CHAPTER VI
Enoch lifted up to heaven together with the Shekina. Angels protests answered by God
R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the Angel, the Prince of the Presence, said to me :
(1) When the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to lift me up on high, He first sent 'Anaphiel H (H = Tetragrammaton) the Prince, and he took me from their midst in their sight and carried me in great glory upon a a fiery chariot with fiery horses, servants of glory. And he lifted me up to the high heavens together with the Shekina.
(2) As soon as I reached the high heavens, the Holy Chayyoth, the 'Ophannim, the Seraphim, the Kerubim, the Wheels of the Merkaba (the Galgallim), and the ministers of the consuming fire, perceiving my smell from a distance of 365,000 myriads of parasangs, said: "What smell of one born of woman and what taste of a white drop (is this) that ascends on high, and (lo, he is merely) a gnat among those who 'divide flames (of fire)'?"
(3) The Holy One, blessed be He, answered and spake unto them: "My servants, my hosts, my Kerubim, my 'Ophannim, my Seraphim! Be ye not displeased on account of this! Since all the children of men have
denied me and my great Kingdom and are gone worshipping idols, I have removed my Shekina from among them and have lifted it up on high. But this one whom I have taken from among them is an ELECT ONE among (the inhabitants of) the world and he is equal
to all of them in faith, righteousness and perfection of deed and I have taken him for (as) a tribute from my world under all the heavens".
CHAPTER VII
Enoch raised upon the wings of the Shekina to the place of the Throne, the Merkaba and the angelic hosts
R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the Angel, the Prince of the Presence, said to me:
(1) When the Holy One, blessed be He, took me away from the generation of the Flood, he lifted me on the wings of the wind of Shekina to the highest heaven and brought me into the great palaces of the 'Araboth Raqia' on high, where are the gloriou Throne of Shekina, the Merkaba, the troops of anger, the armies of vehemence, the fiery Shin'anim', the flaming Kerubim, and the burning 'Ophannim, the flaming servants, the flashing Chashmattim and the lightening Seraphim. And he placed me (there) to attend the Throne of Glory day after day.
CHAPTER VIII
The gates (of the treasuries of heaven) opened to Metatron
R. Ishmael said : Metatron, the Prince of the Presence, said to me :
(1) Before He appointed me to attend the Throne of Glory, the Holy One, blessed b He, opened to me
three hundred thousand gates of Understanding
three hundred thousand gates of Subtlety
three hundred thousand gates of Life
three hundred thousand gates of grace and
loving kindness
three hundred thousand gates of love
three hundred thousand gates of Tora
three hundred thousand gates of meekness
three hundred thousand gates of maintenance
three hundred thousand gates' of mercy
three hundred thousand gates of fear of heaven
(2) In that hour the Holy One, blessed be He, added in me wisdom unto wisdom, understanding unto understanding, subtlety unto subtlety, knowledge unto knowledge, mercy unto mercy, instruction unto instruction, love unto love, loving-kindness unto loving-kindness, goodness unto goodness, meekness unto meekness, power unto power, strength unto strength, might unto might, brilliance unto brilliance, beauty unto beauty, splendour unto splendour, and I was honoured and adorned with all these good and praiseworthy things more than all the children of heaven.
CHAPTER IX
Enoch receives blessings from the Most High and is adorned with angelic attributes
R. Ishmael said : Metatron, the Prince of the Presence, said to me :
(1) After all these things the Holy One, blessed be He, put His hand upon me and blessed me with 5360 blessings.
(2) And I was raised and enlarged to the size of the length and width of the world.
(3) And He caused 72 wings to grow on me, 36 on each side. And each wing was as the whole world.
(4) And He fixed on me 365 eyes : each eye was as the great luminary.
(5) And He left no kind of splendour, brilliance, radiance, beauty in (of) all the lights of the universe that He did not fix on me.
CHAPTER X
God places Metatron on a throne at the door of the seventh Hall and announces through the Herald, that Metatron henceforth is God's representative and ruler over all the princes of kingdoms and all the children of heaven, save the eight high princes called YHWH by the name of their King
R. Ishmael said : Metatron, the Prince of the Presence, said to me :
(1) All these things the Holy One, blessed be He, made for me: He made me a Throne, similar to the Throne of Glory. And He spread over me a curtain of splendour and brilliant appearance, of beauty, grace and mercy, similar to the curtain of the Throne of Glory; and on it were fixed all kinds of lights in the universe.
(2) And He placed it at the door of the Seventh Hall and seated me on it.
(3) And the herald went forth into every heaven, saying: This is Metatron, my servant. I have made him into a prince and a ruler over all the princes of my kingdoms and over all the children of heaven, except the eight great princes, the honoured and revered ones who are called YHWH, by the name of their King.
(4) And every angel and every prince who has a word to speak in my presence (before me) shall go into his presence (before him) and shall speak to him (instead).
(5)And every command that he utters to you in my name do ye observe and fulfil. For the Prince of Wisdom and the Prince of Understanding have I committed to him to instruct him in the wisdom of heavenly things and of earthly things, in the wisdom of this world and of the world to come.
(6) Moreover, I have set him over all the treasuries of the palaces of Araboih and over all the stores of life that I have in the high heavens.
