2 ESDRAS - Biblia Sacra et Ultra

CHAPTER 1

The second scroll of the prophet Ezra, the son of Saraias, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Salemas, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitob, the son of Achias, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the son of Amariah, the son of Aziei, the son of Marimoth, the son of Arna, the son of Ozias, the son of Borith, the son of Abissei, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi, which was captive in the land of the Medes, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of the Persians. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Go your way, and show My people their sinful deeds, and their children their wickedness which they have done against Me, that they may tell their children’s children, because the sins of their fathers are increased in them, for they have forgotten Me, and have done sacrifice to strange gods. Did I not bring them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage? but they have provoked Me to wrath and have despised My counsels. Shake then the hair of your head, and cast all evils on them, for they have not been obedient to My law, but it is a rebellious people. How long will I forbear them, to whom I have done so much good? I have overthrown many kings for their sakes; I have struck down Pharaoh with his servants and all his army. I have destroyed all the nations before them, and in the east, I have scattered the people of two provinces, even of Tyre and Sidon, and have slain all their adversaries. Therefore, speak to them, saying, The Lord says, Of a truth I brought you through the sea, and where there was no path I made highways for you; I gave you Moses for a leader, and Aaron for a priest. I gave you light in a pillar of fire, and I have done great wonders among you; yet you have forgotten Me, says the Lord.” The Lord Almighty says, “The quails were for a token to you; I gave you a camp for your protection, nevertheless you murmured there: and you did not triumph in My Name for the destruction of your enemies, but ever to this day you yet murmur. Where are the benefits that I have done for you? When you were hungry and thirsty in the wilderness, did you not cry to Me, saying, Why have You 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. I had pity on your mourning and gave you manna for food; you ate messengers’ bread. When you 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. I divided fruitful lands among you; I cast out the Canaanites, the Perizzites, and the Philistines, before you: what will I yet do more for you?” Says the Lord. The Lord Almighty says, “When you were in the wilderness, at the bitter river, being thirsty, and blaspheming My Name, I did not give you fire for your blasphemies, but cast a tree in the water, and made the river sweet. What will I do to you, O Jacob? You, Judah, would not obey Me: I will turn Myself to other nations, and I will give My Name to them, that they may keep my statutes. Seeing you have forsaken Me, I will also forsake you; when you ask me to be merciful to you, I will have no mercy on you. Whenever you will call on Me, I will not hear you, for you have defiled your hands with blood, and your feet are swift to commit manslaughter. You have not as it were forsaken Me, but your own selves,” says the Lord. The Lord Almighty says, “Have I not pleaded with you as a father his sons, as a mother her daughters, and a nurse her young babies, that you would be My people, and I should be your God; that you would be My children, and I should be your Father? I gathered you together, as a hen [gathers] her chickens under her wings, but now, what will I do to you? I will cast you out from My presence. When you offer oblations to Me, I will turn My face from you, for your solemn feast days, your new moons, and your circumcisions of the flesh, I have rejected. I sent My servants the prophets to you, whom you have taken and slain, and torn their bodies in pieces, whose blood I will require [of your hands],” says the Lord. The Lord Almighty says, “Your house is desolate, I will cast you out as the wind does stubble. And your children will not be fruitful; for they have neglected My command to you and done that which is evil before Me. I will give your houses to a people that will come, which having not heard of Me, yet believe Me; they to whom I have showed no signs will do that which I have commanded. They have seen no prophets, yet they will call their former estate to remembrance. I take to witness the grace of the people that will come, whose little ones rejoice with gladness: and though they do not see Me with bodily eyes, yet in spirit they will believe the thing that I say. And now, O father, behold with glory; and see the people that come from the east, to whom I will give for leaders: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Hosea, Amos, and Micah, Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah, Nahum, and Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, which is also called the Messenger of the Lord.”

