will be consummated on the earth, and all the deeds of iniquity and violence and sin will prevail again. 7 And when sin and iniquity and blasphemy and violence increase in every deed, and perversity and sin and uncleanness increase, a great scourge will come from heaven upon all these, and the holy Lord will come forth in wrath and with a scourge, to execute judgment upon the earth. 8 And in those days, violence will be cut off from its roots, as well as the roots of iniquity, together with deceit, and they will be destroyed from under heaven. 9 And all the idols of the nations will be given up, and the tower(s) will be burned with fire. They will be removed from all the earth, and they will be thrown into the fiery judgment, and they will be destroyed in fierce, everlasting judgment. 10 {And the righteous will arise from his sleep, and wisdom will arise and be given to them.}a 11–17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 And now I tell you, my children, and I show you the paths of righteousness and the paths of violence, and I shall show youb them again, that you may know what is coming. 19 And now hear me, my children, and walk in the paths of righteousness, and do not walk in the paths of violence; for they will perish forever–all who walk in the paths of iniquity.”c a Verses 10-17 are textually problematic. Vv 11-17 have been displaced from their original location after 93:10 (where they are relocated in this translation). V 10 appears to have been created to provide a transition when vv 11-17 were moved here. Additionally , Aram has textual material here with no counterpart in Eth. See 1 Enoch 1, 413–15. b Three mss read and I have shown you. c Fragmentary Aram indicates a longer and different form of these two lines. ...