The Book of Jubilees presented itself as a divine revelation received by Moses during his time on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:12). Composed in the second century BCE, it was, in fact, a commentary on the Book of Genesis and the early chapters of the Book of Exodus, with its chronology of events organized in jubilees (increments of forty-nine years). Like the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees amplified the story of the rebel angels and their lust for human women by introducing new features to the legend. As related by one of the archangels, it narrated how the rebellion of the Watchers took place not in Heaven, but after their arrival on earth, where God had sent them to instruct humankind. Once they had been corrupted by desire, their forbidden unions produced not only the Nephilim but many races of giants, who waged war against one another. After their slaughter, the malignant spirits of these giants afflicted the grandchildren of Moses as demonic forces responsible for disease and death. Moses petitioned God to condemn the demons to a place of otherworldly punishment, but their leader, Mastema, lobbied successfully to keep a tenth of his followers on earth to fulfill their role as punishers of human wickedness. In response, God instructed the archangels to share with his chosen people knowledge of herbal remedies that would protect them from the maladies caused by demonic powers.
And in the second week of the tenth jubilee, Mahalalel took as his wife Dinah, the daughter of Baraki’el, the daughter of his father’s brother, and she bore him a son in the third week in the sixth year, and he named him Jared, for in his days the angels of the Lord descended to the earth, those who are called the watchers, to instruct the children of men to act with judgment and righteousness on the earth.[2] And in the eleventh jubilee, Jared took a wife, and her name was Baraka, the daughter of Rasujal, a daughter of his father’s brother, in the fourth week of this jubilee, and she bore him a son in the fifth week, in the fourth year of the jubilee, and he named him Enoch. And he was the first among men born on earth who learned writing and knowledge and wisdom, and who wrote down the signs of heaven according to the order of their months in a book, so that men would know the seasons of the years according to the order of their separate months. And he was the first to write a testimony, and he testified to the sons of men among the generations of the earth, and recounted the weeks of the jubilees, and made known to them the days of the years, and set in order the months and recounted the Sabbaths of the years as we made them, as they were known to him. And what was and what will happen he saw in a vision while asleep, just as it will happen to the children of men throughout their generations until the day of judgment. He saw and understood everything, and wrote his testimony, and placed the testimony on earth for all the children of men and for their generations.[3] And in the twelfth jubilee, in the seventh week there, he took a wife, and her name was Edni, the daughter of Danel, the daughter of his father’s brother, and in the sixth year in this week she bore him a son and he called his name Methuselah. And, moreover, he was with the angels of God these six jubilees of years, and they showed him everything that is on earth and in the heavens, the rule of the sun, and he wrote down everything. And he testified to the watchers, who had sinned with the daughters of men, for they had begun to unite themselves, so as to be defiled, with the daughters of men, and Enoch testified against them all. And he was taken from among the children of men, and we conducted him into the Garden of Eden in majesty and honor, and behold, there he writes down the condemnation and judgment of the world, and all the wickedness of the children of men. And on account of his testimony, God brought the waters of the flood upon all the land of Eden, for there he was sent as a sign and that he should testify against all the children of men, that he should recount all the deeds of the generations until the day of condemnation…
And it came to pass when the children of men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them that the angels of God saw them on a certain year of this jubilee and found them beautiful to look upon and they chose wives among them for themselves, and they bore sons and these sons were giants. And lawlessness increased on the earth and all flesh was corrupted, men and cattle and beasts and birds and everything that walks on the earth—all of them were corrupted and they began to devour each other, and lawlessness increased on the earth and the thoughts of all men dwelt on evil continually. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, and all flesh had been corrupted, and everyone upon the earth committed all manner of evil before his eyes. And God said that he would destroy humankind and all flesh upon the face of the earth that he had created. But Noah found grace before the eyes of the Lord. And God was exceedingly angry with the angels whom he had sent to the earth, and he gave the command to root them out of all their dominion, and he ordered us [the archangels] to bind them in the depths of the earth, and behold, they are bound there and kept separate. And against their sons—the giants—went forth a command from him that they should be smitten with the sword, and removed from under heaven. And he said, “My spirit will not always abide with man, for they are flesh and their days will be one hundred and twenty years.” And he sent his sword into their midst, so that each person slew his neighbor, and they began to slay each other until they all fell by the sword and were destroyed from the earth. And their fathers [the watchers] witnessed their destruction, and after this they were bound in the depths of the earth forever, until the day of the great condemnation, when judgment is made on all those who have corrupted their ways and their works before the Lord.
