Which Translation of the Book of Enoch Should You Read?

Search for the Book of Enoch on Amazon and you will get hundreds of results, many with dramatic covers and words like “complete,” “banned” or “forbidden.” Almost all of them reprint one translation, by R. H. Charles, from 1917. It is in the public domain, so anyone can print it.

That translation is good, and it is free to read online. So start there and spend nothing.

What to look out for

Three things are common on the low end. Some editions add a modern author’s commentary claiming that the book reveals aliens, secret bloodlines or the end times, and you should know that what you are buying is that author’s view. Some mix in 2 and 3 Enoch, which are separate, much later works. And some are simply badly typeset, often with missing verse numbers.

If an edition does not name the translator, skip it.

Why upgrade

Charles worked from Ethiopic manuscripts before the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The Aramaic fragments from Qumran changed our understanding of parts of the text, and a modern translation accounts for them. If this book has grabbed you, the Hermeneia translation is worth it. See our guide to Enoch to learn what is in it first.