The Books of Enoch, Aramaic Fragments of Qumran Cave 4

328 THE BOOK OF GIANTS
over all kinds of women's ornaments by which they entice men to unclean
thoughts of sin. (8) Forthwith Metatron sent a messenger to Semhazai,*
and said to him: "The Holy One is about to destroy His world, and bring
upon it a flood." Semhazai stood up and raised his voice and wept aloud,
for he was sorely troubled about his sons and (his own) iniquity.*^ And he
said: "How shall my children live and what shall become of my children,
for each one of them eats daily a thousand camels, a thousand horses, a
thousand oxen, and all kinds (of animals)?"
(9) One night the sons of Semhazai, Heyya and 'Aheyyd, saw (visions) in
dream, and both of them saw dreams. One saw a great stone spread over the
earth like a table, the whole of which^ was written over with lines (of writing).
And an angel (was seen by him) descending from the firmament with a knife
in his hand and he was erasing and obliterating all the lines, save one line
with four words upon it. (10) The other (son) saw a garden, jplanted whole
with (many) kinds of trees and (many) kinds of precious stones. And an
angel (was seen by him) descending from the firmament with an axe in his
hand, and he was cutting down all the trees,J so that there remained only one
tree containing three branches. (11) When they awoke from their sleep they
arose in confusion, and, going to their father, they related to him the dreams.
He said to them: "The Holy One is about to bring a flood upon the world,
and to destroy it, so that there will remain but one man and his three sons."
They (thereupon) cried in anguish and wept, saying: "What shall become
of us and how shall our names be perpetuated?" He said to them: "Do not
trouble yourselves, for your names, HeyyS and 'Aheyya, will never cease
from the mouths of creatures, because every time that men will be raising
(heavy) stones or boats, or anything similar,^ they will shout and call your
names." With this their tempers cooled down.
(12) What did Semhazai do? He repented and suspended himself between
heaven and earth head downwards and feet upwards, ^because he was not
allowed to open his mouth before the Holy One—Blessed be He^—, and he
still hangs between heaven and earth. (13) *Aza'el (however) did not repent.
And he is appointed chief over all kinds of dyes which entice man to
commit sin and he still continues to corrupt them. (14) Therefore, when the
Israelites used to bring sacrifices on the day of atonement, they cast one
lot*" for the Lord that it might atone for the iniquities of the Israelites, and
one lot"^ for 'Azaz'el that he might bear the burden of Israel's iniquity.
This is the *Azazel that is mentioned in the Scripture.'
^ R, after the quotation from Gen. 6: 2, adds: *The Holy One—Blessed be He—^who suffers