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Dhammapada · narration sample

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The Book of Enoch · 9 of 109

Chapter IX

1.And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth.

2.And they said one to another: ‘The earth made without inhabitant cries the voice of their crying up to the gates of heaven.

3.[And now to you, the holy ones of heaven], the souls of men make their suit, saying, “Bring our cause before the Most High.”.’

4.And they said to the Lord of the ages: ‘Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, and God of the ages, the throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all the generations of the ages, and Thy name holy and glorious and blessed unto all the ages!

5.Thou hast made all things, and power over all things hast Thou: and all things are naked and open in Thy sight, and Thou seest all things, and nothing can hide itself from Thee.

6.Thou seest what Azâzêl hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn: 7. And Semjâzâ, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates.

8.And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins.

9.And the women have borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness.

10.And now, behold, the souls of those who have died are crying and making their suit to the gates of heaven, and their lamentations have ascended: and cannot cease because of the lawless deeds which are wrought on the earth.

11.And Thou knowest all things before they come to pass, and Thou seest these things and Thou dost suffer them, and Thou dost not say to us what we are to do to them in regard to these.’

Asked of Guide

Why do the angels bring the souls' complaint to God in this chapter?

Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel see great bloodshed and lawlessness on earth and hear the souls of the dead crying at heaven’s gates, so they present those complaints directly to God. The angels name the offenders—Azâzêl for teaching “all unrighteousness” and Semjâzâ for leading others—and appeal to God’s omniscience and power because the violence and illegitimate births have filled the earth with blood and unrighteousness.

Their petition stresses that everything is “naked and open in Thy sight” and asks God what should be done, locating responsibility with the Most High. This complaint resembles Genesis 6’s concern about the sons of God and echoes themes in Jude and 2 Peter that cite Enoch’s warning about ungodly angels.

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