CHAPTER 2

The Lord says, “I brought this people out of bondage, and I gave them My commands by My servants the prophets; whom they would not hear but set My counsels at nothing. The mother that bears them says to them, Go your way, O my children; for I am a widow and forsaken. I brought you up with gladness, and with sorrow and heaviness I have lost you; for you have sinned before the Lord God and done that which is evil before me. But what will I now do to you? For I am a widow and forsaken: go your way, O my children, and ask mercy of the Lord. As for Me, O father, I call on you for a witness over the mother of [these] children, because they would not keep My covenant, that you bring them to confusion, and their mother to a plunder, that there may be no offspring of them. Let them be scattered abroad among the heathen, let their names be blotted out of the earth; for they have despised My covenant. Woe to you, Asshur, you that hide the unrighteous with you! O you wicked nation, remember what I did to Sodom and Gomorrah, whose land lies in clods of pitch and heaps of ashes: even so I will also do to those who have not listened to Me,” says the Lord Almighty. The Lord says to Ezra, “Tell My people that I will give them the kingdom of Jerusalem, which I would have given to Israel. I will also take their glory, and give these the continuous dwelling places, which I had prepared for them. They will have the Tree of Life for an ointment of sweet savor; they will neither labor, nor be weary. Ask, and you will receive: pray for few days for you, that they may be shortened: the kingdom is already prepared for you: watch. Take the heavens and earth to witness, take them to witness; for I have given up the evil, and created the good; for I live,” says the Lord. “Mother, embrace your children; I will bring them out with gladness like a dove; establish their feet; for I have chosen you,” says the Lord. “And I will raise those who are dead up again from their places and bring them out from their tombs; for I have known My Name in them. Do not be afraid, you mother of the children, for I have chosen you,” says the Lord. “For your help I will send My servants Isaiah and Jeremiah, after whose counsel I have sanctified and prepared for you twelve trees laden with various fruits, and as many springs flowing with milk and honey, and seven mighty mountains, after which there grow roses and lilies, whereby I will fill your children with joy. Do right to the widow, judge the fatherless, give to the poor, defend the orphan, clothe the naked, heal the broken and the weak, do not laugh a lame man to scorn, defend the maimed, and let the blind man come to the sight of My glory. Keep the old and young within your walls. Wherever you find the dead, set a sign on them and commit them to the grave, and I will give you the first place in My resurrection. Stay still, O My people, and take your rest, for your quietness will come. Nourish your children, O you good nurse, and establish their feet. As for the servants whom I have given you, not one of them will perish, for I will require them from among your number. Do not be careful excessively, for when the day of suffering and anguish comes, others will weep and be sorrowful, but you will be merry and have abundance. The nations will envy you, but they will be able to do nothing against you,” says the Lord. “My hands will cover you, so that your children do not see Gehenna. Be joyful, O you mother, with your children; for I will deliver you,” says the Lord. “Remember your children that sleep, for I will bring them out of the secret places of the earth and show mercy to them, for I am merciful,” says the Lord Almighty. “Embrace your children until I come and proclaim mercy to them, for My wells run over, and My grace will not fail.” I, Ezra, received a charge from the Lord on Mount Horeb, that I should go to Israel; but when I came to them, they would have none of me, and rejected the command of the Lord. And therefore I say to you, O you nations that hear and understand: look for your Shepherd; He will give you continuous rest; for He is near at hand who will come in the end of the world. Be ready to the rewards of the kingdom, for the continuous light will shine on you forevermore. Flee the shadow of this world, receive the joyfulness of your glory: I call to witness my Savior openly. O receive that which is given to you of the Lord, and be joyful, giving thanks to Him that has called you to heavenly kingdoms. Arise, and stand, and behold the number of those that are sealed in the celebration of the Lord; those who withdrew themselves from the shadow of the world have received glorious garments of the Lord. Look on your number, O Zion, and make up the reckoning of those of you that are clothed in white, which have fulfilled the Law of the Lord. The number of your children, whom you long for, is fulfilled: implore the power of the Lord, that your people, which have been called from the beginning, may be hallowed. I, Ezra, saw on Mount Zion a great multitude, whom I could not number, and they all praised the Lord with songs. And in the midst of them there was a young Man of a high stature, taller than all the rest, and on each of their heads He set crowns and was more exalted. I marveled greatly at this. So I asked the Messenger, and said, “What are these, my Lord?” He answered and said to me, “These are those who have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal, and have confessed the Name of God: now they are crowned, and receive palms.” Then I said to the Messenger, “What young Man is He that sets crowns on them, and gives them palms in their hands?” So He answered and said to me, “It is the Son of God, whom they have confessed in the world.” Then I began to greatly commend those who stood so stiffly for the Name of the Lord. Then the Messenger said to me, “Go your way, and tell My people what manner of things, and how great wonders of the Lord God you have seen.”

