Cherubim and Seraphim surrounded the throne. Six-winged, many-eyed, they never departed — standing before God's face, doing His will, covering the entire throne with their wings as they sang in gentle, ceaseless voices: Holy, holy, holy, Lord Ruler of Sabaoth — heavens and earth are full of Your glory.
Then Enoch's guides spoke their final words: "Thus far we were commanded to journey with you." And they vanished.
Enoch stood alone at the edge of the seventh heaven. Abandoned. Terrified. He fell on his face and cried out: "Woe is me — what has happened to me?"
Then God sent the archangel Gabriel. "Have courage, Enoch. Do not fear. Arise before the Lord's face — arise, and come with me."
But Enoch's soul had departed from him in terror. He could barely stand. He called out for the men who had first led him upward — they were gone. Gabriel scooped him up like a leaf caught by the wind and carried him forward.
He passed through the eighth heaven — Muzaloth, the changer of seasons, home of the twelve constellations. Through the ninth heaven — Kuchavim, where the constellations have their celestial dwellings.
And then. The tenth heaven. Aravoth.
Enoch saw the face of God.
It was like iron heated in fire until it glows white, pulled from the furnace, emitting sparks, burning with a radiance that seared the eyes. The Lord's face was ineffable — marvelous and terrible, awesome beyond all comprehension. The throne was vast, not made by hands. Troops of Cherubim and Seraphim surrounded it. Their singing never ceased. The beauty of it was immutable, and no tongue could describe the greatness of His glory.
Enoch fell prostrate and worshipped. And God spoke to him directly: "Have courage, Enoch. Do not fear. Arise and stand before My face forever."
The archangel Michael lifted him to his feet and led him before the Lord. And God said to His servants: "Let Enoch stand before My face for eternity." The glorious ones bowed and answered: "Let Enoch go according to Your word."
Then came the transformation. God commanded Michael: "Take Enoch from his earthly garments. Anoint him with My sweet ointment. Dress him in the garments of My glory."
Michael obeyed. He anointed Enoch with oil that was brighter than the greatest light, fragrant as sweet dew, radiant as the sun's ray. Enoch looked at himself and saw that he had been transfigured — he looked like one of God's own glorious angels.
Then the Lord summoned an archangel named Pravuil — the wisest of all the archangels, the one who recorded every deed of the Lord. God said to him: "Bring out the books from My storehouses, and a reed of quick-writing, and give them to Enoch. Deliver to him the choicest and most comforting books from your hand."
A mortal man, dressed in divine glory, standing before the throne of God, about to receive the secrets of creation from the hand of heaven's own scribe. This was why Enoch had been taken. Not merely to see — but to write.
1 And the Cherubim and seraphim standing about the throne, the six-winged and many-eyed ones do not depart, standing before the Lords face doing his will, and cover his whole throne, singing with gentle voice before the Lords face: Holy, holy, holy, Lord Ruler of Sabaoth, heavens and earth are full of Your glory.
2 When I saw all these things, those men said to me: Enoch, thus far is it commanded us to journey with you, and those men went away from me and thereupon I saw them not.
3 And I remained alone at the end of the seventh heaven and became afraid, and fell on my face and said to myself: Woe is me, what has befallen me?
4 And the Lord sent one of his glorious ones, the archangel Gabriel, and (he) said to me: Have courage, Enoch, do not fear, arise before the Lords face into eternity, arise, come with me.
5 And I answered him, and said in myself: My Lord, my soul is departed from me, from terror and trembling, and I called to the men who led me up to this place, on them I relied, and (it is) with them I go before the Lords face.
6 And Gabriel caught me up, as a leaf caught up by the wind, and placed me before the Lords face.
7 And I saw the eighth heaven, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Muzaloth, changer of the seasons, of drought, and of wet, and of the twelve constellations of the circle of the firmament, which are above the seventh heaven.
8 And I saw the ninth heaven, which is called in Hebrew Kuchavim, where are the heavenly homes of the twelve constellations of the circle of the firmament.
1 On the tenth heaven, (which is called) Aravoth, I saw the appearance of the Lords face, like iron made to glow in fire, and brought out, emitting sparks, and it burns.
2 Thus (in a moment of eternity) I saw the Lord's face, but the Lords face is ineffable, marvellous and very awful, and very, very terrible.
3 And who am I to tell of the Lords unspeakable being, and of his very wonderful face? And I cannot tell the quantity of his many instructions, and various voices, the Lord's throne (is) very great and not made with hands, nor the quantity of those standing round him, troops of Cherubim and seraphim, nor their incessant singing, nor his immutable beauty, and who shall tell of the ineffable greatness of his glory.
4 And I fell prone and bowed down to the Lord, and the Lord with his lips said to me:
5 Have courage, Enoch, do not fear, arise and stand before my face into eternity.
6 And the archistratege Michael lifted me up, and led me to before the Lords face.
7 And the Lord said to his servants tempting them: Let Enoch stand before my face into eternity, and the glorious ones bowed down to the Lord, and said: Let Enoch go according to Your word.
8 And the Lord said to Michael: Go and take Enoch from out (of) his earthly garments, and anoint him with my sweet ointment, and put him into the garments of My glory.
9 And Michael did thus, as the Lord told him. He anointed me, and dressed me, and the appearance of that ointment is more than the great light, and his ointment is like sweet dew, and its smell mild, shining like the suns ray, and I looked at myself, and (I) was like (transfigured) one of his glorious ones.
10 And the Lord summoned one of his archangels by name Pravuil, whose knowledge was quicker in wisdom than the other archangels, who wrote all the deeds of the Lord; and the Lord said to Pravuil: Bring out the books from my store-houses, and a reed of quick-writing, and give (it) to Enoch, and deliver to him the choice and comforting books out of your hand.
