The book of Enoch : translated from Professor Dillmann's Ethiopic ...

142 The Book of Enoch, [Sect. II.
one of gold, and one of soft metal, and one of lead. 3.
And I asked the angel who went with me, saying, 'What
things are these which I have seen in secret ?
4. And he
said unto me, l All these things which thou hast seen serve the
dominion of His Anointed that he may be potent and mighty
on the earth/ 5. And that angel of peace answered me
and said, ' Wait a little and there will be revealed to thee
everything that is hidden, which the Lord of Spirits has
established. 6. And those mountains which thine eyes
have seen, the mountain of iron, and of copper, and of silver,
and of gold, and of soft metal, and of lead, all those will
in the presence of the Elect One be as wax before the fire,
and like the water which streams down from above upon
those mountains and will become powerless before his feet.
7. And it will come to pass in those days that none shall
be saved either by gold or by silver, and none shall be able
to escape. 8. And there will be no iron for war nor
on the earth.' 5. Wait a little and there will be revealed
to thee everything. So G M. Other MSS. and Din. after Wait
a little insert 'and thou wilt see.' For H1*hA=' which he has
established,' G reads HhrtA = ' which encompasses the Lord of
Spirits.' 6. Which thine eyes have seen. So G M : HCX^S
fiOj&Tfch. Other MSS. and Din. 'which thou hast seen.' 7.
None shall be able to escape. So GM. Other MSS. and Din.
read ' None shall be able to save himself or escape/ 8. There
borne to the west. 2. Soft metal. tion of these verses see introductory
The original word denotes an easily note to this chapter. The writer gives
melted metal, and may also stand as a twofold significance to these metals :
a general name for tin and lead : cf. that given above and that developed
lii. 6 ; lxv. 7, 8 ; lxvii. 4, 6. 4. in vv. 7, 8. 6. As wax before
These world powers will serve to show the fire : cf. i. 6 ; Ps. xcvii. 5 ; Micah
forth the might of the Messiah by i. 4. Like water which, streams
being destroyed before his face. This, down from above : cf. Micah i. 4.
though not the natural sense of the Before his feet : cf. Micah i. 3. He
verse, is the only one it can have in will tread down the mountains. 7.
this connexion. The natural answer The phraseology is derived from Zeph.
to the question in v. 3 appears in i. 18: cf. Is. xiii. 17. The more
v. 5, and this verse may be a later precious metals will not redeem from
insertion. 6-9. For the interpreta- danger and death. 8. The harder