Methuselah came to his father and asked: "What is pleasing to your eyes, father? What can I prepare for you before you depart, that you may bless our homes and your sons and all the people, and then go as the Lord has said?"
Enoch answered him plainly: "Since the Lord anointed me with the ointment of His glory, food holds nothing for me. My soul does not remember earthly pleasures. I want nothing of this world."
He asked Methuselah to summon everyone — all his brothers, all the household, all the elders of the people. And when they had assembled, Enoch blessed them and delivered his final teaching.
He spoke of Adam — how God descended to earth for Adam's sake, created him, brought every beast and bird and reptile before him so he could name them, appointed him ruler over all creation. He taught them the sacred obligation toward animals: whoever harms a beast harms his own soul. Whoever kills an animal without proper cause defiles his own flesh. And whoever takes a human life kills his own soul, with no remedy for all time.
"Keep your hearts from every injustice," Enoch commanded. "Just as a man asks something from God for his own soul, let him do the same for every living soul."
He taught them about giving: when a man clothes the naked and feeds the hungry, he finds reward from God. But if his heart murmurs while giving, he commits a double evil — destroying both himself and the value of his gift. And every proud, boastful person is hateful to the Lord.
"Blessed is the man who brings his gifts with patience and faith," Enoch said. "He will find forgiveness. But if he takes back his words before the time, there is no repentance. And if the time passes and he does not fulfill what he promised, there is no repentance after death."
These were the last moral teachings of a man who had walked through all ten heavens and returned to tell the tale. Not visions of fire and glory — but instructions about kindness, humility, and keeping your word.
1 Mathosalam having answered his father Enoch, said: What is agreeable to your eyes, father, that I may make before your face, that you may bless our dwellings, and your sons, and that your people may be made glorious through you, and then (that) you may depart thus, as the Lord said?
2 Enoch answered to his son Mathosalam (and) said: Hear, child, from the time when the Lord anointed me with the ointment of his glory, (there has been no) food in me, and my soul remembers not earthly enjoyment, neither do I want anything earthly.
1 My child Methosalam, summon all your brethren and all your household and the elders of the people, that I may talk to them and depart, as is planned for me.
2 And Methosalam made haste, and summoned his brethren, Regim, Riman, Uchan, Chermion, Gaidad, and all the elders of the people before the face of his father Enoch; and he blessed them, (and) said to them:
1 Listen to me, my children, to-day.
2 In those days when the Lord came down on to earth for Adams sake, and visited all his creatures, which he created himself, after all these he created Adam, and the Lord called all the beasts of the earth, all the reptiles, and all the birds that soar in the air, and brought them all before the face of our father Adam.
3 And Adam gave the names to all things living on earth.
4 And the Lord appointed him ruler over all, and subjected to him all things under his hands, and made them dumb and made them dull that they be commanded of man, and be in subjection and obedience to him.
5 Thus also the Lord created every man lord over all his possessions.
6 The Lord will not judge a single soul of beast for mans sake, but adjudges the souls of men to their beasts in this world; for men have a special place.
7 And as every soul of man is according to number, similarly beasts will not perish, nor all souls of beasts which the Lord created, till the great judgment, and they will accuse man, if he feed them ill.
1 Whoever defiles the soul of beasts, defiles his own soul.
2 For man brings clean animals to make sacrifice for sin, that he may have cure of his soul.
3 And if they bring for sacrifice clean animals, and birds, man has cure, he cures his soul.
4 All is given you for food, bind it by the four feet, that is to make good the cure, he cures his soul.
5 But whoever kills beast without wounds, kills his own souls and defiles his own flesh.
6 And he who does any beast any injury whatsoever, in secret, it is evil practice, and he defiles his own soul.
1 He who works the killing of a mans soul, kills his own soul, and kills his own body, and there is no cure for him for all time.
2 He who puts a man in any snare, shall stick in it himself, and there is no cure for him for all time.
3 He who puts a man in any vessel, his retribution will not be wanting at the great judgment for all time.
4 He who works crookedly or speaks evil against any soul, will not make justice for himself for all time.
1 And now, my children, keep your hearts from every injustice, which the Lord hates. Just as a man asks something for his own soul from God, so let him do to every living soul, because I know all things, how in the great time to come there is much inheritance prepared for men, good for the good, and bad for the bad, without number many.
2 Blessed are those who enter the good houses, for in the bad houses there is no peace nor return from them.
3 Hear, my children, small and great! When man puts a good thought in his heart, brings gifts from his labours before the Lords face and his hands made them not, then the Lord will turn away his face from the labour of his hand, and (that) man cannot find the labour of his hands.
4 And if his hands made it, but his heart murmur, and his heart cease not making murmur incessantly, he has not any advantage.
1 Blessed is the man who in his patience brings his gifts with faith before the Lords face, because he will find forgiveness of sins.
2 But if he take back his words before the time, there is no repentance for him; and if the time pass and he do not of his own will what is promised, there is no repentance after death.
3 Because every work which man does before the time, is all deceit before men, and sin before God.
1 When man clothes the naked and fills the hungry, he will find reward from God.
2 But if his heart murmur, he commits a double evil; ruin of himself and of that which he gives; and for him there will be no finding of reward on account of that.
3 And if his own heart is filled with his food and his own flesh, clothed with his own clothing, he commits contempt, and will forfeit all his endurance of poverty, and will not find reward of his good deeds.
4 Every proud and magniloquent man is hateful to the Lord, and every false speech, clothed in untruth; it will be cut with the blade of the sword of death, and thrown into the fire, and shall burn for all time.
