2nd Esdras 1
1 The second book of the prophet Esdras,
the son of Saraias, the son of Azarias, the son of Helchias, the son of
Sadamias, the sou of Sadoc, the son of Achitob,
2 The son of Achias, the son of Phinees,
the son of Heli, the son of Amarias, the son of Aziei, the son of Marimoth,
the son of And he spake unto the of Borith, the son of Abisei, the son
of Phinees, the son of Eleazar,
3 The son of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi;
which was captive in the land of the Medes, in the reign of Artexerxes
king of the Persians.
4 And the word of the Lord came unto me,
saying,
5 Go thy way, and shew my people their
sinful deeds, and their children their wickedness which they have done
against me; that they may tell their children's children:
6 Because the sins of their fathers are
increased in them: for they have forgotten me, and have offered unto strange
gods.
7 Am not I even he that brought them out
of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage? but they have provoked
me unto wrath, and despised my counsels.
8 Pull thou off then the hair of thy head,
and cast all evil upon them, for they have not been obedient unto my law,
but it is a rebellious people.
9 How long shall I forbear them, into
whom I have done so much good?
10 Many kings have I destroyed for their
sakes; Pharaoh with his servants and all his power have I smitten down.
11 All the nations have I destroyed before
them, and in the east I have scattered the people of two provinces, even
of Tyrus and Sidon, and have slain all their enemies.
12 Speak thou therefore unto them, saying,
Thus saith the Lord,
13 I led you through the sea and in the
beginning gave you a large and safe passage; I gave you Moses for a leader,
and Aaron for a priest.
14 I gave you light in a pillar of fire,
and great wonders have I done among you; yet have ye forgotten me, saith
the Lord.
15 Thus saith the Almighty Lord, The quails
were as a token to you; I gave you tents for your safeguard: nevertheless
ye murmured there,
16 And triumphed not in my name for the
destruction of your enemies, but ever to this day do ye yet murmur.
17 Where are the benefits that I have
done for you? when ye were hungry and thirsty in the wilderness, did ye
not cry unto me,
18 Saying, Why hast thou brought us into
this wilderness to kill us? it had been better for us to have served the
Egyptians, than to die in this wilderness.
19 Then had I pity upon your mournings,
and gave you manna to eat; so ye did eat angels' bread.
20 When ye were thirsty, did I not cleave
the rock, and waters flowed out to your fill? for the heat I covered you
with the leaves of the trees.
21 I divided among you a fruitful land,
I cast out the Canaanites, the Pherezites, and the Philistines, before
you: what shall I yet do more for you? saith the Lord.
22 Thus saith the Almighty Lord, When
ye were in the wilderness, in the river of the Amorites, being athirst,
and blaspheming my name,
23 I gave you not fire for your blasphemies,
but cast a tree in the water, and made the river sweet.
24 What shall I do unto thee, O Jacob?
thou, Juda, wouldest not obey me: I will turn me to other nations, and
unto those will I give my name, that they may keep my statutes.
25 Seeing ye have forsaken me, I will
forsake you also; when ye desire me to be gracious unto you, I shall have
no mercy upon you.
26 Whensoever ye shall call upon me, I
will not hear you: for ye have defiled your hands with blood, and your
feet are swift to commit manslaughter.
27 Ye have not as it were forsaken me,
but your own selves, saith the Lord.
28 Thus saith the Almighty Lord, Have
I not prayed you as a father his sons, as a mother her daughters, and a
nurse her young babes,
29 That ye would be my people, and I should
be your God; that ye would be my children, and I should be your father?
30 I gathered you together, as a hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings: but now, what shall I do unto you? I will
cast you out from my face.
31 When ye offer unto me, I will turn
my face from you: for your solemn feastdays, your new moons, and your circumcisions,
have I forsaken.
32 I sent unto you my servants the prophets,
whom ye have taken and slain, and torn their bodies in pieces, whose blood
I will require of your hands, saith the Lord.
33 Thus saith the Almighty Lord, Your
house is desolate, I will cast you out as the wind doth stubble.
34 And your children shall not be fruitful;
for they have despised my commandment, and done the thing that is an evil
before me.
35 Your houses will I give to a people
that shall come; which not having heard of me yet shall believe me; to
whom I have shewed no signs, yet they shall do that I have commanded them.
36 They have seen no prophets, yet they
shall call their sins to remembrance, and acknowledge them.
37 I take to witness the grace of the
people to come, whose little ones rejoice in gladness: and though they
have not seen me with bodily eyes, yet in spirit they believe the thing
that I say.
38 And now, brother, behold what glory;
and see the people that come from the east:
39 Unto whom I will give for leaders,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Oseas, Amos, and Micheas, Joel, Abdias, and
Jonas,
40 Nahum, and Abacuc, Sophonias, Aggeus,
Zachary, and Malachy, which is called also an angel of the Lord.
2nd Esdras 2
1 Thus saith the Lord, I brought this people
out of bondage, and I gave them my commandments by menservants the prophets;
whom they would not hear, but despised my counsels.
2 The mother that bare them saith unto
them, Go your way, ye children; for I am a widow and forsaken.
3 I brought you up with gladness; but
with sorrow and heaviness have I lost you: for ye have sinned before the
Lord your God, and done that thing that is evil before him.
4 But what shall I now do unto you? I
am a widow and forsaken: go your way, O my children, and ask mercy of the
Lord.
5 As for me, O father, I call upon thee
for a witness over the mother of these children, which would not keep my
covenant,
6 That thou bring them to confusion, and
their mother to a spoil, that there may be no offspring of them.
7 Let them be scattered abroad among the
heathen, let their names be put out of the earth: for they have despised
my covenant.
8 Woe be unto thee, Assur, thou that hidest
the unrighteous in thee! O thou wicked people, remember what I did unto
Sodom and Gomorrha;
9 Whose land lieth in clods of pitch and
heaps of ashes: even so also will I do unto them that hear me not, saith
the Almighty Lord.
10 Thus saith the Lord unto Esdras, Tell
my people that I will give them the kingdom of Jerusalem, which I would
have given unto Israel.
11 Their glory also will I take unto me,
and give these the everlasting tabernacles, which I had prepared for them.
12 They shall have the tree of life for
an ointment of sweet savour; they shall neither labour, nor be weary.
13 Go, and ye shall receive: pray for
few days unto you, that they may be shortened: the kingdom is already prepared
for you: watch.
14 Take heaven and earth to witness; for
I have broken the evil in pieces, and created the good: for I live, saith
the Lord.
15 Mother, embrace thy children, and bring
them up with gladness, make their feet as fast as a pillar: for I have
chosen thee, saith the Lord.
16 And those that be dead will I raise
up again from their places, and bring them out of the graves: for I have
known my name in Israel.
17 Fear not, thou mother of the children:
for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord.
18 For thy help will I send my servants
Esau and Jeremy, after whose counsel I have sanctified and prepared for
thee twelve trees laden with divers fruits,
19 And as many fountains flowing with
milk and honey, and seven mighty mountains, whereupon there grow roses
and lilies, whereby I will fill thy children with joy.
20 Do right to the widow, judge for the
fatherless, give to the poor, defend the orphan, clothe the naked,
21 Heal the broken and the weak, laugh
not a lame man to scorn, defend the maimed, and let the blind man come
into the sight of my clearness.
22 Keep the old and young within thy walls.
23 Wheresoever thou findest the dead,
take them and bury them, and I will give thee the first place in my resurrection.
24 Abide still, O my people, and take
thy rest, for thy quietness still come.
25 Nourish thy children, O thou good nurse;
stablish their feet.
26 As for the servants whom I have given
thee, there shall not one of them perish; for I will require them from
among thy number.
27 Be not weary: for when the day of trouble
and heaviness cometh, others shall weep and be sorrowful, but thou shalt
be merry and have abundance.
28 The heathen shall envy thee, but they
shall be able to do nothing against thee, saith the Lord.
29 My hands shall cover thee, so that
thy children shall not see hell.
30 Be joyful, O thou mother, with thy
children; for I will deliver thee, saith the Lord.
31 Remember thy children that sleep, for
I shall bring them out of the sides of the earth, and shew mercy unto them:
for I am merciful, saith the Lord Almighty.
32 Embrace thy children until I come and
shew mercy unto them: for my wells run over, and my grace shall not fail.
33 I Esdras received a charge of the Lord
upon the mount Oreb, that I should go unto Israel; but when I came unto
them, they set me at nought, and despised the commandment of the Lord.
34 And therefore I say unto you, O ye
heathen, that hear and understand, look for your Shepherd, he shall give
you everlasting rest; for he is nigh at hand, that shall come in the end
of the world.
35 Be ready to the reward of the kingdom,
for the everlasting light shall shine upon you for evermore.
36 Flee the shadow of this world, receive
the joyfulness of your glory: I testify my Saviour openly.
37 O receive the gift that is given you,
and be glad, giving thanks unto him that hath led you to the heavenly kingdom.
38 Arise up and stand, behold the number
of those that be sealed in the feast of the Lord;
39 Which are departed from the shadow
of the world, and have received glorious garments of the Lord.
40 Take thy number, O Sion, and shut up
those of thine that are clothed in white, which have fulfilled the law
of the Lord.
41 The number of thy children, whom thou
longedst for, is fulfilled: beseech the power of the Lord, that thy people,
which have been called from the beginning, may be hallowed.
42 I Esdras saw upon the mount Sion a
great people, whom I could not number, and they all praised the Lord with
songs.
43 And in the midst of them there was
a young man of a high stature, taller than all the rest, and upon every
one of their heads he set crowns, and was more exalted; which I marvelled
at greatly.
44 So I asked the angel, and said, Sir,
what are these?
45 He answered and said unto me, These
be they that have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal,
and have confessed the name of God: now are they crowned, and receive palms.
46 Then said I unto the angel, What young
person is it that crowneth them, and giveth them palms in their hands?
47 So he answered and said unto me, It
is the Son of God, whom they have confessed in the world. Then began I
greatly to commend them that stood so stiffly for the name of the Lord.
48 Then the angel said unto me, Go thy
way, and tell my people what manner of things, and how great wonders of
the Lord thy God, thou hast seen.
2nd Esdras 3
1 In the thirtieth year after the ruin
of the city I was in Babylon, and lay troubled upon my bed, and my thoughts
came up over my heart:
2 For I saw the desolation of Sion, and
the wealth of them that dwelt at Babylon.
3 And my spirit was sore moved, so that
I began to speak words full of fear to the most High, and said,
4 O Lord, who bearest rule, thou spakest
at the beginning, when thou didst plant the earth, and that thyself alone,
and commandedst the people,
5 And gavest a body unto Adam without
soul, which was the workmanship of thine hands, and didst breathe into
him the breath of life, and he was made living before thee.
6 And thou leadest him into paradise,
which thy right hand had planted, before ever the earth came forward.
7 And unto him thou gavest commandment
to love thy way: which he transgressed, and immediately thou appointedst
death in him and in his generations, of whom came nations, tribes, people,
and kindreds, out of number.
8 And every people walked after their
own will, and did wonderful things before thee, and despised thy commandments.
9 And again in process of time thou broughtest
the flood upon those that dwelt in the world, and destroyedst them.
10 And it came to pass in every of them,
that as death was to Adam, so was the flood to these.
11 Nevertheless one of them thou leftest,
namely, Noah with his household, of whom came all righteous men.
12 And it happened, that when they that
dwelt upon the earth began to multiply, and had gotten them many children,
and were a great people, they began again to be more ungodly than the first.
13 Now when they lived so wickedly before
thee, thou didst choose thee a man from among them, whose name was Abraham.
14 Him thou lovedst, and unto him only
thou shewedst thy will:
15 And madest an everlasting covenant
with him, promising him that thou wouldest never forsake his seed.
