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The Book of Enoch · 63 of 109

Chapter LXIII. The Unavailing Repentance of the Kings

1.In those days shall the mighty and the kings who possess the earth implore (Him) to grant them a little respite from His angels of punishment to whom they were delivered, that they might fall down and worship before the Lord of Spirits, and confess their sins before Him.

2.And they shall bless and glorify the Lord of Spirits, and say:

‘Blessed is the Lord of Spirits and the Lord of kings,

And the Lord of the mighty and the Lord of the rich,

And the Lord of glory and the Lord of wisdom,

3.And splendid in every secret thing is Thy power from generation to generation,

And Thy glory for ever and ever:

Deep are all Thy secrets and innumerable,

And Thy righteousness is beyond reckoning.

4.We have now learnt that we should glorify

And bless the Lord of kings and Him who is king over all kings.’

5.And they shall say:

‘Would that we had rest to glorify and give thanks

And confess our faith before His glory!

6.And now we long for a little rest but find it not:

We follow hard upon and obtain (it) not:

And light has vanished from before us,

And darkness is our dwelling-place for ever and ever:

7.For we have not believed before Him

Nor glorified the name of the Lord of Spirits, nor glorified our Lord But our hope was in the sceptre of our kingdom,

And in our glory.

8.And in the day of our suffering and tribulation He saves us not,

And we find no respite for confession

That our Lord is true in all His works, and in His judgements and His justice,

And His judgements have no respect of persons.

9.And we pass away from before His face on account of our works,

And all our sins are reckoned up in righteousness.’

10.Now they shall say unto themselves: ‘Our souls are full of unrighteous gain, but it does not prevent us from descending from the midst thereof into the burden of Sheol.’

11.And after that their faces shall be filled with darkness

And shame before that Son of Man,

And they shall be driven from his presence,

And the sword shall abide before his face in their midst.

12.Thus spake the Lord of Spirits: ‘This is the ordinance and judgement with respect to the mighty and the kings and the exalted and those who possess the earth before the Lord of Spirits.’

Asked of Guide

Why do the kings seek respite to worship and confess after suffering, not before?

The kings seek respite because their power and hope rested in

the sceptre of our kingdom

and their repentance comes only when light has vanished and darkness is their dwelling-place. The chapter shows their plea for a little rest to glorify the Lord of Spirits arrives after judgement has exposed that they

trusted in earthly glory; their confession is driven by loss, shame, and reckoning of sins.

Enoch presents this as unavailing repentance: they bless and confess but are driven from the Son of Man’s presence and judged—compare Isaiah, which also links late repentance to exposed pride and final exile.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.