2 Esdras

1Woe be unto thee, Babylon, and Asia! woe be unto thee, Egypt and Syria! 2Gird up yourselves with cloths of sack and hair, bewail your children, and be sorry; for your destruction is at hand. 3A sword is sent upon you, and who may turn it back? 4A fire is sent among you, and who may quench it? 5Plagues are sent unto you, and what is he that may drive them away? 6May 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? 7May one…

1Behold, speak thou in the ears of my people the words of prophecy, which I will put in thy mouth, saith the Lord: 2And cause them to be written in paper: for they are faithful and true. 3Fear not the imaginations against thee, let not the incredulity of them trouble thee, that speak against thee. 4For all the unfaithful shall die in their unfaithfulness. 5Behold, saith the Lord, I will bring plagues upon the world; the sword, famine, death, and destruction. 6For wickedness hath exceedingly polluted the whole earth, and their hurtful works are fulfilled. 7Therefore saith the Lord, 8I…

1And 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. 2And I said, Here am I, Lord And I stood up upon my feet. 3Then said he unto me, In the bush I did manifestly reveal myself unto Moses, and talked with him, when my people served in Egypt: 4And 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, 5And told…

1And it came to pass after seven days, I dreamed a dream by night: 2And, lo, there arose a wind from the sea, that it moved all the waves thereof. 3And 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. 4And 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. 5And after this I beheld, and, lo, there was gathered together a multitude…

1Then saw I a dream, and, behold, there came up from the sea an eagle, which had twelve feathered wings, and three heads. 2And 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. 3And I beheld, and out of her feathers there grew other contrary feathers; and they became little feathers and small. 4But her heads were at rest: the head in the midst was greater than the other, yet rested it with the residue. 5Moreover I beheld, and, lo, the eagle flew…

1And it came to pass, whiles the lion spake these words unto the eagle, I saw, 2And, 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. 3And 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, 4Lo, this hast…

1And it so came to pass, that when my son was entered into his wedding chamber, he fell down, and died. 2Then 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. 3And 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. 4And I do now purpose not to return into the city, but here to stay,…

1He 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, 2Then shalt thou understand, that it is the very same time, wherein the Highest will begin to visit the world which he made. 3Therefore when there shall be seen earthquakes and uproars of the people in the world: 4Then shalt thou well understand, that the most High spake of those things from the days that were before thee, even from the beginning. 5For like as all that is made in the world…

1And he answered me, saying, The most High hath made this world for many, but the world to come for few. 2I 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. 3There be many created, but few shall be saved. 4So answered I and said, Swallow then down, O my soul, understanding, and devour wisdom. 5For thou hast agreed to give ear, and art willing to…

1And 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: 2And he said unto me, Up, Esdras, and hear the words that I am come to tell thee. 3And 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. 4But put the case the entrance were narrow, and like a river; 5Who then could go into the sea to look upon it, and to rule it? if…