16 And unto him thou gavest Isaac, and
unto Isaac also thou gavest Jacob and Esau. As for Jacob, thou didst choose
him to thee, and put by Esau: and so Jacob became a great multitude.
17 And it came to pass, that when thou
leadest his seed out of Egypt, thou broughtest them up to the mount Sinai.
18 And bowing the heavens, thou didst
set fast the earth, movedst the whole world, and madest the depths to tremble,
and troubledst the men of that age.
19 And thy glory went through four gates,
of fire, and of earthquake, and of wind, and of cold; that thou mightest
give the law unto the seed of Jacob, and diligence unto the generation
of Israel.
20 And yet tookest thou not away from
them a wicked heart, that thy law might bring forth fruit in them.
21 For the first Adam bearing a wicked
heart transgressed, and was overcome; and so be all they that are born
of him.
22 Thus infirmity was made permanent;
and the law (also) in the heart of the people with the malignity of the
root; so that the good departed away, and the evil abode still.
23 So the times passed away, and the years
were brought to an end: then didst thou raise thee up a servant, called
David:
24 Whom thou commandedst to build a city
unto thy name, and to offer incense and oblations unto thee therein.
25 When this was done many years, then
they that inhabited the city forsook thee,
26 And in all things did even as Adam
and all his generations had done: for they also had a wicked heart:
27 And so thou gavest thy city over into
the hands of thine enemies.
28 Are their deeds then any better that
inhabit Babylon, that they should therefore have the dominion over Sion?
29 For when I came thither, and had seen
impieties without number, then my soul saw many evildoers in this thirtieth
year, so that my heart failed me.
30 For I have seen how thou sufferest
them sinning, and hast spared wicked doers: and hast destroyed thy people,
and hast preserved thine enemies, and hast not signified it.
31 I do not remember how this way may
be left: Are they then of Babylon better than they of Sion?
32 Or is there any other people that knoweth
thee beside Israel? or what generation hath so believed thy covenants as
Jacob?
33 And yet their reward appeareth not,
and their labour hath no fruit: for I have gone here and there through
the heathen, and I see that they flow in wealth, and think not upon thy
commandments.
34 Weigh thou therefore our wickedness
now in the balance, and their's also that dwell the world; and so shall
thy name no where be found but in Israel.
35 Or when was it that they which dwell
upon the earth have not sinned in thy sight? or what people have so kept
thy commandments?
36 Thou shalt find that Israel by name
hath kept thy precepts; but not the heathen.
2nd Esdras 4
1 And the angel that was sent unto me,
whose name was Uriel, gave me an answer,
2 And said, Thy heart hath gone to far
in this world, and thinkest thou to comprehend the way of the most High?
3 Then said I, Yea, my lord. And he answered
me, and said, I am sent to shew thee three ways, and to set forth three
similitudes before thee:
4 Whereof if thou canst declare me one,
I will shew thee also the way that thou desirest to see, and I shall shew
thee from whence the wicked heart cometh.
5 And I said, Tell on, my lord. Then said
he unto me, Go thy way, weigh me the weight of the fire, or measure me
the blast of the wind, or call me again the day that is past.
6 Then answered I and said, What man is
able to do that, that thou shouldest ask such things of me?
7 And he said unto me, If I should ask
thee how great dwellings are in the midst of the sea, or how many springs
are in the beginning of the deep, or how many springs are above the firmament,
or which are the outgoings of paradise:
8 Peradventure thou wouldest say unto
me, I never went down into the deep, nor as yet into hell, neither did
I ever climb up into heaven.
9 Nevertheless now have I asked thee but
only of the fire and wind, and of the day wherethrough thou hast passed,
and of things from which thou canst not be separated, and yet canst thou
give me no answer of them.
10 He said moreover unto me, Thine own
things, and such as are grown up with thee, canst thou not know;
11 How should thy vessel then be able
to comprehend the way of the Highest, and, the world being now outwardly
corrupted to understand the corruption that is evident in my sight?
12 Then said I unto him, It were better
that we were not at all, than that we should live still in wickedness,
and to suffer, and not to know wherefore.
13 He answered me, and said, I went into
a forest into a plain, and the trees took counsel,
14 And said, Come, let us go and make
war against the sea that it may depart away before us, and that we may
make us more woods.
15 The floods of the sea also in like
manner took counsel, and said, Come, let us go up and subdue the woods
of the plain, that there also we may make us another country.
16 The thought of the wood was in vain,
for the fire came and consumed it.
17 The thought of the floods of the sea
came likewise to nought, for the sand stood up and stopped them.
18 If thou wert judge now betwixt these
two, whom wouldest thou begin to justify? or whom wouldest thou condemn?
19 I answered and said, Verily it is a
foolish thought that they both have devised, for the ground is given unto
the wood, and the sea also hath his place to bear his floods.
20 Then answered he me, and said, Thou
hast given a right judgment, but why judgest thou not thyself also?
21 For like as the ground is given unto
the wood, and the sea to his floods: even so they that dwell upon the earth
may understand nothing but that which is upon the earth: and he that dwelleth
above the heavens may only understand the things that are above the height
of the heavens.
22 Then answered I and said, I beseech
thee, O Lord, let me have understanding:
23 For it was not my mind to be curious
of the high things, but of such as pass by us daily, namely, wherefore
Israel is given up as a reproach to the heathen, and for what cause the
people whom thou hast loved is given over unto ungodly nations, and why
the law of our forefathers is brought to nought, and the written covenants
come to none effect,
24 And we pass away out of the world as
grasshoppers, and our life is astonishment and fear, and we are not worthy
to obtain mercy.
25 What will he then do unto his name
whereby we are called? of these things have I asked.
26 Then answered he me, and said, The
more thou searchest, the more thou shalt marvel; for the world hasteth
fast to pass away,
27 And cannot comprehend the things that
are promised to the righteous in time to come: for this world is full of
unrighteousness and infirmities.
28 But as concerning the things whereof
thou askest me, I will tell thee; for the evil is sown, but the destruction
thereof is not yet come.
29 If therefore that which is sown be
not turned upside down, and if the place where the evil is sown pass not
away, then cannot it come that is sown with good.
30 For the grain of evil seed hath been
sown in the heart of Adam from the beginning, and how much ungodliness
hath it brought up unto this time? and how much shall it yet bring forth
until the time of threshing come?
31 Ponder now by thyself, how great fruit
of wickedness the grain of evil seed hath brought forth.
32 And when the ears shall be cut down,
which are without number, how great a floor shall they fill?
33 Then I answered and said, How, and
when shall these things come to pass? wherefore are our years few and evil?
34 And he answered me, saying, Do not
thou hasten above the most Highest: for thy haste is in vain to be above
him, for thou hast much exceeded.
35 Did not the souls also of the righteous
ask question of these things in their chambers saying, How long shall
I hope on this fashion? when cometh the fruit of the floor of our reward?
36 And unto these things Uriel the archangel
gave them answer, and said, Even when the number of seeds is filled in
you: for he hath weighed the world in the balance.
37 By measure hath he measured the times;
and by number hath he numbered the times; and he doth not move nor stir
them, until the said measure be fulfilled.
38 Then answered I and said, O Lord that
bearest rule, even we all are full of impiety.
39 And for our sakes peradventure it is
that the floors of the righteous are not filled, because of the sins of
them that dwell upon the earth.
40 So he answered me, and said, Go thy
way to a woman with child, and ask of her when she hath fulfilled her nine
months, if her womb may keep the birth any longer within her.
41 Then said I, No, Lord, that can she
not. And he said unto me, In the grave the chambers of souls are like the
womb of a woman:
42 For like as a woman that travaileth
maketh haste to escape the necessity of the travail: even so do these places
haste to deliver those things that are committed unto them.
43 From the beginning, look, what thou
desirest to see, it shall be shewed thee.
44 Then answered I and said, If I have
found favour in thy sight, and if it be possible, and if I be meet therefore,
45 Shew me then whether there be more
to come than is past, or more past than is to come.
46 What is past I know, but what is for
to come I know not.
47 And he said unto me, Stand up upon
the right side, and I shall expound the similitude unto thee.
48 So I stood, and saw, and, behold, an
hot burning oven passed by before me: and it happened that when the flame
was gone by I looked, and, behold, the smoke remained still.
49 After this there passed by before me
a watery cloud, and sent down much rain with a storm; and when the stormy
rain was past, the drops remained still.
50 Then said he unto me, Consider with
thyself; as the rain is more than the drops, and as the fire is greater
than the smoke; but the drops and the smoke remain behind: so the quantity
which is past did more exceed.
51 Then I prayed, and said, May I live,
thinkest thou, until that time? or what shall happen in those days?
52 He answered me, and said, As for the
tokens whereof thou askest me, I may tell thee of them in part: but as
touching thy life, I am not sent to shew thee; for I do not know it.
2nd Esdras 5
1 Nevertheless as coming the tokens, behold,
the days shall come, that they which dwell upon earth shall be taken in
a great number, and the way of truth shall be hidden, and the land shall
be barren of faith.
2 But iniquity shall be increased above
that which now thou seest, or that thou hast heard long ago.
3 And the land, that thou seest now to
have root, shalt thou see wasted suddenly.
4 But if the most High grant thee to live,
thou shalt see after the third trumpet that the sun shall suddenly shine
again in the night, and the moon thrice in the day:
5 And blood shall drop out of wood, and
the stone shall give his voice, and the people shall be troubled:
6 And even he shall rule, whom they look
not for that dwell upon the earth, and the fowls shall take their flight
away together:
7 And the Sodomitish sea shall cast out
fish, and make a noise in the night, which many have not known: but they
shall all hear the voice thereof.
8 There shall be a confusion also in many
places, and the fire shall be oft sent out again, and the wild beasts shall
change their places, and menstruous women shall bring forth monsters:
9 And salt waters shall be found in the
sweet, and all friends shall destroy one another; then shall wit hide itself,
and understanding withdraw itself into his secret chamber,
10 And shall be sought of many, and yet
not be found: then shall unrighteousness and incontinency be multiplied
upon earth.
11 One land also shall ask another, and
say, Is righteousness that maketh a man righteous gone through thee? And
it shall say, No.
12 At the same time shall men hope, but
nothing obtain: they shall labour, but their ways shall not prosper.
13 To shew thee such tokens I have leave;
and if thou wilt pray again, and weep as now, and fast even days, thou
shalt hear yet greater things.
14 Then I awaked, and an extreme fearfulness
went through all my body, and my mind was troubled, so that it fainted.
15 So the angel that was come to talk
with me held me, comforted me, and set me up upon my feet.
16 And in the second night it came to
pass, that Salathiel the captain of the people came unto me, saying, Where
hast thou been? and why is thy countenance so heavy?
17 Knowest thou not that Israel is committed
unto thee in the land of their captivity?
18 Up then, and eat bread, and forsake
us not, as the shepherd that leaveth his flock in the hands of cruel wolves.
19 Then said I unto him, Go thy ways from
me, and come not nigh me. And he heard what I said, and went from me.
20 And so I fasted seven days, mourning
and weeping, like as Uriel the angel commanded me.
21 And after seven days so it was, that
the thoughts of my heart were very grievous unto me again,
22 And my soul recovered the spirit of
understanding, and I began to talk with the most High again,
23 And said, O Lord that bearest rule,
of every wood of the earth, and of all the trees thereof, thou hast chosen
thee one only vine:
24 And of all lands of the whole world
thou hast chosen thee one pit: and of all the flowers thereof one lily:
25 And of all the depths of the sea thou
hast filled thee one river: and of all builded cities thou hast hallowed
Sion unto thyself:
26 And of all the fowls that are created
thou hast named thee one dove: and of all the cattle that are made thou
hast provided thee one sheep:
27 And among all the multitudes of people
thou hast gotten thee one people: and unto this people, whom thou lovedst,
thou gavest a law that is approved of all.