And in the twenty-eighth jubilee Noah enjoined upon his sons’ sons all of the commandments and judgments that he knew, and he exhorted his sons to observe righteousness, and to cover the shame of their flesh, and to bless their creator, and honor father and mother, and love their neighbor, and guard their souls from fornication and uncleanness and all iniquity. For owing to these three things came the flood upon the earth, namely, owing to the fornication by which the watchers against the natural order had sex with the daughters of men, and chose for themselves wives, and thereby made the beginning of uncleanness. And they produced sons, the Nephilim, and they were all different from one another and they devoured one another: the giants slew the Nephil, and the Nephil slew the Eljo, and the Eljo slew humankind, and one man slew another. And everyone committed iniquity and shed much blood, and the earth was filled with iniquity. And after this they sinned against the beasts and birds, and all that moves and walks on the earth and much blood was shed on the earth, and every thought and desire of men imagined vanity and evil continually.
And the Lord destroyed everything from the face of the earth, because of the wickedness of their deeds. And Noah said, “And we were left, you and I, my sons, and everything that entered with us into the ark, and behold, I see from your works before me that you do not walk in righteousness, for you have begun to walk in the path of destruction, and you are parting one from another, and you are envious of one another, and so it follows that you are not in harmony, my sons, each with his brother. For I see and behold that the demons have begun their seductions against you and against your children, and now I fear on your behalf that after my death you will shed the blood of humankind upon the earth, and that you, too, will be destroyed from the face of the earth.”…And in the third week of this jubilee the unclean demons began to lead astray the children of the sons of Noah, and to cause them to commit errors, and to destroy themselves. And the sons of Noah came to Noah their father, and they told him about the demons that were leading them astray and blinding and slaying his sons’ sons. And he prayed before the Lord his God, and said:
“God of the spirits of all flesh, who has shown mercy to me
And has saved me and my sons from the waters of the flood,
And has not caused me to perish as you did the sons of perdition;
For your grace has been great towards me,
And great has been your mercy to my soul;
Let your grace be lifted up upon my sons,
And let not wicked spirits rule over them
Lest they should destroy them from the earth.
But bless me and my sons,
So that we may increase and multiply and replenish the earth.
For you know how your watchers,
The fathers of these wicked spirits, acted in my day,
And as for these spirits that persist in living,
Imprison them and hold them fast in the place of condemnation,
And let them not bring destruction on the sons of your servant, my God.
For they are malignant and exist only to destroy.
And let them not rule over the spirits of the living,
For you alone can exercise dominion over them.
And let them not have power over the sons of the righteous from now on and for evermore.”
And the Lord, our God, bid us [the archangels] to bind them all. And the chief of the wicked spirits, Mastema, came and said: “Lord, creator, let some of the spirits remain with me, and let them heed my voice, and do all that I command, for if some of them are not left to me, I will not be able to execute the power of my will on the sons of men, for great is the wickedness of the sons of men.” And God said: “Let the tenth part of them remain before him, and let nine parts descend into the place of condemnation.” And he commanded one of us [the archangels] to teach Noah all of the remedies, for God knew that they would not walk in uprightness nor strive in righteousness. And we did this according to all his words. All the evil spirits we bound in the place of condemnation and a tenth part of them we left, so that they might be subjects of Satan on the earth. And we explained to Noah all the remedies to treat the diseases of the demons, together with their seductions, and how he might heal them with herbs of the earth. And Noah wrote down all of these things in a book as we instructed him concerning every kind of medicine. Thus, the evil spirits were prevented from hurting the sons of Noah.