CHAPTER 3

In the thirty years after the ruin of the city, I, Salathiel (also called Ezra), was in Babylon, and lay troubled on my bed, and my thoughts came up over my heart: for I saw the desolation of Zion, and the wealth of those who lived at Babylon. And my spirit was severely moved, so that I began to speak words full of fear to the Most High, and said, “O Lord that bears rule, did You not speak at the beginning, when You fashioned the earth, and that Yourself alone, and commanded the dust? And it gave You Adam, a body without a soul? yet it was the workmanship of Your hands, and You breathed into him the breath of life, and he was made living before You. And You led him into paradise, which Your right hand planted, before the earth ever came forward. And You gave to him Your one command, which he transgressed, and immediately You appointed death for him and in his generations; and there were born of him nations and tribes, peoples and relatives, out of number. And every nation walked after their own will, and did ungodly things before You, and despised [Your commands, and] You did not forbid them. Nevertheless, again in [the] process of time You brought the flood on those that lived in the world and destroyed them. And it came to pass, that the same fortune befell them; like as death was to Adam, so was the flood to these. Nevertheless, one of them You left—Noah with his household, [even] all the righteous men [that came] of him. And it came to pass, that when those who lived on the earth began to multiply, they also multiplied children, and peoples, and many nations, and again began to be more ungodly than the first. And it came to pass, when they did wickedly before You, You chose one from among them, whose name was Abraham; and You loved him, and only to him did You show the end of the times secretly by night, and made a perpetual covenant with him, promising him that You would never forsake his seed. And to him You gave Isaac, and to Isaac You gave Jacob and Esau. And You set Jacob apart for Yourself, but put [him] by Esau: and Jacob became a great multitude. And it came to pass, that when You led his seed out of Egypt, You brought them up to Mount Sinai. You also bowed the heavens, and shook the earth, and moved the whole world, and made the depths to tremble, and troubled the [course of that] age. And Your glory went through four gates: of fire, and of earthquake, and of wind, and of cold, that You might give the Law to the seed of Jacob, and the command to the generation of Israel. And yet You did not take away from them [their] wicked heart, that Your law might bring out fruit in them. For the first Adam bearing a wicked heart transgressed, and was overcome; [and not only him,] but also all of them that are born of him. Therefore disease was made permanent; and the Law was in the heart of the people along with the wickedness of the root; so the good departed away, and that which was wicked dwelt still. So the times passed away, and the years were brought to an end: then You raised up a servant, called David, whom You commanded to build a city to Your Name, and to offer oblations to You therein of Your own. When this was done [for] many years, then those who inhabited the city did evil, in all things doing even as Adam and all his generations had done; for they also bore a wicked heart: and so You gave Your city over into the hands of Your enemies. And then I said in my heart, Are their deeds any better that inhabit Babylon? and does she therefore have dominion over Zion? For it came to pass when I came here, that I also saw impieties without number, and my soul saw many evildoers in this thirtieth year, so that my heart failed me. For I have seen how You permit them sinning, and have spared the ungodly doers, and have destroyed Your people, and have preserved Your enemies; and You have not signified to any how Your way may be comprehended. Are the deeds of Babylon better than those of Zion? Or is there any other nation that knows You besides Israel? or what tribes have so believed Your covenants as these [tribes of] Jacob? And yet their reward does not appear, and their labor has no fruit, for I have gone here and there through the nations, and I see that they abound [in wealth, and] do not think on Your commands. Therefore, weigh our iniquities in the balance now, and also theirs that dwell in the world, and so it will be found which way the scale inclines. Or when was it that they which dwell on the earth have not sinned in Your sight? or what nation has so kept Your commands? You will find that men [who may be reckoned] by name have kept Your precepts; but nations You will not find.”