28 And now, O Lord, why hast thou given
this one people over unto many? and upon the one root hast thou prepared
others, and why hast thou scattered thy only one people among many?
29 And they which did gainsay thy promises,
and believed not thy covenants, have trodden them down.
30 If thou didst so much hate thy people,
yet shouldest thou punish them with thine own hands.
31 Now when I had spoken these words,
the angel that came to me the night afore was sent unto me,
32 And said unto me, Hear me, and I will
instruct thee; hearken to the thing that I say, and I shall tell thee more.
33 And I said, Speak on, my Lord. Then
said he unto me, Thou art sore troubled in mind for Israel's sake: lovest
thou that people better than he that made them?
34 And I said, No, Lord: but of very grief
have I spoken: for my reins pain me every hour, while I labour to comprehend
the way of the most High, and to seek out part of his judgment.
35 And he said unto me, Thou canst not.
And I said, Wherefore, Lord? whereunto was I born then? or why was not
my mother's womb then my grave, that I might not have seen the travail
of Jacob, and the wearisome toil of the stock of Israel?
36 And he said unto me, Number me the
things that are not yet come, gather me together the dross that are scattered
abroad, make me the flowers green again that are withered,
37 Open me the places that are closed,
and bring me forth the winds that in them are shut up, shew me the image
of a voice: and then I will declare to thee the thing that thou labourest
to know.
38 And I said, O Lord that bearest rule,
who may know these things, but he that hath not his dwelling with men?
39 As for me, I am unwise: how may I then
speak of these things whereof thou askest me?
40 Then said he unto me, Like as thou
canst do none of these things that I have spoken of, even so canst thou
not find out my judgment, or in the end the love that I have promised unto
my people.
41 And I said, Behold, O Lord, yet art
thou nigh unto them that be reserved till the end: and what shall they
do that have been before me, or we that be now, or they that shall come
after us?
42 And he said unto me, I will liken my
judgment unto a ring: like as there is no slackness of the last, even so
there is no swiftness of the first.
43 So I answered and said, Couldest thou
not make those that have been made, and be now, and that are for to come,
at once; that thou mightest shew thy judgment the sooner?
44 Then answered he me, and said, The
creature may not haste above the maker; neither may the world hold them
at once that shall be created therein.
45 And I said, As thou hast said unto
thy servant, that thou, which givest life to all, hast given life at once
to the creature that thou hast created, and the creature bare it: even
so it might now also bear them that now be present at once.
46 And he said unto me, Ask the womb of
a woman, and say unto her, If thou bringest forth children, why dost thou
it not together, but one after another? pray her therefore to bring forth
ten children at once.
47 And I said, She cannot: but must do
it by distance of time.
48 Then said he unto me, Even so have
I given the womb of the earth to those that be sown in it in their times.
49 For like as a young child may not bring
forth the things that belong to the aged, even so have I disposed the world
which I created.
50 And I asked, and said, Seeing thou
hast now given me the way, I will proceed to speak before thee: for our
mother, of whom thou hast told me that she is young, draweth now nigh unto
age.
51 He answered me, and said, Ask a woman
that beareth children, and she shall tell thee.
52 Say unto her, Wherefore are unto they
whom thou hast now brought forth like those that were before, but less
of stature?
53 And she shall answer thee, They that
be born in the the strength of youth are of one fashion, and they that
are born in the time of age, when the womb faileth, are otherwise.
54 Consider thou therefore also, how that
ye are less of stature than those that were before you.
55 And so are they that come after you
less than ye, as the creatures which now begin to be old, and have passed
over the strength of youth.
56 Then said I, Lord, I beseech thee,
if I have found favour in thy sight, shew thy servant by whom thou visitest
thy creature.
2nd Esdras 6
1 And he said unto me, In the beginning,
when the earth was made, before the borders of the world stood, or ever
the winds blew,
2 Before it thundered and lightened, or
ever the foundations of paradise were laid,
3 Before the fair flowers were seen, or
ever the moveable powers were established, before the innumerable multitude
of angels were gathered together,
4 Or ever the heights of the air were
lifted up, before the measures of the firmament were named, or ever the
chimneys in Sion were hot,
5 And ere the present years were sought
out, and or ever the inventions of them that now sin were turned, before
they were sealed that have gathered faith for a treasure:
6 Then did I consider these things, and
they all were made through me alone, and through none other: by me also
they shall be ended, and by none other.
7 Then answered I and said, What shall
be the parting asunder of the times? or when shall be the end of the first,
and the beginning of it that followeth?
8 And he said unto me, From Abraham unto
Isaac, when Jacob and Esau were born of him, Jacob's hand held first the
heel of Esau.
9 For Esau is the end of the world, and
Jacob is the beginning of it that followeth.
10 The hand of man is betwixt the heel
and the hand: other question, Esdras, ask thou not.
11 I answered then and said, O Lord that
bearest rule, if I have found favour in thy sight,
12 I beseech thee, shew thy servant the
end of thy tokens, whereof thou shewedst me part the last night.
13 So he answered and said unto me, Stand
up upon thy feet, and hear a mighty sounding voice.
14 And it shall be as it were a great
motion; but the place where thou standest shall not be moved.
15 And therefore when it speaketh be not
afraid: for the word is of the end, and the foundation of the earth is
understood.
16 And why? because the speech of these
things trembleth and is moved: for it knoweth that the end of these things
must be changed.
17 And it happened, that when I had heard
it I stood up upon my feet, and hearkened, and, behold, there was a voice
that spake, and the sound of it was like the sound of many waters.
18 And it said, Behold, the days come,
that I will begin to draw nigh, and to visit them that dwell upon the earth,
19 And will begin to make inquisition
of them, what they be that have hurt unjustly with their unrighteousness,
and when the affliction of Sion shall be fulfilled;
20 And when the world, that shall begin
to vanish away, shall be finished, then will I shew these tokens: the books
shall be opened before the firmament, and they shall see all together:
21 And the children of a year old shall
speak with their voices, the women with child shall bring forth untimely
children of three or four months old, and they shall live, and be raised
up.
22 And suddenly shall the sown places
appear unsown, the full storehouses shall suddenly be found empty:
23 And tha trumpet shall give a sound,
which when every man heareth, they shall be suddenly afraid.
24 At that time shall friends fight one
against another like enemies, and the earth shall stand in fear with those
that dwell therein, the springs of the fountains shall stand still, and
in three hours they shall not run.
25 Whosoever remaineth from all these
that I have told thee shall escape, and see my salvation, and the end of
your world.
26 And the men that are received shall
see it, who have not tasted death from their birth: and the heart of the
inhabitants shall be changed, and turned into another meaning.
27 For evil shall be put out, and deceit
shall be quenched.
28 As for faith, it shall flourish, corruption
shall be overcome, and the truth, which hath been so long without fruit,
shall be declared.
29 And when he talked with me, behold,
I looked by little and little upon him before whom I stood.
30 And these words said he unto me; I
am come to shew thee the time of the night to come.
31 If thou wilt pray yet more, and fast
seven days again, I shall tell thee greater things by day than I have heard.
32 For thy voice is heard before the most
High: for the Mighty hath seen thy righteous dealing, he hath seen also
thy chastity, which thou hast had ever since thy youth.
33 And therefore hath he sent me to shew
thee all these things, and to say unto thee, Be of good comfort and fear
not
34 And hasten not with the times that
are past, to think vain things, that thou mayest not hasten from the latter
times.
35 And it came to pass after this, that
I wept again, and fasted seven days in like manner, that I might fulfil
the three weeks which he told me.
36 And in the eighth night was my heart
vexed within me again, and I began to speak before the most High.
37 For my spirit was greatly set on fire,
and my soul was in distress.
38 And I said, O Lord, thou spakest from
the beginning of the creation, even the first day, and saidst thus; Let
heaven and earth be made; and thy word was a perfect work.
39 And then was the spirit, and darkness
and silence were on every side; the sound of man's voice was not yet formed.
40 Then commandedst thou a fair light
to come forth of thy treasures, that thy work might appear.
41 Upon the second day thou madest the
spirit of the firmament, and commandedst it to part asunder, and to make
a division betwixt the waters, that the one part might go up, and the other
remain beneath.
42 Upon the third day thou didst command
that the waters should be gathered in the seventh part of the earth: six
pats hast thou dried up, and kept them, to the intent that of these some
being planted of God and tilled might serve thee.
43 For as soon as thy word went forth
the work was made.
44 For immediately there was great and
innumerable fruit, and many and divers pleasures for the taste, and flowers
of unchangeable colour, and odours of wonderful smell: and this was done
the third day.
45 Upon the fourth day thou commandedst
that the sun should shine, and the moon give her light, and the stars should
be in order:
46 And gavest them a charge to do service
unto man, that was to be made.
47 Upon the fifth day thou saidst unto
the seventh part, where the waters were gathered that it should bring forth
living creatures, fowls and fishes: and so it came to pass.
48 For the dumb water and without life
brought forth living things at the commandment of God, that all people
might praise thy wondrous works.
49 Then didst thou ordain two living creatures,
the one thou calledst Enoch, and the other Leviathan;
50 And didst separate the one from the
other: for the seventh part, namely, where the water was gathered together,
might not hold them both.
51 Unto Enoch thou gavest one part, which
was dried up the third day, that he should dwell in the same part, wherein
are a thousand hills:
52 But unto Leviathan thou gavest the
seventh part, namely, the moist; and hast kept him to be devoured of whom
thou wilt, and when.
53 Upon the sixth day thou gavest commandment
unto the earth, that before thee it should bring forth beasts, cattle,
and creeping things:
54 And after these, Adam also, whom thou
madest lord of all thy creatures: of him come we all, and the people also
whom thou hast chosen.
55 All this have I spoken before thee,
O Lord, because thou madest the world for our sakes
56 As for the other people, which also
come of Adam, thou hast said that they are nothing, but be like unto spittle:
and hast likened the abundance of them unto a drop that falleth from a
vessel.
57 And now, O Lord, behold, these heathen,
which have ever been reputed as nothing, have begun to be lords over us,
and to devour us.
58 But we thy people, whom thou hast called
thy firstborn, thy only begotten, and thy fervent lover, are given into
their hands.
59 If the world now be made for our sakes,
why do we not possess an inheritance with the world? how long shall this
endure?
2nd Esdras 7
1 And when I had made an end of speaking
these words, there was sent unto me the angel which had been sent unto
me the nights afore:
2 And he said unto me, Up, Esdras, and
hear the words that I am come to tell thee.
3 And I said, Speak on, my God. Then said
he unto me, The sea is set in a wide place, that it might be deep and great.
4 But put the case the entrance were narrow,
and like a river;
5 Who then could go into the sea to look
upon it, and to rule it? if he went not through the narrow, how could he
come into the broad?
6 There is also another thing; A city
is builded, and set upon a broad field, and is full of all good things:
7 The entrance thereof is narrow, and
is set in a dangerous place to fall, like as if there were a fire on the
right hand, and on the left a deep water:
8 And one only path between them both,
even between the fire and the water, so small that there could but one
man go there at once.
9 If this city now were given unto a man
for an inheritance, if he never shall pass the danger set before it, how
shall he receive this inheritance?
10 And I said, It is so, Lord. Then said
he unto me, Even so also is Israel's portion.
11 Because for their sakes I made the
world: and when Adam transgressed my statutes, then was decreed that now
is done.
12 Then were the entrances of this world
made narrow, full of sorrow and travail: they are but few and evil, full
of perils,: and very painful.
13 For the entrances of the elder world
were wide and sure, and brought immortal fruit.
14 If then they that live labour not to
enter these strait and vain things, they can never receive those that are
laid up for them.
15 Now therefore why disquietest thou
thyself, seeing thou art but a corruptible man? and why art thou moved,
whereas thou art but mortal?
16 Why hast thou not considered in thy
mind this thing that is to come, rather than that which is present?
