The Second Book of Esdras (continued 2)

13:16 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!

13:17 For they that were not left were in heaviness.

13:18 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.

13:19 Therefore are they come into great perils and many necessities, like as these dreams declare.

13:20 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,

13:21 The interpretation of the vision shall I shew thee, and I will open unto thee the thing that thou hast required.

13:22 Whereas thou hast spoken of them that are left behind, this is the interpretation:

13:23 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.

13:24 Know this therefore, that they which be left behind are more blessed than they that be dead.

13:25 This is the meaning of the vision: Whereas thou sawest a man coming up from the midst of the sea:

13:26 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.

13:27 And whereas thou sawest, that out of his mouth there came as a blast of wind, and fire, and storm;

13:28 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:

13:29 Behold, the days come, when the most High will begin to deliver them that are upon the earth.

13:30 And he shall come to the astonishment of them that dwell on the earth.

13:31 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.

13:32 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.

13:33 And when all the people hear his voice, every man shall in their own land leave the battle they have one against another.

13:34 And an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together, as thou sawest them, willing to come, and to overcome him by fighting.

13:35 But he shall stand upon the top of the mount Sion.

13:36 And Sion shall come, and shall be shewed to all men, being prepared and builded, like as thou sawest the hill graven without hands.

13:37 And this my Son shall rebuke the wicked inventions of those nations, which for their wicked life are fallen into the tempest;

13:38 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.

13:39 And whereas thou sawest that he gathered another peaceable multitude unto him;

13:40 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.

13:41 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,

13:42 That they might there keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land.

13:43 And they entered into Euphrates by the narrow places of the river.

13:44 For the most High then shewed signs for them, and held still the flood, till they were passed over.

13:45 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.

13:46 Then dwelt they there until the latter time; and now when they shall begin to come,

13:47 The Highest shall stay the springs of the stream again, that they may go through: therefore sawest thou the multitude with peace.

13:48 But those that be left behind of thy people are they that are found within my borders.

13:49 Now when he destroyeth the multitude of the nations that are gathered together, he shall defend his people that remain.

13:50 And then shall he shew them great wonders.

13:51 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?

13:52 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.

13:53 This is the interpretation of the dream which thou sawest, and whereby thou only art here lightened.

13:54 For thou hast forsaken thine own way, and applied thy diligence unto my law, and sought it.

13:55 Thy life hast thou ordered in wisdom, and hast called understanding thy mother.

13:56 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.

13:57 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;

13:58 And because he governeth the same, and such things as fall in their seasons: and there I sat three days.

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.

14:2 And I said, Here am I, Lord And I stood up upon my feet.

14:3 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:

14:4 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,

14:5 And told him many wondrous things, and shewed him the secrets of the times, and the end; and commanded him, saying,

14:6 These words shalt thou declare, and these shalt thou hide.

14:7 And now I say unto thee,

14:8 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:

14:9 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.

14:10 For the world hath lost his youth, and the times begin to wax old.

14:11 For the world is divided into twelve parts, and the ten parts of it are gone already, and half of a tenth part:

14:12 And there remaineth that which is after the half of the tenth part.

14:13 Now therefore set thine house in order, and reprove thy people, comfort such of them as be in trouble, and now renounce corruption,

14:14 Let go from thee mortal thoughts, cast away the burdens of man, put off now the weak nature,

14:15 And set aside the thoughts that are most heavy unto thee, and haste thee to flee from these times.

14:16 For yet greater evils than those which thou hast seen happen shall be done hereafter.

14:17 For look how much the world shall be weaker through age, so much the more shall evils increase upon them that dwell therein.

14:18 For the time is fled far away, and leasing is hard at hand: for now hasteth the vision to come, which thou hast seen.

14:19 Then answered I before thee, and said,

14:20 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.

14:21 For thy law is burnt, therefore no man knoweth the things that are done of thee, or the work that shall begin.

14:22 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.

14:23 And he answered me, saying, Go thy way, gather the people together, and say unto them, that they seek thee not for forty days.

14:24 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;

14:25 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.

14:26 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.

14:27 Then went I forth, as he commanded, and gathered all the people together, and said,

14:28 Hear these words, O Israel.

14:29 Our fathers at the beginning were strangers in Egypt, from whence they were delivered:

14:30 And received the law of life, which they kept not, which ye also have transgressed after them.

14:31 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.

14:32 And forasmuch as he is a righteous judge, he took from you in time the thing that he had given you.

14:33 And now are ye here, and your brethren among you.

14:34 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.

14:35 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.

14:36 Let no man therefore come unto me now, nor seek after me these forty days.

14:37 So I took the five men, as he commanded me, and we went into the field, and remained there.

14:38 And the next day, behold, a voice called me, saying, Esdras, open thy mouth, and drink that I give thee to drink.

14:39 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.

14:40 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:

14:41 And my mouth was opened, and shut no more.