CHAPTER 4

And the messenger that was sent to me, whose name was Uriel, gave me an answer, and said to me, “Your heart has utterly failed you in [regard to] this world, and do you think to comprehend the way of the Most High?” Then I said, “Yes my Lord.” And he answered me, and said, “I have been sent to show you three ways, and to set out three similitudes before you: of which if you can declare me one, I also will show you the way that you desire to see, and I will teach you why the heart is wicked.” And I said, “Speak, my Lord.” Then he said to me, “Go forth, weigh me a weight of fire, or measure me a measure of wind, or call me again the day that is past.” Then I answered and said, “Who of the sons [of men] is able to do this, that you should ask me of such things?” And he said to me, “If I had asked you, saying, How many dwellings are there in the heart of the sea? Or how many springs are there at the fountain head of the deep? Or how many ways are above the expanse? Or which are the exits of Hades? Or which are the paths of paradise? Perhaps you would say to me, I never went down into the deep, nor as yet into Hades, neither did I ever climb up into Heaven. Nevertheless, now I have asked you but only of the fire and wind, and of the day, things you have experienced, and without which you cannot be, and yet you have given me no answer about them.” Moreover, he said to me, “Your own things, that are grown up with you, you cannot know; how then can you comprehend the way of the Most High? And how can he that is already worn out with the corrupted world understand incorruption?” And when I heard these things I fell on my face, and said to him, “It would be better that we were not here at all, than that we should come here and live in the midst of ungodliness, and suffer, and not know why.” He answered me, and said, “The woods of the trees of the field went out, and took counsel together, and said, Come! Let us go and make war against the sea, that it may depart away before us, and that we may make ourselves more woods. The waves of the sea also in like manner took counsel together, and said, Come! Let us go up and subdue the wood of the plain, that we may make ourselves another country there also. The counsel of the wood was in vain, for the fire came and consumed it; likewise also, the counsel of the waves of the sea, for the sand stood up and stopped them. If you were judge now between these two, whom would you justify, or whom condemn?” I answered and said, “It is a foolish counsel that they both have taken, for the ground is given to the wood, and the place of the sea [is given] to bear his waves.” Then he answered me, and said, “You have given a right judgment, and why do you not judge in your own case? For just as the ground is given to the wood, and the sea to his waves, even so those who dwell on the earth may understand nothing but that which is on the earth: and he [only that dwells] above the heavens [may understand the] things that are above the height of the heavens.” Then I answered and said, “I implore you, O Lord, why is the power of understanding given to me? For it was not in my mind to be curious of the ways above, but of such things as pass by us daily, because Israel is given up as a reproach to the heathen, and the people whom you have loved is given over to ungodly nations, and the Law of our forefathers is made of no effect, and the written covenants are nowhere [regarded], and we pass away out of the world as grasshoppers, and our life is as a vapor, neither are we worthy to obtain mercy. What will He then do for His Name whereby we are called? Of these things have I asked.” Then he answered me, and said, “If you are [alive] you will see, and if you live long, you will marvel, for the world hastens quickly to pass away. For it is not able to bear the things that are promised to the righteous in the times [to come], for this world is full of sadness and infirmities. For the evil of which you asked me is sown, but the gathering thereof has not yet come. If, therefore, that which is sown has not reaped, and if the place where the evil is sown has not passed away, there cannot come the field where the good is sown. For a grain of evil seed was sown in the heart of Adam from the beginning, and how much wickedness has it brought out to this time! And how much will it yet bring out until the time of threshing comes! Now ponder [this] by yourself: how great a fruit of wickedness a grain of evil seed has brought out. When the ears which are without number will be sown, how great a floor they will fill!” Then I answered and said, “How long? And when will these things come to pass? Why are our years few and evil?” And he answered me, and said, “You do not hasten more than the Most High, for your haste is for your own self, but He that is above hastens on behalf of many. Did the souls of the righteous not ask questions of these things in their chambers, saying, How long are we here? When does the fruit of the threshing time of our reward