17 Then answered I and said, O Lord that
bearest rule, thou hast ordained in thy law, that the righteous should
inherit these things, but that the ungodly should perish.
18 Nevertheless the righteous shall suffer
strait things, and hope for wide: for they that have done wickedly have
suffered the strait things, and yet shall not see the wide.
19 And he said unto me. There is no judge
above God, and none that hath understanding above the Highest.
20 For there be many that perish in this
life, because they despise the law of God that is set before them.
21 For God hath given strait commandment
to such as came, what they should do to live, even as they came, and what
they should observe to avoid punishment.
22 Nevertheless they were not obedient
unto him; but spake against him, and imagined vain things;
23 And deceived themselves by their wicked
deeds; and said of the most High, that he is not; and knew not his ways:
24 But his law have they despised, and
denied his covenants; in his statutes have they not been faithful, and
have not performed his works.
25 And therefore, Esdras, for the empty
are empty things, and for the full are the full things.
26 Behold, the time shall come, that these
tokens which I have told thee shall come to pass, and the bride shall appear,
and she coming forth shall be seen, that now is withdrawn from the earth.
27 And whosoever is delivered from the
foresaid evils shall see my wonders.
28 For my son Jesus shall be revealed
with those that be with him, and they that remain shall rejoice within
four hundred years.
29 After these years shall my son Christ
die, and all men that have life.
30 And the world shall be turned into
the old silence seven days, like as in the former judgments: so that no
man shall remain.
31 And after seven days the world, that
yet awaketh not, shall be raised up, and that shall die that is corrupt
32 And the earth shall restore those that
are asleep in her, and so shall the dust those that dwell in silence, and
the secret places shall deliver those souls that were committed unto them.
33 And the most High shall appear upon
the seat of judgment, and misery shall pass away, and the long suffering
shall have an end:
34 But judgment only shall remain, truth
shall stand, and faith shall wax strong:
35 And the work shall follow, and the
reward shall be shewed, and the good deeds shall be of force, and wicked
deeds shall bear no rule.
36 Then said I, Abraham prayed first for
the Sodomites, and Moses for the fathers that sinned in the wilderness:
37 And Jesus after him for Israel in the
time of Achan:
38 And Samuel and David for the destruction:
and Solomon for them that should come to the sanctuary:
39 And Helias for those that received
rain; and for the dead, that he might live:
40 And Ezechias for the people in the
time of Sennacherib: and many for many.
41 Even so now, seeing corruption is grown
up, and wickedness increased, and the righteous have prayed for the ungodly:
wherefore shall it not be so now also?
42 He answered me, and said, This present
life is not the end where much glory doth abide; therefore have they prayed
for the weak.
43 But the day of doom shall be the end
of this time, and the beginning of the immortality for to come, wherein
corruption is past,
44 Intemperance is at an end, infidelity
is cut off, righteousness is grown, and truth is sprung up.
45 Then shall no man be able to save him
that is destroyed, nor to oppress him that hath gotten the victory.
46 I answered then and said, This is my
first and last saying, that it had been better not to have given the earth
unto Adam: or else, when it was given him, to have restrained him from
sinning.
47 For what profit is it for men now in
this present time to live in heaviness, and after death to look for punishment?
48 O thou Adam, what hast thou done? for
though it was thou that sinned, thou art not fallen alone, but we all that
come of thee.
49 For what profit is it unto us, if there
be promised us an immortal time, whereas we have done the works that bring
death?
50 And that there is promised us an everlasting
hope, whereas ourselves being most wicked are made vain?
51 And that there are laid up for us dwellings
of health and safety, whereas we have lived wickedly?
52 And that the glory of the most High
is kept to defend them which have led a wary life, whereas we have walked
in the most wicked ways of all?
53 And that there should be shewed a paradise,
whose fruit endureth for ever, wherein is security and medicine, since
we shall not enter into it?
54 (For we have walked in unpleasant places.)
55 And that the faces of them which have
used abstinence shall shine above the stars, whereas our faces shall be
blacker than darkness?
56 For while we lived and committed iniquity,
we considered not that we should begin to suffer for it after death.
57 Then answered he me, and said, This
is the condition of the battle, which man that is born upon the earth shall
fight;
58 That, if he be overcome, he shall suffer
as thou hast said: but if he get the victory, he shall receive the thing
that I say.
59 For this is the life whereof Moses
spake unto the people while he lived, saying, Choose thee life, that thou
mayest live.
60 Nevertheless they believed not him,
nor yet the prophets after him, no nor me which have spoken unto them,
61 That there should not be such heaviness
in their destruction, as shall be joy over them that are persuaded to salvation.
62 I answered then, and said, I know,
Lord, that the most High is called merciful, in that he hath mercy upon
them which are not yet come into the world,
63 And upon those also that turn to his
law;
64 And that he is patient, and long suffereth
those that have sinned, as his creatures;
65 And that he is bountiful, for he is
ready to give where it needeth;
66 And that he is of great mercy, for
he multiplieth more and more mercies to them that are present, and that
are past, and also to them which are to come.
67 For if he shall not multiply his mercies,
the world would not continue with them that inherit therein.
68 And he pardoneth; for if he did not
so of his goodness, that they which have committed iniquities might be
eased of them, the ten thousandth part of men should not remain living.
69 And being judge, if he should not forgive
them that are cured with his word, and put out the multitude of contentions,
70 There should be very few left peradventure
in an innumerable multitude.
2nd Esdras 8
1 And he answered me, saying, The most
High hath made this wor world to come for few.
2 I will tell thee a similitude, Esdras;
As when thou askest the earth, it shall say unto thee, that it giveth much
mould whereof earthen vessels are made, but little dust that gold cometh
of: even so is the course of this present world.
3 There be many created, but few shall
be saved.
4 So answered I and said, Swallow then
down, O my soul, understanding, and devour wisdom.
5 For thou hast agreed to give ear, and
art willing to prophesy: for thou hast no longer space than only to live.
6 O Lord, if thou suffer not thy servant,
that we may pray before thee, and thou give us seed unto our heart, and
culture to our understanding, that there may come fruit of it; how shall
each man live that is corrupt, who beareth the place of a man?
7 For thou art alone, and we all one workmanship
of thine hands, like as thou hast said.
8 For when the body is fashioned now in
the mother's womb, and thou givest it members, thy creature is preserved
in fire and water, and nine months doth thy workmanship endure thy creature
which is created in her.
9 But that which keepeth and is kept shall
both be preserved: and when the time cometh, the womb preserved delivereth
up the things that grew in it.
10 For thou hast commanded out of the
parts of the body, that is to say, out of the breasts, milk to be given,
which is the fruit of the breasts,
11 That the thing which is fashioned may
be nourished for a time, till thou disposest it to thy mercy.
12 Thou broughtest it up with thy righteousness,
and nurturedst it in thy law, and reformedst it with thy judgment.
13 And thou shalt mortify it as thy creature,
and quicken it as thy work.
14 If therefore thou shalt destroy him
which with so great labour was fashioned, it is an easy thing to be ordained
by thy commandment, that the thing which was made might be preserved.
15 Now therefore, Lord, I will speak;
touching man in general, thou knowest best; but touching thy people, for
whose sake I am sorry;
16 And for thine inheritance, for whose
cause I mourn; and for Israel, for whom I am heavy; and for Jacob, for
whose sake I am troubled;
17 Therefore will I begin to pray before
thee for myself and for them: for I see the falls of us that dwell in the
land.
18 But I have heard the swiftness of the
judge which is to come.
19 Therefore hear my voice, and understand
my words, and I shall speak before thee. This is the beginning of the words
of Esdras, before he was taken up: and I said,
20 O Lord, thou that dwellest in everlastingness
which beholdest from above things in the heaven and in the air;
21 Whose throne is inestimable; whose
glory may not be comprehended; before whom the hosts of angels stand with
trembling,
22 Whose service is conversant in wind
and fire; whose word is true, and sayings constant; whose commandment is
strong, and ordinance fearful;
23 Whose look drieth up the depths, and
indignation maketh the mountains to melt away; which the truth witnesseth:
24 O hear the prayer of thy servant, and
give ear to the petition of thy creature.
25 For while I live I will speak, and
so long as I have understanding I will answer.
26 O look not upon the sins of thy people;
but on them which serve thee in truth.
27 Regard not the wicked inventions of
the heathen, but the desire of those that keep thy testimonies in afflictions.
28 Think not upon those that have walked
feignedly before thee: but remember them, which according to thy will have
known thy fear.
29 Let it not be thy will to destroy them
which have lived like beasts; but to look upon them that have clearly taught
thy law.
30 Take thou no indignation at them which
are deemed worse than beasts; but love them that always put their trust
in thy righteousness and glory.
31 For we and our fathers do languish
of such diseases: but because of us sinners thou shalt be called merciful.
32 For if thou hast a desire to have mercy
upon us, thou shalt be called merciful, to us namely, that have no works
of righteousness.
33 For the just, which have many good
works laid up with thee, shall out of their own deeds receive reward.
34 For what is man, that thou shouldest
take displeasure at him? or what is a corruptible generation, that thou
shouldest be so bitter toward it?
35 For in truth them is no man among them
that be born, but he hath dealt wickedly; and among the faithful there
is none which hath not done amiss.
36 For in this, O Lord, thy righteousness
and thy goodness shall be declared, if thou be merciful unto them which
have not the confidence of good works.
37 Then answered he me, and said, Some
things hast thou spoken aright, and according unto thy words it shall be.
38 For indeed I will not think on the
disposition of them which have sinned before death, before judgment, before
destruction:
39 But I will rejoice over the disposition
of the righteous, and I will remember also their pilgrimage, and the salvation,
and the reward, that they shall have.
40 Like as I have spoken now, so shall
it come to pass.
41 For as the husbandman soweth much seed
upon the ground, and planteth many trees, and yet the thing that is sown
good in his season cometh not up, neither doth all that is planted take
root: even so is it of them that are sown in the world; they shall not
all be saved.
42 I answered then and said, If I have
found grace, let me speak.
43 Like as the husbandman's seed perisheth,
if it come not up, and receive not thy rain in due season; or if there
come too much rain, and corrupt it:
44 Even so perisheth man also, which is
formed with thy hands, and is called thine own image, because thou art
like unto him, for whose sake thou hast made all things, and likened him
unto the husbandman's seed.
45 Be not wroth with us but spare thy
people, and have mercy upon thine own inheritance: for thou art merciful
unto thy creature.
46 Then answered he me, and said, Things
present are for the present, and things to cometh for such as be to come.
47 For thou comest far short that thou
shouldest be able to love my creature more than I: but I have ofttimes
drawn nigh unto thee, and unto it, but never to the unrighteous.
48 In this also thou art marvellous before
the most High:
49 In that thou hast humbled thyself,
as it becometh thee, and hast not judged thyself worthy to be much glorified
among the righteous.
50 For many great miseries shall be done
to them that in the latter time shall dwell in the world, because they
have walked in great pride.
51 But understand thou for thyself, and
seek out the glory for such as be like thee.
52 For unto you is paradise opened, the
tree of life is planted, the time to come is prepared, plenteousness is
made ready, a city is builded, and rest is allowed, yea, perfect goodness
and wisdom.
53 The root of evil is sealed up from
you, weakness and the moth is hid from you, and corruption is fled into
hell to be forgotten:
54 Sorrows are passed, and in the end
is shewed the treasure of immortality.
55 And therefore ask thou no more questions
concerning the multitude of them that perish.
56 For when they had taken liberty, they
despised the most High, thought scorn of his law, and forsook his ways.
57 Moreover they have trodden down his
righteous,
58 And said in their heart, that there
is no God; yea, and that knowing they must die.
59 For as the things aforesaid shalt receive
you, so thirst and pain are prepared for them: for it was not his will
that men should come to nought:
60 But they which be created have defiled
the name of him that made them, and were unthankful unto him which prepared
life for them.
