1 Enoch 53
Study resource: not ScriptureR. H. Charles translation (1917) · public domain
1There mine eyes saw a deep valley with open mouths, and all who dwell on the earth and sea and islands shall bring to him gifts and presents and tokens of homage, but that deep valley shall not become full.
2And their hands commit lawless deeds, And the sinners devour all whom they lawlessly oppress: Yet the sinners shall be destroyed before the face of the Lord of Spirits, And they shall be banished from off the face of His earth, And they shall perish for ever and ever.
3For I saw all the angels of punishment abiding (there) and preparing all the instruments of Satan.
4And I asked the angel of peace who went with me: ‘For whom are they preparing these instruments?’
5And he said unto me: ‘They prepare these for the kings and the mighty of this earth, that they may thereby be destroyed.
6And after this the Righteous and Elect One shall cause the house of his congregation to appear: henceforth they shall be no more hindered in the name of the Lord of Spirits.
7And these mountains shall not stand as the earth before his righteousness, But the hills shall be as a fountain of water, And the righteous shall have rest from the oppression of sinners.’
The chapter, studied
Instruments Prepared for the Kings of the Earth
Enoch sees "a deep valley with open mouths" where sinners bring gifts of homage that never fill it, while sinners themselves are destroyed and banished from the earth. He also sees "the angels of punishment" preparing "instruments of Satan," which his guide explains are being readied specifically "for the kings and the mighty of this earth, that they may thereby be destroyed."
The bottomless valley that "shall not become full" no matter how much homage is poured into it is a striking image of the emptiness of worldly tribute: gifts given to appease or bribe power accomplish nothing lasting. Set beside it is a very different scene: angels actively preparing tools of judgment specifically for "the kings and the mighty," continuing the Parables' consistent target of political and economic power that refuses to honor God.
The chapter closes on relief rather than only threat: once the Righteous and Elect One causes his congregation to appear, the righteous "shall be no more hindered," and the very mountains that once seemed unshakable will not "stand as the earth before his righteousness."
Doors into the 66
- Revelation 19:19 — Kings and their armies gathered for judgment and destruction stands beside Revelation's picture of the kings of the earth gathered against the returning Christ.
Teachers on this ground
R. H. Charles
The Book of Enoch (1917)
The public-domain translation this shelf reads, with the critical introduction the field still builds on.
Johnny Enlow
The Book of Enoch: Paraphrase and Commentary (2025)
A living teacher's paraphrase of the whole book with his own running commentary, from the prophetic stream.
Michael S. Heiser
A Companion to the Book of Enoch: A Reader's Commentary, Vol. II — The Parables of Enoch (2020)
The reader's commentary continued into the Son of Man visions of these chapters.
1There mine eyes saw a deep valley with open mouths, and all who dwell on the earth and sea and islands shall bring to him gifts and presents and tokens of homage, but that deep valley shall not become full.
2And their hands commit lawless deeds, And the sinners devour all whom they lawlessly oppress: Yet the sinners shall be destroyed before the face of the Lord of Spirits, And they shall be banished from off the face of His earth, And they shall perish for ever and ever.
3For I saw all the angels of punishment abiding (there) and preparing all the instruments of Satan.
4And I asked the angel of peace who went with me: ‘For whom are they preparing these instruments?’
5And he said unto me: ‘They prepare these for the kings and the mighty of this earth, that they may thereby be destroyed.
6And after this the Righteous and Elect One shall cause the house of his congregation to appear: henceforth they shall be no more hindered in the name of the Lord of Spirits.
7And these mountains shall not stand as the earth before his righteousness, But the hills shall be as a fountain of water, And the righteous shall have rest from the oppression of sinners.’
The language it was written in
Aramaic (the Qumran fragments' language); parts possibly Hebrew. The Parables (chs. 37–71) have no Qumran witness and their original language is debated.
What survives, and where
Aramaic: Dead Sea Scrolls
Eleven fragmentary manuscripts from Qumran Cave 4 covering every section except the Parables (3rd c. BC – 1st c. AD).
Greek
Substantial portions: chs. 1–32 (Codex Panopolitanus), quotations in Syncellus, and the Chester Beatty papyrus of the Epistle.
Ge’ez (Ethiopic)
The only complete text, preserved by the Ethiopian church, whose canon receives the book; the base of every full translation.
What you are reading here
R. H. Charles's 1917 English translation, made from the Ge’ez against the Greek and Aramaic evidence then known — public domain, quotable in full.
No tagged word floor exists for the Aramaic or Ge’ez text; word-by-word study on this shelf awaits a future ingest. What stands here is the manuscript story itself.