come?” And to them Jeremiel the chief-messenger gave answer, and said, “When the number is fulfilled of those who are like to you. For He has weighed the world in the balance; and by measure He has measured the times, and by number He has counted the seasons; and He will not move nor stir them until the said measure is fulfilled.” Then I answered and said, “O Lord that bears rule, yet even we are all full of impiety: and for our sakes perhaps it is that the threshing time of the righteous is kept back, because of the sins of those who dwell on the earth.” So he answered me, and said, “Go your way to a woman with child, and ask of her when she has fulfilled her nine months, if her womb may keep the birth any longer within her.” Then I said, “No, Lord, that it cannot.” And he said to me, “In the grave the chambers of souls are like the womb: for like as a woman that travails hurries to escape the anguish of the travail, even so do these places hasten to deliver those things that are committed to them from the beginning. Then it will be shown to you concerning those things which you desire to see.” Then I answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, and if it is possible, and if I am therefore suitable, show me this also, whether there are more to come than are past, or whether the greater part has [already] gone over us. For what is gone I know, but what is still to come I do not know.” And he said to me, “Stand up on the right side, and I will expound the similitude to you.” So I stood, and saw, and behold, a 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. After this there passed by before me a watery cloud and it sent down much rain with a storm; and when the stormy rain was past, the drops remained therein still. Then he said to me, “Consider with yourself; as the rain is more than the drops, and the fire is greater than the smoke, so the quantity which is past did exceed more; but the drops and the smoke remained still.” Then I prayed, and said, “Will I live until that time? Or who will be alive in those days?” He answered me, and said, “As for the signs of which you asked me, I may tell you of them in part, but as touching your life, I am not sent to show you; for I do not know it.”

CHAPTER 5

“Nevertheless, as concerning the signs, behold, the days will come, that they which dwell on earth will be taken with great amazement, and the way of truth will be hidden, and the land will be barren of faith. But iniquity will be increased above that which you now see, or that you have heard of long ago. And the land, that you now see to have rule, will be waste and untrodden, and men will see it desolate. But if the Most High grants you to live, you will see that which is after the third [kingdom] to be troubled; and the sun will suddenly shine out in the night, and the moon in the day; and blood will drop out of wood, and the stone will give his voice, and the peoples will be troubled; and their goings will be changed; and he will rule, whom those who dwell on the earth do not look for, and the birds will take their flight away together; and the Sodomite sea will cast out fish, and make a noise in the night, which many have not known, but all will hear the voice thereof. There will also be chaos in many places, and the fire will often be sent out, and the wild beasts will change their places, and women will bring out monsters; and salt waters will be found in the sweet, and all friends will destroy one another; then sense will hide itself, and understanding withdraw itself into its chamber; and it will be sought of [by] many, and will not be found; and unrighteousness and incontinency will be multiplied on earth. One land will also ask another, and say, Has righteousness—has a man that does righteousness—gone through you? And it will say, No. And it will come to pass at that time that men will hope, but will not obtain: they will labor, but their ways will not prosper. To show you such signs I have [taken] leave; and if you will pray again, and weep as now, and fast [for] seven days, you will hear yet greater things than these.” Then I awoke, and an extreme trembling went through my body, and my mind was troubled, so that it fainted. So the messenger that had come to talk with me held me, comforted me, and set me up on my feet. And in the second night it came to pass, that Phaltiel the captain of the people came to me, saying, “Where have you been? And why is your countenance sad? Or do you not know that Israel is committed to you in the land of their captivity? Get up then, and eat some bread, and do not forsake us, as the shepherd [that leaves the flock] in the hands of cruel wolves.” Then I said to him, “Go your ways from me, and do not come near me for seven days, and then you will come to me.” And he heard what I said and went from me. And so I fasted seven days, mourning and weeping, just as Uriel the messenger commanded me. And after seven days, so it was, that the thoughts of my heart were very grievous to me again, and my