61 And therefore is my judgment now at
hand.
62 These things have I not shewed unto
all men, but unto thee, and a few like thee. Then answered I and said,
63 Behold, O Lord, now hast thou shewed
me the multitude of the wonders, which thou wilt begin to do in the last
times: but at what time, thou hast not shewed me.
2nd Esdras 9
1 He answered me then, and said, Measure
thou the time diligently in itself: and when thou seest part of the signs
past, which I have told thee before,
2 Then shalt thou understand, that it
is the very same time, wherein the Highest will begin to visit the world
which he made.
3 Therefore when there shall be seen earthquakes
and uproars of the people in the world:
4 Then shalt thou well understand, that
the most High spake of those things from the days that were before thee,
even from the beginning.
5 For like as all that is made in the
world hath a beginning and an end, and the end is manifest:
6 Even so the times also of the Highest
have plain beginnings in wonder and powerful works, and endings in effects
and signs.
7 And every one that shall be saved, and
shall be able to escape by his works, and by faith, whereby ye have believed,
8 Shall be preserved from the said perils,
and shall see my salvation in my land, and within my borders: for I have
sanctified them for me from the beginning.
9 Then shall they be in pitiful case,
which now have abused my ways: and they that have cast them away despitefully
shall dwell in torments.
10 For such as in their life have received
benefits, and have not known me;
11 And they that have loathed my law,
while they had yet liberty, and, when as yet place of repentance was open
unto them, understood not, but despised it;
12 The same must know it after death by
pain.
13 And therefore be thou not curious how
the ungodly shall be punished, and when: but enquire how the righteous
shall be saved, whose the world is, and for whom the world is created.
14 Then answered I and said,
15 I have said before, and now do speak,
and will speak it also hereafter, that there be many more of them which
perish, than of them which shall be saved:
16 Like as a wave is greater than a drop.
17 And he answered me, saying, Like as
the field is, so is also the seed; as the flowers be, such are the colours
also; such as the workman is, such also is the work; and as the husbandman
ls himself, so is his husbandry also: for it was the time of the world.
18 And now when I prepared the world,
which was not yet made, even for them to dwell in that now live, no man
spake against me.
19 For then every one obeyed: but now
the manners of them which are created in this world that is made are corrupted
by a perpetual seed, and by a law which is unsearchable rid themselves.
20 So I considered the world, and, behold,
there was peril because of the devices that were come into it.
21 And I saw, and spared it greatly, and
have kept me a grape of the cluster, and a plant of a great people.
22 Let the multitude perish then, which
was born in vain; and let my grape be kept, and my plant; for with great
labour have I made it perfect.
23 Nevertheless, if thou wilt cease yet
seven days more, (but thou shalt not fast in them,
24 But go into a field of flowers, where
no house is builded, and eat only the flowers of the field; taste no flesh,
drink no wine, but eat flowers only;)
25 And pray unto the Highest continually,
then will I come and talk with thee.
26 So I went my way into the field which
is called Ardath, like as he commanded me; and there I sat among the flowers,
and did eat of the herbs of the field, and the meat of the same satisfied
me.
27 After seven days I sat upon the grass,
and my heart was vexed within me, like as before:
28 And I opened my mouth, and began to
talk before the most High, and said,
29 O Lord, thou that shewest thyself unto
us, thou wast shewed unto our fathers in the wilderness, in a place where
no man treadeth, in a barren place, when they came out of Egypt.
30 And thou spakest saying, Hear me, O
Israel; and mark my words, thou seed of Jacob.
31 For, behold, I sow my law in you, and
it shall bring fruit in you, and ye shall be honoured in it for ever.
32 But our fathers, which received the
law, kept it not, and observed not thy ordinances: and though the fruit
of thy law did not perish, neither could it, for it was thine;
33 Yet they that received it perished,
because they kept not the thing that was sown in them.
34 And, lo, it ls a custom, when the ground
hath received seed, or the sea a ship, or any vessel meat or drink, that,
that being perished wherein it was sown or cast into,
35 That thing also which was sown, or
cast therein, or received, doth perish, and remaineth not with us: but
with us it hath not happened so.
36 For we that have received the law perish
by sin, and our heart also which received it
37 Notwithstanding the law perisheth not,
but remaineth in his force.
38 And when I spake these things in my
heart, I looked back with mine eyes, and upon the right side I saw a woman,
and, behold, she mourned and wept with a loud voice, and was much grieved
in heart, and her clothes were rent, and she had ashes upon her head.
39 Then let I my thoughts go that I was
in, and turned me unto her,
40 And said unto her, Wherefore weepest
thou? why art thou so grieved in thy mind?
41 And she said unto me, Sir, let me alone,
that I may bewail myself, and add unto my sorrow, for I am sore vexed in
my mind, and brought very low.
42 And I said unto her, What aileth thee?
tell me.
43 She said unto me, I thy servant have
been barren, and had no child, though I had an husband thirty years,
44 And those thirty years I did nothing
else day and night, and every hour, but make my, prayer to the Highest.
45 After thirty years God heard me thine
handmaid, looked upon my misery, considered my trouble, and gave me a son:
and I was very glad of him, so was my husband also, and all my neighbours:
and we gave great honour unto the Almighty.
46 And I nourished him with great travail.
47 So when he grew up, and came to the
time that he should have a wife, I made a feast.
2nd Esdras 10
1 And it so came to pass, that when my
son was entered into his wedding chamber, he fell down, and died.
2 Then we all overthrew the lights, and
all my neighbours rose up to comfort me: so I took my rest unto the second
day at night.
3 And it came to pass, when they had all
left off to comfort me, to the end I might be quiet; then rose I up by
night and fled, and came hither into this field, as thou seest.
4 And I do now purpose not to return into
the city, but here to stay, and neither to eat nor drink, but continually
to mourn and to fast until I die.
5 Then left I the meditations wherein
I was, and spake to her in anger, saying,
6 Thou foolish woman above all other,
seest thou not our mourning, and what happeneth unto us?
7 How that Sion our mother is full of
all heaviness, and much humbled, mourning very sore?
8 And now, seeing we all mourn and are
sad, for we are all in heaviness, art thou grieved for one son?
9 For ask the earth, and she shall tell
thee, that it is she which ought to mourn for the fall of so many that
grow upon her.
10 For out of her came all at the first,
and out of her shall all others come, and, behold, they walk almost all
into destruction, and a multitude of them is utterly rooted out.
11 Who then should make more mourning
than she, that hath lost so great a multitude; and not thou, which art
sorry but for one?
12 But if thou sayest unto me, My lamentation
is not like the earth's, because I have lost the fruit of my womb, which
I brought forth with pains, and bare with sorrows;
13 But the earth not so: for the multitude
present in it according to the course of the earth is gone, as it came:
14 Then say I unto thee, Like as thou
hast brought forth with labour; even so the earth also hath given her fruit,
namely, man, ever since the beginning unto him that made her.
15 Now therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself,
and bear with a good courage that which hath befallen thee.
16 For if thou shalt acknowledge the determination
of God to be just, thou shalt both receive thy son in time, and shalt be
commended among women.
17 Go thy way then into the city to thine
husband.
18 And she said unto me, That will I not
do: I will not go into the city, but here will I die.
19 So I proceeded to speak further unto
her, and said,
20 Do not so, but be counselled. by me:
for how many are the adversities of Sion? be comforted in regard of the
sorrow of Jerusalem.
21 For thou seest that our sanctuary is
laid waste, our altar broken down, our temple destroyed;
22 Our psaltery is laid on the ground,
our song is put to silence, our rejoicing is at an end, the light of our
candlestick is put out, the ark of our covenant is spoiled, our holy things
are defiled, and the name that is called upon us is almost profaned: our
children are put to shame, our priests are burnt, our Levites are gone
into captivity, our virgins are defiled, and our wives ravished; our righteous
men carried away, our little ones destroyed, our young men are brought
in bondage, and our strong men are become weak;
23 And, which is the greatest of all,
the seal of Sion hath now lost her honour; for she is delivered into the
hands of them that hate us.
24 And therefore shake off thy great heaviness,
and put away the multitude of sorrows, that the Mighty may be merciful
unto thee again, and the Highest shall give thee rest and ease from thy
labour.
25 And it came to pass while I was talking
with her, behold, her face upon a sudden shined exceedingly, and her countenance
glistered, so that I was afraid of her, and mused what it might be.
26 And, behold, suddenly she made a great
cry very fearful: so that the earth shook at the noise of the woman.
27 And I looked, and, behold, the woman
appeared unto me no more, but there was a city builded, and a large place
shewed itself from the foundations: then was I afraid, and cried with a
loud voice, and said,
28 Where is Uriel the angel, who came
unto me at the first? for he hath caused me to fall into many trances,
and mine end is turned into corruption, and my prayer to rebuke.
29 And as I was speaking these words behold,
he came unto me, and looked upon me.
30 And, lo, I lay as one that had been
dead, and mine understanding was taken from me: and he took me by the right
hand, and comforted me, and set me upon my feet, and said unto me,
31 What aileth thee? and why art thou
so disquieted? and why is thine understanding troubled, and the thoughts
of thine heart?
32 And I said, Because thou hast forsaken
me, and yet I did according to thy words, and I went into the field, and,
lo, I have seen, and yet see, that I am not able to express.
33 And he said unto me, Stand up manfully,
and I will advise thee.
34 Then said I, Speak on, my lord, in
me; only forsake me not, lest I die frustrate of my hope.
35 For I have seen that I knew not, and
hear that I do not know.
36 Or is my sense deceived, or my soul
in a dream?
37 Now therefore I beseech thee that thou
wilt shew thy servant of this vision.
38 He answered me then, and said, Hear
me, and I shall inform thee, and tell thee wherefore thou art afraid: for
the Highest will reveal many secret things unto thee.
39 He hath seen that thy way is right:
for that thou sorrowest continually for thy people, and makest great lamentation
for Sion.
40 This therefore is the meaning of the
vision which thou lately sawest:
41 Thou sawest a woman mourning, and thou
begannest to comfort her:
42 But now seest thou the likeness of
the woman no more, but there appeared unto thee a city builded.
43 And whereas she told thee of the death
of her son, this is the solution:
44 This woman, whom thou sawest is Sion:
and whereas she said unto thee, even she whom thou seest as a city builded,
45 Whereas, I say, she said unto thee,
that she hath been thirty years barren: those are the thirty years wherein
there was no offering made in her.
46 But after thirty years Solomon builded
the city and offered offerings: and then bare the barren a son.
47 And whereas she told thee that she
nourished him with labour: that was the dwelling in Jerusalem.
48 But whereas she said unto thee, That
my son coming into his marriage chamber happened to have a fail, and died:
this was the destruction that came to Jerusalem.
49 And, behold, thou sawest her likeness,
and because she mourned for her son, thou begannest to comfort her: and
of these things which have chanced, these are to be opened unto thee.
50 For now the most High seeth that thou
art grieved unfeignedly, and sufferest from thy whole heart for her, so
hath he shewed thee the brightness of her glory, and the comeliness of
her beauty:
51 And therefore I bade thee remain in
the field where no house was builded:
52 For I knew that the Highest would shew
this unto thee.
53 Therefore I commanded thee to go into
the field, where no foundation of any building was.
54 For in the place wherein the Highest
beginneth to shew his city, there can no man's building be able to stand.
55 And therefore fear not, let not thine
heart be affrighted, but go thy way in, and see the beauty and greatness
of the building, as much as thine eyes be able to see:
56 And then shalt thou hear as much as
thine ears may comprehend.
57 For thou art blessed above many other,
and art called with the Highest; and so are but few.
58 But to morrow at night thou shalt remain
here;
59 And so shall the Highest shew thee
visions of the high things, which the most High will do unto them that
dwell upon the earth in the last days. So I slept that night and another,
like as he commanded me.
