3 Enoch (Hebrew Enoch) 19
Each verse number opens that verse. The numbers follow Odeberg’s 1928 edition. 3 Enoch (Hebrew Enoch) has the history and the issues with this book.
- R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the Angel, the Prince of the Presence, said to me: Above these three angels, these great princes there is one Prince, distinguished, honoured, noble, glorified, adorned, fearful, valiant, strong, great, magnified, glorious, crowned, wonderful, exalted, blameless, beloved, lordly, high and lofty, ancient and mighty, like unto whom there is none among the princes. His name is RIKBIEL H’, the great and revered prince who is standing by the Merkaba.
- And why is he called RIKBIEL? Because he is appointed over the wheels of the Merkaba, and they are given in his charge.
- And how many are the wheels? Eight; two in each direction. And there are four winds compassing them round about. And these are their names: “the Storm-Wind”, “the Tempest”, “the Strong Wind”, and “the Wind of Earthquake”.
- And under them four fiery rivers are continually running, one fiery river on each side. And round about them, between the rivers, four clouds are planted (placed), and these they are: “clouds of fire”, “clouds of lamps”, “clouds of coal”, “clouds of brimstone” and they are standing over against [their] wheels.
- And the feet of the Chayyoth are resting upon the wheels. And between one wheel and the other earthquake is roaring and thunder is thundering.
- And when the time draws nigh for the recital of the Song, (then) the multitudes of wheels are moved, the multitude of clouds tremble, all the chieftains (shallishim) are made afraid, all the horsemen (parashim) do rage, all the mighty ones (gibborim) are excited, all the hosts (sĕba’im) are afrighted, all the troops (gĕdudim) are in fear, all the appointed ones (mĕmunnim) haste away, all the princes (sarim) and armies (chayyĕlim) are dismayed, all the servants (mĕsharĕtim) do faint and all the angels (mal’akim) and divisions (dĕgalim) travail with pain.
- And one wheel makes a sound to be heard to the other and one Kerub to another, one Chayyā to another, one Seraph to another (saying) (Ps. lxviii. 5) “Extol to him that rideth in ‘Araboth, by his name Jah and rejoice before him!”
Hugo Odeberg’s translation in 3 Enoch or The Hebrew Book of Enoch (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1928). Public domain in the United States only, because the book was published in 1928. Odeberg died in 1973, so the translation is still under copyright in countries that count 70 years from the author’s death. The verses are transcribed from the Internet Archive scan 3enochorhebrewbo00unse (Princeton Theological Seminary Library); translation pages 22–23, missing from that scan, are from the scan ksigaxiienochorthehebrewbookofenoch_202012. Odeberg’s chapter summaries, critical apparatus, notes, and italics are left out, and the underdots in his transliterations are not reproduced. Where he prints parallel recensions in columns, the first column, which carries his base manuscript A, is used. His additional sections 15B, 22B, 22C, and 48B–48D are not included; chapter 48 is his 48A.