soul recovered the spirit of understanding, and I began to speak words before the Most High again, and said, “O Lord that bears rule, of all the woods of the earth, and of all the trees thereof, You have chosen one vine for Yourself; and of all the lands of the world You have chosen one country for Yourself; and of all the flowers of the world You have chosen one lily for Yourself; and of all the depths of the sea You have filled one river for Yourself; and of all built cities You have hallowed Zion for Yourself; and of all the birds that are created You have named one dove for Yourself; and of all the cattle that are made You have provided one sheep for Yourself; and among all the multitudes of peoples You have gotten one people for Yourself; and to this people, whom You loved, You gave a law that is approved of all. And now, O Lord, why have You given this one people over to many, and have dishonored the one root above others, and have scattered Your only one among many? And they which denied Your promises have trodden them down that believed Your covenants. If You hate Your people so much, they should be punished with Your own hands.” Now when I had spoken these words, the Messenger that came to me a previous night was sent to me, and said to me, “Hear Me, and I will instruct you; listen to Me, and I will tell you more.” And I said, “Speak, my Lord.” Then He said to me, “You are severely troubled in mind for Israel’s sake: do you [love] that people better than He that made them?” And I said, “No, Lord, but I have spoken in great grief, for my reins torment me every hour, while I labor to comprehend the way of the Most High, and to seek out part of His judgment.” And he said to me, “You cannot.” And I said, “Why, Lord, or for what purpose was I born? Or why was my mother’s womb not then my grave, that I might not have seen the travail of Jacob, and the wearisome toil of the stock of Israel?” And He said to me, “Number to Me those who have not yet come, gather together to Me the drops that are scattered abroad, make for Me the flowers green again that are withered, open to Me the chambers that are closed, and bring out to Me the winds that in them are shut up, or show Me the image of a voice: and then I will declare to you the travail that you asked to see.” And I said, “O Lord that bears rule, who may know these things, but He that does not have his dwelling with men? As for me, I am unwise: how may I then speak of these things of which You asked me?” Then He said to me, “Just as you can do none of these things that I have spoken of, even so you cannot find out My judgment, or the end of the love that I have promised to My people.” And I said, “But, behold, O Lord, You have made the promise to those who are in the end: and what will they do that have been before us, or we [that are now], or those who will come after us?” And He said to me, “I will liken My judgment to a ring: just as there is no slackness of those who are last, even so there is no swiftness of those who are first.” So I answered and said, “Could You not make them [to be] at once that have been made, and that are now, and that are still to come; that You might show Your judgment sooner?” Then He answered me, and said, “The creature may not hasten above the Creator; neither may the world hold them at once that will be created therein.” And I said, “How have You said to Your servant that You will surely make alive at once the creature that You have created? If, therefore, they will be alive at once, and the creature will sustain them, even so it might now also support them to be present at once.” And He said to me, “Ask the womb of a woman, and say to her, If you bring out ten children, why [do you do it] several times? Pray instead to bring out ten children at once.” And I said, “She cannot, but must do it by distance of time.” Then He said to me, “Even so have I given the womb of the earth to those that are sown therein in their several times. For just as a young child may not bring out, neither may she that has grown old [bring out] any more, even so—I have disposed the world which I created.” And I asked, and said, “Seeing You have now showed me the way, I will speak before You: Is our mother, of whom You have told me, still young? Or does she now draw near to age?” He answered me, and said, “Ask a woman that bears children, and she will tell you. Say to her, Why are they whom you have now not brought out like those that were before, but of less stature? And she will also answer you, They that are born in the strength of youth are of one fashion, and those who are born in the time of age, when the womb fails, are otherwise. Therefore, also consider yourself, how that you are of less stature than those that were before you. And so are those who come after you less than you, as [born] of the creature which now begins to be old and is past the strength of youth.” Then I said, “Lord, I implore You, if I have found favor in Your sight, show Your servant by whom You visit Your creature.”