14:42 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.

14:43 As for me. I spake in the day, and I held not my tongue by night.

14:44 In forty days they wrote two hundred and four books.

14:45 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:

14:46 But keep the seventy last, that thou mayest deliver them only to such as be wise among the people:

14:47 For in them is the spring of understanding, the fountain of wisdom, and the stream of knowledge.

14:48 And I did so.

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:

15:2 And cause them to be written in paper: for they are faithful and true.

15:3 Fear not the imaginations against thee, let not the incredulity of them trouble thee, that speak against thee.

15:4 For all the unfaithful shall die in their unfaithfulness.

15:5 Behold, saith the Lord, I will bring plagues upon the world; the sword, famine, death, and destruction.

15:6 For wickedness hath exceedingly polluted the whole earth, and their hurtful works are fulfilled.

15:7 Therefore saith the Lord,

15:8 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.

15:9 And therefore, saith the Lord, I will surely avenge them, and receive unto me all the innocent blood from among them.

15:10 Behold, my people is led as a flock to the slaughter: I will not suffer them now to dwell in the land of Egypt:

15:11 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.

15:12 Egypt shall mourn, and the foundation of it shall be smitten with the plague and punishment that God shall bring upon it.

15:13 They that till the ground shall mourn: for their seeds shall fail through the blasting and hail, and with a fearful constellation.

15:14 Woe to the world and them that dwell therein!

15:15 For the sword and their destruction draweth nigh, and one people shall stand up and fight against another, and swords in their hands.

15:16 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.

15:17 A man shall desire to go into a city, and shall not be able.

15:18 For because of their pride the cities shall be troubled, the houses shall be destroyed, and men shall be afraid.

15:19 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.

15:20 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.

15:21 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;

15:22 My right hand shall not spare the sinners, and my sword shall not cease over them that shed innocent blood upon the earth.

15:23 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.

15:24 Woe to them that sin, and keep not my commandments! saith the Lord.

15:25 I will not spare them: go your way, ye children, from the power, defile not my sanctuary.

15:26 For the Lord knoweth all them that sin against him, and therefore delivereth he them unto death and destruction.

15:27 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.

15:28 Behold an horrible vision, and the appearance thereof from the east:

15:29 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.

15:30 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.

15:31 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,

15:32 Then these shall be troubled bled, and keep silence through their power, and shall flee.

15:33 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.

15:34 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.

15:35 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,

15:36 And dung of men unto the camel’s hough.

15:37 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.

15:38 And then shall there come great storms from the south, and from the north, and another part from the west.

15:39 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.

15:40 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,

15:41 Fire, and hail, and flying swords, and many waters, that all fields may be full, and all rivers, with the abundance of great waters.

15:42 And they shall break down the cities and walls, mountains and hills, trees of the wood, and grass of the meadows, and their corn.

15:43 And they shall go stedfastly unto Babylon, and make her afraid.

15:44 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.

15:45 And they that remain under her shall do service unto them that have put her in fear.

15:46 And thou, Asia, that art partaker of the hope of Babylon, and art the glory of her person:

15:47 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.

15:48 Thou hast followed her that is hated in all her works and inventions: therefore saith God,

15:49 I will send plagues upon thee; widowhood, poverty, famine, sword, and pestilence, to waste thy houses with destruction and death.

15:50 And the glory of thy Power shall be dried up as a flower, the heat shall arise that is sent over thee.

15:51 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.

15:52 Would I with jealousy have so proceeded against thee, saith the Lord,

15:53 If thou hadst not always slain my chosen, exalting the stroke of thine hands, and saying over their dead, when thou wast drunken,

15:54 Set forth the beauty of thy countenance?

15:55 The reward of thy whoredom shall be in thy bosom, therefore shalt thou receive recompence.

15:56 Like as thou hast done unto my chosen, saith the Lord, even so shall God do unto thee, and shall deliver thee into mischief

15:57 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.

15:58 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.

15:59 Thou as unhappy shalt come through the sea, and receive plagues again.

15:60 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.

15:61 And thou shalt be cast down by them as stubble, and they shall be unto thee as fire;

15:62 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.

15:63 Thy children shall they carry away captive, and, look, what thou hast, they shall spoil it, and mar the beauty of thy face.

16:1 Woe be unto thee, Babylon, and Asia! woe be unto thee, Egypt and Syria!

16:2 Gird up yourselves with cloths of sack and hair, bewail your children, and be sorry; for your destruction is at hand.

16:3 A sword is sent upon you, and who may turn it back?

16:4 A fire is sent among you, and who may quench it?

16:5 Plagues are sent unto you, and what is he that may drive them away?

16:6 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?

16:7 May one turn again the arrow that is shot of a strong archer?

16:8 The mighty Lord sendeth the plagues and who is he that can drive them away?

16:9 A fire shall go forth from his wrath, and who is he that may quench it?

