✶Gnosis
← Contents
Theme
097 / 109

Listen

Dhammapada · narration sample

A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.

The Book of Enoch · 97 of 109

Chapter XCVI. Woes for the Wicked

1.Be hopeful, ye righteous; for suddenly shall the sinners perish before you,

And ye shall have lordship over them according to your desires.

2.And in the day of the tribulation of the sinners,

Your children shall mount and rise as eagles,

And higher than the vultures will be your nest,

And ye shall ascend and enter the crevices of the earth,

And the clefts of the rock for ever as coneys before the unrighteous,

And the sirens shall sigh because of you-and weep.

3.Wherefore fear not, ye that have suffered;

For healing shall be your portion,

And a bright light shall enlighten you,

And the voice of rest ye shall hear from heaven.

4.Woe unto you, ye sinners, for your riches make you appear like the righteous,

But your hearts convict you of being sinners,

And this fact shall be a testimony against you for a memorial of (your) evil deeds.

5.Woe to you who devour the finest of the wheat,

And drink wine in large bowls,

And tread under foot the lowly with your might.

6.Woe to you who drink water from every fountain,

For suddenly shall ye be consumed and wither away,

Because ye have forsaken the fountain of life.

7.Woe to you who work unrighteousness

And deceit and blasphemy:

It shall be a memorial against you for evil.

8.Woe to you, ye mighty,

Who with might oppress the righteous;

For the day of your destruction is coming.

In those days many and good days shall come to the righteous—in the day of your judgement.

Asked of Guide

Why does the chapter promise 'lordship' to the righteous after sinners perish?

The chapter says the righteous will suddenly see the sinners perish and then “have lordship over them according to your desires,” which frames deliverance as a reversal: safety, honor, and control arrive as immediate consequences of justice being enacted. This promise functions as consolation—children “shall mount and rise as eagles,” the righteous will enter rock clefts “for ever,” and a “bright light shall enlighten you,” all images of secure, exalted life after suffering.

The text links moral clarity to visible reward: riches that made sinners seem righteous become testimony against them, while the oppressed receive healing and a “voice of rest…from heaven.” That pairing of earthly vindication and heavenly assurance resembles Psalms of vindication and echoes later apocalyptic motifs found in Revelation, which also pairs torment for the wicked with exaltation of the faithful.

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.