CHAPTER 6

And He said to me, “In the beginning, when the earth was made, before the portals of the world were fixed, or the gatherings of the winds ever blew, before the voices of the thunder sounded, and before the flashes of the lightning shone, or the foundations of paradise were ever laid, before the fair flowers were seen, or the powers of the earthquake were ever established, before the innumerable army of messengers were gathered together, or the heights of the air were ever lifted up, before the measures of the expanse were named, or the footstool of Zion was ever established, and before the present years were sought out, and or the imaginations of those who now sin were ever estranged, before they were sealed that have gathered faith for a treasure— then I considered these things, and they were all made through Me alone, and through none other: as by Me they will also be ended, and by none other.” Then I answered and said, “What will be the separating apart of the times? Or when will be the end of the first, and the beginning of it that follows?” And He said to me, “From Abraham to Abraham, inasmuch as Jacob and Esau were born of him, for Jacob’s hand held the heel of Esau from the beginning. For Esau is the end of this world, and Jacob is the beginning of it that follows. The beginning of a man is his hand, and the end of a man is his heel; between the heel and the hand do not seek anything else, Ezra.” I answered then and said, “O Lord that bears rule, If I have found favor in Your sight, I implore You, show Your servant the end of Your signs, of which You showed me part the last night.” So He answered and said to me, “Stand up on your feet, and you will hear a mighty sounding voice; and if the place you stand on is greatly moved, when it speaks, do not be afraid, for the word is of the end, and the foundations of the earth will understand, that the speech is of them: they will tremble and be moved, for they know that their end must be changed.” And it happened, that when I had heard it I stood up on my feet, and listened, and behold, there was a voice that spoke, and the sound of it was like the sound of many waters. And it said, “Behold, the days come, and it will be that when I draw near to visit those who dwell on the earth, and when I will make inquisition of those who have done hurt unjustly with their unrighteousness, and when the affliction of Zion will be fulfilled, and when the seal will be set on the world that is to pass away, then I will show these signs: the scrolls will be opened before the expanse, and all will see together; and the children of a year old will speak with their voices, [and] the women with child will bring out untimely children at three or four months, and they will live, and dance; and suddenly the sown places will appear unsown, [and] the full storehouses will suddenly be found empty; and the trumpet will give a sound, which when every man hears, they will be suddenly afraid. At that time friends will make war against one another like enemies, and the earth will stand in fear with those that dwell therein; the springs of the springs will stand still, so that for three hours they will not run. And it will be that whoever remains after all these things that I have told you of, he will be saved, and will see My salvation and the end of My world. And they will see the men that have been taken up, who have not tasted death from their birth: and the heart of the inhabitants will be changed and turned into another meaning. For evil will be blotted out, and deceit will be quenched; and faith will flourish, and corruption will be overcome, and the truth, which has been so long without fruit, will be declared.” And when He talked with me, behold, little by little the place I stood on rocked to and fro. And He said to me, “These things I came to show you this night. If, therefore, you will pray yet again, and fast [for] seven more days, I will yet tell you greater things than these. For your voice has surely been heard before the Most High, for the Mighty has seen your righteous dealing; He has also previously seen your chastity, which you have had ever since your youth. And therefore He has sent Me to show you all these things, and to say to you, Be of good comfort, and do not fear. And do not be hasty in [regard of the] former times, to think vain things, that you may not hasten in the latter times.” And it came to pass after this, that I wept