2nd Esdras 11
1 Then saw I a dream, and, behold, there
came up from the sea an eagle, which had twelve feathered wings, and three
heads.
2 And I saw, and, behold, she spread her
wings over all the earth, and all the winds of the air blew on her, and
were gathered together.
3 And I beheld, and out of her feathers
there grew other contrary feathers; and they became little feathers and
small.
4 But her heads were at rest: the head
in the midst was greater than the other, yet rested it with the residue.
5 Moreover I beheld, and, lo, the eagle
flew with her feathers, and reigned upon earth, and over them that dwelt
therein.
6 And I saw that all things under heaven
were subject unto her, and no man spake against her, no, not one creature
upon earth.
7 And I beheld, and, lo, the eagle rose
upon her talons, and spake to her feathers, saying,
8 Watch not all at once: sleep every one
in his own place, and watch by course:
9 But let the heads be preserved for the
last.
10 And I beheld, and, lo, the voice went
not out of her heads, but from the midst of her body.
11 And I numbered her contrary feathers,
and, behold, there were eight of them.
12 And I looked, and, behold, on the right
side there arose one feather, and reigned over all the earth;
13 And so it was, that when it reigned,
the end of it came, and the place thereof appeared no more: so the next
following stood up. and reigned, and had a great time;
14 And it happened, that when it reigned,
the end of it came also, like as the first, so that it appeared no more.
15 Then came there a voice unto it, and
said,
16 Hear thou that hast borne rule over
the earth so long: this I say unto thee, before thou beginnest to appear
no more,
17 There shall none after thee attain
unto thy time, neither unto the half thereof.
18 Then arose the third, and reigned as
the other before, and appeared no more also.
19 So went it with all the residue one
after another, as that every one reigned, and then appeared no more.
20 Then I beheld, and, lo, in process
of time the feathers that followed stood up upon the right side, that they
might rule also; and some of them ruled, but within a while they appeared
no more:
21 For some of them were set up, but ruled
not.
22 After this I looked, and, behold, the
twelve feathers appeared no more, nor the two little feathers:
23 And there was no more upon the eagle's
body, but three heads that rested, and six little wings.
24 Then saw I also that two little feathers
divided themselves from the six, and remained under the head that was upon
the right side: for the four continued in their place.
25 And I beheld, and, lo, the feathers
that were under the wing thought to set up themselves and to have the rule.
26 And I beheld, and, lo, there was one
set up, but shortly it appeared no more.
27 And the second was sooner away than
the first.
28 And I beheld, and, lo, the two that
remained thought also in themselves to reign:
29 And when they so thought, behold, there
awaked one of the heads that were at rest, namely, it that was in the midst;
for that was greater than the two other heads.
30 And then I saw that the two other heads
were joined with it.
31 And, behold, the head was turned with
them that were with it, and did eat up the two feathers under the wing
that would have reigned.
32 But this head put the whole earth in
fear, and bare rule in it over all those that dwelt upon the earth with
much oppression; and it had the governance of the world more than all the
wings that had been.
33 And after this I beheld, and, lo, the
head that was in the midst suddenly appeared no more, like as the wings.
34 But there remained the two heads, which
also in like sort ruled upon the earth, and over those that dwelt therein.
35 And I beheld, and, lo, the head upon
the right side devoured it that was upon the left side.
36 Then I head a voice, which said unto
me, Look before thee, and consider the thing that thou seest.
37 And I beheld, and lo, as it were a
roaring lion chased out of the wood: and I saw that he sent out a man's
voice unto the eagle, and said,
38 Hear thou, I will talk with thee, and
the Highest shall say unto thee,
39 Art not thou it that remainest of the
four beasts, whom I made to reign in my world, that the end of their times
might come through them?
40 And the fourth came, and overcame all
the beasts that were past, and had power over the world with great fearfulness,
and over the whole compass of the earth with much wicked oppression; and
so long time dwelt he upon the earth with deceit.
41 For the earth hast thou not judged
with truth.
42 For thou hast afflicted the meek, thou
hast hurt the peaceable, thou hast loved liars, and destroyed the dwellings
of them that brought forth fruit, and hast cast down the walls of such
as did thee no harm.
43 Therefore is thy wrongful dealing come
up unto the Highest, and thy pride unto the Mighty.
44 The Highest also hath looked upon the
proud times, and, behold, they are ended, and his abominations are fulfilled.
45 And therefore appear no more, thou
eagle, nor thy horrible wings, nor thy wicked feathers nor thy malicious
heads, nor thy hurtful claws, nor all thy vain body:
46 That all the earth may be refreshed,
and may return, being delivered from thy violence, and that she may hope
for the judgment and mercy of him that made her.
2nd Esdras 12
1 And it came to pass, whiles the lion
spake these words unto the eagle, I saw,
2 And, behold, the head that remained
and the four wings appeared no more, and the two went unto it and set themselves
up to reign, and their kingdom was small, and fill of uproar.
3 And I saw, and, behold, they appeared
no more, and the whole body of the eagle was burnt so that the earth was
in great fear: then awaked I out of the trouble and trance of my mind,
and from great fear, and said unto my spirit,
4 Lo, this hast thou done unto me, in
that thou searchest out the ways of the Highest.
5 Lo, yet am I weary in my mind, and very
weak in my spirit; and little strength is there in me, for the great fear
wherewith I was afflicted this night.
6 Therefore will I now beseech the Highest,
that he will comfort me unto the end.
7 And I said, Lord that bearest rule,
if I have found grace before thy sight, and if I am justified with thee
before many others, and if my prayer indeed be come up before thy face;
8 Comfort me then, and shew me thy servant
the interpretation and plain difference of this fearful vision, that thou
mayest perfectly comfort my soul.
9 For thou hast judged me worthy to shew
me the last times.
10 And he said unto me, This is the interpretation
of the vision:
11 The eagle, whom thou sawest come up
from the sea, is the kingdom which was seen in the vision of thy brother
Daniel.
12 But it was not expounded unto him,
therefore now I declare it unto thee.
13 Behold, the days will come, that there
shall rise up a kingdom upon earth, and it shall be feared above all the
kingdoms that were before it.
14 In the same shall twelve kings reign,
one after another:
15 Whereof the second shall begin to reign,
and shall have more time than any of the twelve.
16 And this do the twelve wings signify,
which thou sawest.
17 As for the voice which thou heardest
speak, and that thou sawest not to go out from the heads but from the midst
of the body thereof, this is the interpretation:
18 That after the time of that kingdom
there shall arise great strivings, and it shall stand in peril of failing:
nevertheless it shall not then fall, but shall be restored again to his
beginning.
19 And whereas thou sawest the eight small
under feathers sticking to her wings, this is the interpretation:
20 That in him there shall arise eight
kings, whose times shall be but small, and their years swift.
21 And two of them shall perish, the middle
time approaching: four shall be kept until their end begin to approach:
but two shall be kept unto the end.
22 And whereas thou sawest three heads
resting, this is the interpretation:
23 In his last days shall the most High
raise up three kingdoms, and renew many things therein, and they shall
have the dominion of the earth,
24 And of those that dwell therein, with
much oppression, above all those that were before them: therefore are they
called the heads of the eagle.
25 For these are they that shall accomplish
his wickedness, and that shall finish his last end.
26 And whereas thou sawest that the great
head appeared no more, it signifieth that one of them shall die upon his
bed, and yet with pain.
27 For the two that remain shall be slain
with the sword.
28 For the sword of the one shall devour
the other: but at the last shall he fall through the sword himself.
29 And whereas thou sawest two feathers
under the wings passing over the head that is on the right side;
30 It signifieth that these are they,
whom the Highest hath kept unto their end: this is the small kingdom and
full of trouble, as thou sawest.
31 And the lion, whom thou sawest rising
up out of the wood, and roaring, and speaking to the eagle, and rebuking
her for her unrighteousness with all the words which thou hast heard;
32 This is the anointed, which the Highest
hath kept for them and for their wickedness unto the end: he shall reprove
them, and shall upbraid them with their cruelty.
33 For he shall set them before him alive
in judgment, and shall rebuke them, and correct them.
34 For the rest of my people shall he
deliver with mercy, those that have been pressed upon my borders, and he
shall make them joyful until the coming of the day of judgment, whereof
I have spoken unto thee from the the beginning.
35 This is the dream that thou sawest,
and these are the interpretations.
36 Thou only hast been meet to know this
secret of the Highest.
37 Therefore write all these things that
thou hast seen in a book, and hide them:
38 And teach them to the wise of the people,
whose hearts thou knowest may comprehend and keep these secrets.
39 But wait thou here thyself yet seven
days more, that it may be shewed thee, whatsoever it pleaseth the Highest
to declare unto thee. And with that he went his way.
40 And it came to pass, when all the people
saw that the seven days were past, and I not come again into the city,
they gathered them all together, from the least unto the greatest, and
came unto me, and said,
41 What have we offended thee? and what
evil have we done against thee, that thou forsakest us, and sittest here
in this place?
42 For of all the prophets thou only art
left us, as a cluster of the vintage, and as a candle in a dark place,
and as a haven or ship preserved from the tempest.
43 Are not the evils which are come to
us sufficient?
44 If thou shalt forsake us, how much
better had it been for us, if we also had been burned in the midst of Sion?
45 For we are not better than they that
died there. And they wept with a loud voice. Then answered I them, and
said,
46 Be of good comfort, O Israel; and be
not heavy, thou house of Jacob:
47 For the Highest hath you in remembrance,
and the Mighty hath not forgotten you in temptation.
48 As for me, I have not forsaken you,
neither am I departed from you: but am come into this place, to pray for
the desolation of Sion, and that I might seek mercy for the low estate
of your sanctuary.
49 And now go your way home every man,
and after these days will I come unto you.
50 So the people went their way into the
city, like as I commanded them:
51 But I remained still in the field seven
days, as the angel commanded me; and did eat only in those days of the
flowers of the field, and had my meat of the herbs
2nd Esdras 13
1 And it came to pass after seven days,
I dreamed a dream by night:
2 And, lo, there arose a wind from the
sea, that it moved all the waves thereof.
3 And I beheld, and, lo, that man waxed
strong with the thousands of heaven: and when he turned his countenance
to look, all the things trembled that were seen under him.
4 And whensoever the voice went out of
his mouth, all they burned that heard his voice, like as the earth faileth
when it feeleth the fire.
5 And after this I beheld, and, lo, there
was gathered together a multitude of men, out of number, from the four
winds of the heaven, to subdue the man that came out of the sea
6 But I beheld, and, lo, he had graved
himself a great mountain, and flew up upon it.
7 But I would have seen the region or
place whereout the hill was graven, and I could not.
8 And after this I beheld, and, lo, all
they which were gathered together to subdue him were sore afraid, and yet
durst fight.
9 And, lo, as he saw the violence of the
multitude that came, he neither lifted up his hand, nor held sword, nor
any instrument of war:
10 But only I saw that he sent out of
his mouth as it had been a blast of fire, and out of his lips a flaming
breath, and out of his tongue he cast out sparks and tempests.
11 And they were all mixed together; the
blast of fire, the flaming breath, and the great tempest; and fell with
violence upon the multitude which was prepared to fight, and burned them
up every one, so that upon a sudden of an innumerable multitude nothing
was to be perceived, but only dust and smell of smoke: when I saw this
I was afraid.
12 Afterward saw I the same man come down
from the mountain, and call unto him another peaceable Multitude.
13 And there came much people unto him,
whereof some were glad, some were sorry, and some of them were bound, and
other some brought of them that were offered: then was I sick through great
fear, and I awaked, and said,
14 Thou hast shewed thy servant these
wonders from the beginning, and hast counted me worthy that thou shouldest
receive my prayer:
15 Shew me now yet the interpretation
of this dream.
16 For as I conceive in mine understanding,
woe unto them that shall be left in those days and much more woe unto them
that are not left behind!