16:10 He shall cast lightnings, and who shall not fear? he shall thunder, and who shall not be afraid?

16:11 The Lord shall threaten, and who shall not be utterly beaten to powder at his presence?

16:12 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:

16:13 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.

16:14 Behold, the plagues are sent, and shall not return again, until they come upon the earth.

16:15 The fire is kindled, and shall not be put out, till it consume the foundation of the earth.

16:16 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.

16:17 Woe is me! woe is me! who will deliver me in those days?

16:18 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?

16:19 Behold, famine and plague, tribulation and anguish, are sent as scourges for amendment.

16:20 But for all these things they shall not turn from their wickedness, nor be always mindful of the scourges.

16:21 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.

16:22 For many of them that dwell upon earth shall perish of famine; and the other, that escape the hunger, shall the sword destroy.

16:23 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.

16:24 There shall be no man left to till the earth, and to sow it

16:25 The trees shall give fruit, and who shall gather them?

16:26 The grapes shall ripen, and who shall tread them? for all places shall be desolate of men:

16:27 So that one man shall desire to see another, and to hear his voice.

16:28 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.

16:29 As in an orchard of Olives upon every tree there are left three or four olives;

16:30 Or as when a vineyard is gathered, there are left some clusters of them that diligently seek through the vineyard:

16:31 Even so in those days there shall be three or four left by them that search their houses with the sword.

16:32 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.

16:33 The virgins shall mourn, having no bridegrooms; the women shall mourn, having no husbands; their daughters shall mourn, having no helpers.

16:34 In the wars shall their bridegrooms be destroyed, and their husbands shall perish of famine.

16:35 Hear now these things and understand them, ye servants of the Lord.

16:36 Behold, the word of the Lord, receive it: believe not the gods of whom the Lord spake.

16:37 Behold, the plagues draw nigh, and are not slack.

16:38 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:

16:39 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.

16:40 O my people, hear my word: make you ready to thy battle, and in those evils be even as pilgrims upon the earth.

16:41 He that selleth, let him be as he that fleeth away: and he that buyeth, as one that will lose:

16:42 He that occupieth merchandise, as he that hath no profit by it: and he that buildeth, as he that shall not dwell therein:

16:43 He that soweth, as if he should not reap: so also he that planteth the vineyard, as he that shall not gather the grapes:

16:44 They that marry, as they that shall get no children; and they that marry not, as the widowers.

16:45 And therefore they that labour labour in vain:

16:46 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.

16:47 And they that occupy their merchandise with robbery, the more they deck their cities, their houses, their possessions, and their own persons:

16:48 The more will I be angry with them for their sin, saith the Lord.

16:49 Like as a whore envieth a right honest and virtuous woman:

16:50 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.

16:51 And therefore be ye not like thereunto, nor to the works thereof.

16:52 For yet a little, and iniquity shall be taken away out of the earth, and righteousness shall reign among you.

16:53 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.

16:54 Behold, the Lord knoweth all the works of men, their imaginations, their thoughts, and their hearts:

16:55 Which spake but the word, Let the earth be made; and it was made: Let the heaven be made; and it was created.

16:56 In his word were the stars made, and he knoweth the number of them.

16:57 He searcheth the deep, and the treasures thereof; he hath measured the sea, and what it containeth.

16:58 He hath shut the sea in the midst of the waters, and with his word hath he hanged the earth upon the waters.

16:59 He spreadeth out the heavens like a vault; upon the waters hath he founded it.

16:60 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.

16:61 He made man, and put his heart in the midst of the body, and gave him breath, life, and understanding.

16:62 Yea and the Spirit of Almighty God, which made all things, and searcheth out all hidden things in the secrets of the earth,

16:63 Surely he knoweth your inventions, and what ye think in your hearts, even them that sin, and would hide their sin.

16:64 Therefore hath the Lord exactly searched out all your works, and he will put you all to shame.

16:65 And when your sins are brought forth, ye shall be ashamed before men, and your own sins shall be your accusers in that day.

16:66 What will ye do? or how will ye hide your sins before God and his angels?

16:67 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.

16:68 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.

16:69 And they that consent unto them shall be had in derision and in reproach, and trodden under foot.

16:70 For there shall be in every place, and in the next cities, a great insurrection upon those that fear the Lord.

16:71 They shall be like mad men, sparing none, but still spoiling and destroying those that fear the Lord.

16:72 For they shall waste and take away their goods, and cast them out of their houses.

16:73 Then shall they be known, who are my chosen; and they shall be tried as the gold in the fire.

16:74 Hear, O ye my beloved, saith the Lord: behold, the days of trouble are at hand, but I will deliver you from the same.

16:75 Be ye not afraid neither doubt; for God is your guide,

16:76 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.

16:77 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!

16:78 It is left undressed, and is cast into the fire to be consumed therewith.