17 For they that were not left were in
heaviness.
18 Now understand I the things that are
laid up in the latter days, which shall happen unto them, and to those
that are left behind.
19 Therefore are they come into great
perils and many necessities, like as these dreams declare.
20 Yet is it easier for him that is in
danger to come into these things, than to pass away as a cloud out of the
world, and not to see the things that happen in the last days. And he answered
unto me, and said,
21 The interpretation of the vision shall
I shew thee, and I will open unto thee the thing that thou hast required.
22 Whereas thou hast spoken of them that
are left behind, this is the interpretation:
23 He that shall endure the peril in that
time hath kept himself: they that be fallen into danger are such as have
works, and faith toward the Almighty.
24 Know this therefore, that they which
be left behind are more blessed than they that be dead.
25 This is the meaning of the vision:
Whereas thou sawest a man coming up from the midst of the sea:
26 The same is he whom God the Highest
hath kept a great season, which by his own self shall deliver his creature:
and he shall order them that are left behind.
27 And whereas thou sawest, that out of
his mouth there came as a blast of wind, and fire, and storm;
28 And that he held neither sword, nor
any instrument of war, but that the rushing in of him destroyed the whole
multitude that came to subdue him; this is the interpretation:
29 Behold, the days come, when the most
High will begin to deliver them that are upon the earth.
30 And he shall come to the astonishment
of them that dwell on the earth.
31 And one shall undertake to fight against
another, one city against another, one place against another, one people
against another, and one realm against another.
32 And the time shall be when these things
shall come to pass, and the signs shall happen which I shewed thee before,
and then shall my Son be declared, whom thou sawest as a man ascending.
33 And when all the people hear his voice,
every man shall in their own land leave the battle they have one against
another.
34 And an innumerable multitude shall
be gathered together, as thou sawest them, willing to come, and to overcome
him by fighting.
35 But he shall stand upon the top of
the mount Sion.
36 And Sion shall come, and shall be shewed
to all men, being prepared and builded, like as thou sawest the hill graven
without hands.
37 And this my Son shall rebuke the wicked
inventions of those nations, which for their wicked life are fallen into
the tempest;
38 And shall lay before them their evil
thoughts, and the torments wherewith they shall begin to be tormented,
which are like unto a flame: and he shall destroy them without labour by
the law which is like unto me.
39 And whereas thou sawest that he gathered
another peaceable multitude unto him;
40 Those are the ten tribes, which were
carried away prisoners out of their own land in the time of Osea the king,
whom Salmanasar the king of Assyria led away captive, and he carried them
over the waters, and so came they into another land.
41 But they took this counsel among themselves,
that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a
further country, where never mankind dwelt,
42 That they might there keep their statutes,
which they never kept in their own land.
43 And they entered into Euphrates by
the narrow places of the river.
44 For the most High then shewed signs
for them, and held still the flood, till they were passed over.
45 For through that country there was
a great way to go, namely, of a year and a half: and the same region is
called Arsareth.
46 Then dwelt they there until the latter
time; and now when they shall begin to come,
47 The Highest shall stay the springs
of the stream again, that they may go through: therefore sawest thou the
multitude with peace.
48 But those that be left behind of thy
people are they that are found within my borders.
49 Now when he destroyeth the multitude
of the nations that are gathered together, he shall defend his people that
remain.
50 And then shall he shew them great wonders.
51 Then said I, O Lord that bearest rule,
shew me this: Wherefore have I seen the man coming up from the midst of
the sea?
52 And he said unto me, Like as thou canst
neither seek out nor know the things that are in the deep of the sea: even
so can no man upon earth see my Son, or those that be with him, but in
the day time.
53 This is the interpretation of the dream
which thou sawest, and whereby thou only art here lightened.
54 For thou hast forsaken thine own way,
and applied thy diligence unto my law, and sought it.
55 Thy life hast thou ordered in wisdom,
and hast called understanding thy mother.
56 And therefore have I shewed thee the
treasures of the Highest: after other three days I will speak other things
unto thee, and declare unto thee mighty and wondrous things.
57 Then went I forth into the field, giving
praise and thanks greatly unto the most High because of his wonders which
he did in time;
58 And because he governeth the same,
and such things as fall in their seasons: and there I sat three days.
2nd Esdras 14
1 And it came to pass upon the third day,
I sat under an oak, and, behold, there came a voice out of a bush over
against me, and said, Esdras, Esdras.
2 And I said, Here am I, Lord And I stood
up upon my feet.
3 Then said he unto me, In the bush I
did manifestly reveal myself unto Moses, and talked with him, when my people
served in Egypt:
4 And I sent him and led my people out
of Egypt, and brought him up to the mount of where I held him by me a long
season,
5 And told him many wondrous things, and
shewed him the secrets of the times, and the end; and commanded him, saying,
6 These words shalt thou declare, and
these shalt thou hide.
7 And now I say unto thee,
8 That thou lay up in thy heart the signs
that I have shewed, and the dreams that thou hast seen, and the interpretations
which thou hast heard:
9 For thou shalt be taken away from all,
and from henceforth thou shalt remain with my Son, and with such as be
like thee, until the times be ended.
10 For the world hath lost his youth,
and the times begin to wax old.
11 For the world is divided into twelve
parts, and the ten parts of it are gone already, and half of a tenth part:
12 And there remaineth that which is after
the half of the tenth part.
13 Now therefore set thine house in order,
and reprove thy people, comfort such of them as be in trouble, and now
renounce corruption,
14 Let go from thee mortal thoughts, cast
away the burdens of man, put off now the weak nature,
15 And set aside the thoughts that are
most heavy unto thee, and haste thee to flee from these times.
16 For yet greater evils than those which
thou hast seen happen shall be done hereafter.
17 For look how much the world shall be
weaker through age, so much the more shall evils increase upon them that
dwell therein.
18 For the time is fled far away, and
leasing is hard at hand: for now hasteth the vision to come, which thou
hast seen.
19 Then answered I before thee, and said,
20 Behold, Lord, I will go, as thou hast
commanded me, and reprove the people which are present: but they that shall
be born afterward, who shall admonish them? thus the world is set in darkness,
and they that dwell therein are without light.
21 For thy law is burnt, therefore no
man knoweth the things that are done of thee, or the work that shall begin.
22 But if I have found grace before thee,
send the Holy Ghost into me, and I shall write all that hath been done
in the world since the beginning, which were written in thy law, that men
may find thy path, and that they which will live in the latter days may
live.
23 And he answered me, saying, Go thy
way, gather the people together, and say unto them, that they seek thee
not for forty days.
24 But look thou prepare thee many box
trees, and take with thee Sarea, Dabria, Selemia, Ecanus, and Asiel, these
five which are ready to write swiftly;
25 And come hither, and I shall light
a candle of understanding in thine heart, which shall not be put out, till
the things be performed which thou shalt begin to write.
26 And when thou hast done, some things
shalt thou publish, and some things shalt thou shew secretly to the wise:
to morrow this hour shalt thou begin to write.
27 Then went I forth, as he commanded,
and gathered all the people together, and said,
28 Hear these words, O Israel.
29 Our fathers at the beginning were strangers
in Egypt, from whence they were delivered:
30 And received the law of life, which
they kept not, which ye also have transgressed after them.
31 Then was the land, even the land of
Sion, parted among you by lot: but your fathers, and ye yourselves, have
done unrighteousness, and have not kept the ways which the Highest commanded
you.
32 And forasmuch as he is a righteous
judge, he took from you in time the thing that he had given you.
33 And now are ye here, and your brethren
among you.
34 Therefore if so be that ye will subdue
your own understanding, and reform your hearts, ye shall be kept alive
and after death ye shall obtain mercy.
35 For after death shall the judgment
come, when we shall live again: and then shall the names of the righteous
be manifest, and the works of the ungodly shall be declared.
36 Let no man therefore come unto me now,
nor seek after me these forty days.
37 So I took the five men, as he commanded
me, and we went into the field, and remained there.
38 And the next day, behold, a voice called
me, saying, Esdras, open thy mouth, and drink that I give thee to drink.
39 Then opened I my mouth, and, behold,
he reached me a full cup, which was full as it were with water, but the
colour of it was like fire.
40 And I took it, and drank: and when
I had drunk of it, my heart uttered understanding, and wisdom grew in my
breast, for my spirit strengthened my memory:
41 And my mouth was opened, and shut no
more.
42 The Highest gave understanding unto
the five men, and they wrote the wonderful visions of the night that were
told, which they knew not: and they sat forty days, and they wrote in the
day, and at night they ate bread.
43 As for me. I spake in the day, and
I held not my tongue by night.
44 In forty days they wrote two hundred
and four books.
45 And it came to pass, when the forty
days were filled, that the Highest spake, saying, The first that thou hast
written publish openly, that the worthy and unworthy may read it:
46 But keep the seventy last, that thou
mayest deliver them only to such as be wise among the people:
47 For in them is the spring of understanding,
the fountain of wisdom, and the stream of knowledge.
48 And I did so.
2nd Esdras 15
1 Behold, speak thou in the ears of my
people the words of prophecy, which I will put in thy mouth, saith the
Lord:
2 And cause them to be written in paper:
for they are faithful and true.
3 Fear not the imaginations against thee,
let not the incredulity of them trouble thee, that speak against thee.
4 For all the unfaithful shall die in
their unfaithfulness.
5 Behold, saith the Lord, I will bring
plagues upon the world; the sword, famine, death, and destruction.
6 For wickedness hath exceedingly polluted
the whole earth, and their hurtful works are fulfilled.
7 Therefore saith the Lord,
8 I will hold my tongue no more as touching
their wickedness, which they profanely commit, neither will I suffer them
in those things, in which they wickedly exercise themselves: behold, the
innocent and righteous blood crieth unto me, and the souls of the just
complain continually.
9 And therefore, saith the Lord, I will
surely avenge them, and receive unto me all the innocent blood from among
them.
10 Behold, my people is led as a flock
to the slaughter: I will not suffer them now to dwell in the land of Egypt:
11 But I will bring them with a mighty
hand and a stretched out arm, and smite Egypt with plagues, as before,
and will destroy all the land thereof.
12 Egypt shall mourn, and the foundation
of it shall be smitten with the plague and punishment that God shall bring
upon it.
13 They that till the ground shall mourn:
for their seeds shall fail through the blasting and hail, and with a fearful
constellation.
14 Woe to the world and them that dwell
therein!
15 For the sword and their destruction
draweth nigh, and one people shall stand up and fight against another,
and swords in their hands.
16 For there shall be sedition among men,
and invading one another; they shall not regard their kings nor princes,
and the course of their actions shall stand in their power.
17 A man shall desire to go into a city,
and shall not be able.
18 For because of their pride the cities
shall be troubled, the houses shall be destroyed, and men shall be afraid.
19 A man shall have no pity upon his neighbour,
but shall destroy their houses with the sword, and spoil their goods, because
of the lack of bread, and for great tribulation.
20 Behold, saith God, I will call together
all the kings of the earth to reverence me, which are from the rising of
the sun, from the south, from the east, and Libanus; to turn themselves
one against another, and repay the things that they have done to them.
21 Like as they do yet this day unto my
chosen, so will I do also, and recompense in their bosom. Thus saith the
Lord God;
22 My right hand shall not spare the sinners,
and my sword shall not cease over them that shed innocent blood upon the
earth.
23 The fire is gone forth from his wrath,
and hath consumed the foundations of the earth, and the sinners, like the
straw that is kindled.
24 Woe to them that sin, and keep not
my commandments! saith the Lord.
25 I will not spare them: go your way,
ye children, from the power, defile not my sanctuary.
26 For the Lord knoweth all them that
sin against him, and therefore delivereth he them unto death and destruction.
27 For now are the plagues come upon the
whole earth and ye shall remain in them: for God shall not deliver you,
because ye have sinned against him.
28 Behold an horrible vision, and the
appearance thereof from the east:
29 Where the nations of the dragons of
Arabia shall come out with many chariots, and the multitude of them shall
be carried as the wind upon earth, that all they which hear them may fear
and tremble.
30 Also the Carmanians raging in wrath
shall go forth as the wild boars of the wood, and with great power shall
they come, and join battle with them, and shall waste a portion of the
land of the Assyrians.
31 And then shall the dragons have the
upper hand, remembering their nature; and if they shall turn themselves,
conspiring together in great power to persecute them,
32 Then these shall be troubled bled,
and keep silence through their power, and shall flee.
33 And from the land of the Assyrians
shall the enemy besiege them, and consume some of them, and in their host
shall be fear and dread, and strife among their kings.
34 Behold clouds from the east and from
the north unto the south, and they are very horrible to look upon, full
of wrath and storm.
35 They shall smite one upon another,
and they shall smite down a great multitude of stars upon the earth, even
their own star; and blood shall be from the sword unto the belly,
36 And dung of men unto the camel's hough.
37 And there shall be great fearfulness
and trembling upon earth: and they that see the wrath shall be afraid,
and trembling shall come upon them.
38 And then shall there come great storms
from the south, and from the north, and another part from the west.
39 And strong winds shall arise from the
east, and shall open it; and the cloud which he raised up in wrath, and
the star stirred to cause fear toward the east and west wind, shall be
destroyed.
40 The great and mighty clouds shall be
puffed up full of wrath, and the star, that they may make all the earth
afraid, and them that dwell therein; and they shall pour out over every
high and eminent place an horrible star,
41 Fire, and hail, and flying swords,
and many waters, that all fields may be full, and all rivers, with the
abundance of great waters.
42 And they shall break down the cities
and walls, mountains and hills, trees of the wood, and grass of the meadows,
and their corn.
43 And they shall go stedfastly unto Babylon,
and make her afraid.
44 They shall come to her, and besiege
her, the star and all wrath shall they pour out upon her: then shall the
dust and smoke go up unto the heaven, and all they that be about her shall
bewail her.
45 And they that remain under her shall
do service unto them that have put her in fear.
46 And thou, Asia, that art partaker of
the hope of Babylon, and art the glory of her person:
47 Woe be unto thee, thou wretch, because
thou hast made thyself like unto her; and hast decked thy daughters in
whoredom, that they might please and glory in thy lovers, which have always
desired to commit whoredom with thee.
48 Thou hast followed her that is hated
in all her works and inventions: therefore saith God,
49 I will send plagues upon thee; widowhood,
poverty, famine, sword, and pestilence, to waste thy houses with destruction
and death.
50 And the glory of thy Power shall be
dried up as a flower, the heat shall arise that is sent over thee.
51 Thou shalt be weakened as a poor woman
with stripes, and as one chastised with wounds, so that the mighty and
lovers shall not be able to receive thee.
52 Would I with jealousy have so proceeded
against thee, saith the Lord,
53 If thou hadst not always slain my chosen,
exalting the stroke of thine hands, and saying over their dead, when thou
wast drunken,
54 Set forth the beauty of thy countenance?
55 The reward of thy whoredom shall be
in thy bosom, therefore shalt thou receive recompence.
56 Like as thou hast done unto my chosen,
saith the Lord, even so shall God do unto thee, and shall deliver thee
into mischief
57 Thy children shall die of hunger, and
thou shalt fall through the sword: thy cities shall be broken down, and
all thine shall perish with the sword in the field.
58 They that be in the mountains shall
die of hunger, and eat their own flesh, and drink their own blood, for
very hunger of bread, and thirst of water.
59 Thou as unhappy shalt come through
the sea, and receive plagues again.
60 And in the passage they shall rush
on the idle city, and shall destroy some portion of thy land, and consume
part of thy glory, and shall return to Babylon that was destroyed.
61 And thou shalt be cast down by them
as stubble, and they shall be unto thee as fire;
62 And shall consume thee, and thy cities,
thy land, and thy mountains; all thy woods and thy fruitful trees shall
they burn up with fire.
63 Thy children shall they carry away
captive, and, look, what thou hast, they shall spoil it, and mar the beauty
of thy face.
2nd Esdras 16
1 Woe be unto thee, Babylon, and Asia!
woe be unto thee, Egypt and Syria!
2 Gird up yourselves with cloths of sack
and hair, bewail your children, and be sorry; for your destruction is at
hand.
3 A sword is sent upon you, and who may
turn it back?
4 A fire is sent among you, and who may
quench it?
5 Plagues are sent unto you, and what
is he that may drive them away?
6 May any man drive away an hungry lion
in the wood? or may any one quench the fire in stubble, when it hath begun
to burn?
7 May one turn again the arrow that is
shot of a strong archer?
8 The mighty Lord sendeth the plagues
and who is he that can drive them away?
9 A fire shall go forth from his wrath,
and who is he that may quench it?
10 He shall cast lightnings, and who shall
not fear? he shall thunder, and who shall not be afraid?
11 The Lord shall threaten, and who shall
not be utterly beaten to powder at his presence?
12 The earth quaketh, and the foundations
thereof; the sea ariseth up with waves from the deep, and the waves of
it are troubled, and the fishes thereof also, before the Lord, and before
the glory of his power:
13 For strong is his right hand that bendeth
the bow, his arrows that he shooteth are sharp, and shall not miss, when
they begin to be shot into the ends of the world.
14 Behold, the plagues are sent, and shall
not return again, until they come upon the earth.
15 The fire is kindled, and shall not
be put out, till it consume the foundation of the earth.
16 Like as an arrow which is shot of a
mighty archer returneth not backward: even so the plagues that shall be
sent upon earth shall not return again.
17 Woe is me! woe is me! who will deliver
me in those days?
18 The beginning of sorrows and great
mournings; the beginning of famine and great death; the beginning of wars,
and the powers shall stand in fear; the beginning of evils! what shall
I do when these evils shall come?
19 Behold, famine and plague, tribulation
and anguish, are sent as scourges for amendment.
20 But for all these things they shall
not turn from their wickedness, nor be always mindful of the scourges.
21 Behold, victuals shall be so good cheap
upon earth, that they shall think themselves to be in good case, and even
then shall evils grow upon earth, sword, famine, and great confusion.
22 For many of them that dwell upon earth
shall perish of famine; and the other, that escape the hunger, shall the
sword destroy.
23 And the dead shall be cast out as dung,
and there shall be no man to comfort them: for the earth shall be wasted,
and the cities shall be cast down.
24 There shall be no man left to till
the earth, and to sow it
25 The trees shall give fruit, and who
shall gather them?
26 The grapes shall ripen, and who shall
tread them? for all places shall be desolate of men:
27 So that one man shall desire to see
another, and to hear his voice.
28 For of a city there shall be ten left,
and two of the field, which shall hide themselves in the thick groves,
and in the clefts of the rocks.
29 As in an orchard of Olives upon every
tree there are left three or four olives;
30 Or as when a vineyard is gathered,
there are left some clusters of them that diligently seek through the vineyard:
31 Even so in those days there shall be
three or four left by them that search their houses with the sword.
32 And the earth shall be laid waste,
and the fields thereof shall wax old, and her ways and all her paths shall
grow full of thorns, because no man shall travel therethrough.
33 The virgins shall mourn, having no
bridegrooms; the women shall mourn, having no husbands; their daughters
shall mourn, having no helpers.
34 In the wars shall their bridegrooms
be destroyed, and their husbands shall perish of famine.
35 Hear now these things and understand
them, ye servants of the Lord.
36 Behold, the word of the Lord, receive
it: believe not the gods of whom the Lord spake.
37 Behold, the plagues draw nigh, and
are not slack.
38 As when a woman with child in the ninth
month bringeth forth her son, with two or three hours of her birth great
pains compass her womb, which pains, when the child cometh forth, they
slack not a moment:
39 Even so shall not the plagues be slack
to come upon the earth, and the world shall mourn, and sorrows shall come
upon it on every side.
40 O my people, hear my word: make you
ready to thy battle, and in those evils be even as pilgrims upon the earth.
41 He that selleth, let him be as he that
fleeth away: and he that buyeth, as one that will lose:
42 He that occupieth merchandise, as he
that hath no profit by it: and he that buildeth, as he that shall not dwell
therein:
43 He that soweth, as if he should not
reap: so also he that planteth the vineyard, as he that shall not gather
the grapes:
44 They that marry, as they that shall
get no children; and they that marry not, as the widowers.
45 And therefore they that labour labour
in vain:
46 For strangers shall reap their fruits,
and spoil their goods, overthrow their houses, and take their children
captives, for in captivity and famine shall they get children.
47 And they that occupy their merchandise
with robbery, the more they deck their cities, their houses, their possessions,
and their own persons:
48 The more will I be angry with them
for their sin, saith the Lord.
49 Like as a whore envieth a right honest
and virtuous woman:
50 So shall righteousness hate iniquity,
when she decketh herself, and shall accuse her to her face, when he cometh
that shall defend him that diligently searcheth out every sin upon earth.
51 And therefore be ye not like thereunto,
nor to the works thereof.
52 For yet a little, and iniquity shall
be taken away out of the earth, and righteousness shall reign among you.
53 Let not the sinner say that he hath
not sinned: for God shall burn coals of fire upon his head, which saith
before the Lord God and his glory, I have not sinned.
54 Behold, the Lord knoweth all the works
of men, their imaginations, their thoughts, and their hearts:
55 Which spake but the word, Let the earth
be made; and it was made: Let the heaven be made; and it was created.
56 In his word were the stars made, and
he knoweth the number of them.
57 He searcheth the deep, and the treasures
thereof; he hath measured the sea, and what it containeth.
58 He hath shut the sea in the midst of
the waters, and with his word hath he hanged the earth upon the waters.
59 He spreadeth out the heavens like a
vault; upon the waters hath he founded it.
60 In the desert hath he made springs
of water, and pools upon the tops of the mountains, that the floods might
pour down from the high rocks to water the earth.
61 He made man, and put his heart in the
midst of the body, and gave him breath, life, and understanding.
62 Yea and the Spirit of Almighty God,
which made all things, and searcheth out all hidden things in the secrets
of the earth,
63 Surely he knoweth your inventions,
and what ye think in your hearts, even them that sin, and would hide their
sin.
64 Therefore hath the Lord exactly searched
out all your works, and he will put you all to shame.
65 And when your sins are brought forth,
ye shall be ashamed before men, and your own sins shall be your accusers
in that day.
66 What will ye do? or how will ye hide
your sins before God and his angels?
67 Behold, God himself is the judge, fear
him: leave off from your sins, and forget your iniquities, to meddle no
more with them for ever: so shall God lead you forth, and deliver you from
all trouble.
68 For, behold, the burning wrath of a
great multitude is kindled over you, and they shall take away certain of
you, and feed you, being idle, with things offered unto idols.
69 And they that consent unto them shall
be had in derision and in reproach, and trodden under foot.
70 For there shall be in every place,
and in the next cities, a great insurrection upon those that fear the Lord.
71 They shall be like mad men, sparing
none, but still spoiling and destroying those that fear the Lord.
72 For they shall waste and take away
their goods, and cast them out of their houses.
73 Then shall they be known, who are my
chosen; and they shall be tried as the gold in the fire.
74 Hear, O ye my beloved, saith the Lord:
behold, the days of trouble are at hand, but I will deliver you from the
same.
75 Be ye not afraid neither doubt; for
God is your guide,
76 And the guide of them who keep my commandments
and precepts, saith the Lord God: let not your sins weigh you down, and
let not your iniquities lift up themselves.
77 Woe be unto them that are bound with
their sins, and covered with their iniquities like as a field is covered
over with bushes, and the path thereof covered with thorns, that no man
may travel through!
78 It is left undressed, and is cast into
the fire to be consumed therewith.