again, and fasted [for] seven days in like manner, that I might fulfill the three weeks which He told me. And in the eighth night my heart was vexed within me again, and I began to speak before the Most High. For my spirit was greatly set on fire, and my soul was in distress. And I said, “O Lord, of a truth You spoke at the beginning of the creation, on the first day, and said this: Let the heavens and earth be made; and Your word perfected the work. And then the Spirit was fluttering, and darkness and silence were on every side; the sound of man’s voice was not yet [heard]. Then You commanded a ray of light to be brought out of Your treasures, that Your works might then appear. On the second day again You made the spirit of the expanse and commanded it to separate apart, and to make a division between the waters, that the one part might go up, and the other remain beneath. On the third day You commanded that the waters should be gathered together in the seventh part of the earth: six parts You dried up, and You keep them, to the intent that of these some being both planted and tilled might serve before You. For as soon as Your word went out the work was done. For immediately there came out great and innumerable fruit, and manifold pleasures for the taste, and flowers of inimitable color, and aromas of most exquisite smell: and this was done the third day. On the fourth day You commanded that the sun should shine, and the moon give her light, and the stars should be in their order: and You gave them a charge to do service to man that was to be made. On the fifth day You said to the seventh part, where the water was gathered together, that it should bring out living creatures—birds and fishes: and so it came to pass, that the mute water—and without life—brought out living things as it was told, that the peoples might therefore praise Your wondrous works. Then You preserved two living creatures, the one You called Behemoth, and the other you called Leviathan; and You separated the one from the other; for the seventh part, namely, where the water was gathered together, might not hold them both. To Behemoth You gave one part, which was dried up on the third day, that he should dwell in it, wherein are one thousand hills, but to Leviathan You gave the seventh part, namely, the moist; and You have kept them to be devoured of whom You will, and when. But on the sixth day You gave command to the earth, that it should bring out cattle, beasts, and creeping things before You: and over these [is] Adam, whom You ordain lord over all the works that You have made; of him we all come—the people whom You have chosen. I have spoken all this before You, O Lord, because You have said that You have made this world for our sakes. As for the other nations, which also come of Adam, You have said that they are nothing, and are like to spittle: and You have likened the abundance of them to a drop that falls from a vessel. And now, O Lord, behold [how] these nations, which are regarded as nothing, are lords over us, and devour us. But we Your people, whom You have called Your firstborn, Your only begotten, and Your fervent lover, are given into their hands. If the world is now made for our sakes, why do we not possess our world for an inheritance? How long will this endure?”

CHAPTER 7

And when I had made an end of speaking these words, there was sent to me the Messenger which had been sent to me the nights before, and He said to me, “Get up, Ezra, and hear the words that I have come to tell you.” And I said, “Speak, my Lord.” Then He said to me, “There is a sea set in a wide place, that it might be broad and vast. But the entrance thereof will be set in a narrow place so as to be like a river; whoever then should desire to go into the sea to look on it, or to rule it, if he did not go through the narrow, how could he come into the broad? Another thing also: there is a city built and set in a plain country, and full of all good things; but the entrance thereof is narrow and is set in a dangerous place to fall, having a fire on the right hand, and on the left a deep water; and there is only one path between them both, even between the fire and the water, [so small] that there could [be] but one man [who could] go there at once. If this city is now given to a man for an inheritance, if the heir does not pass the danger before him, how will he receive his inheritance?” And I said, “It is so, Lord.” Then He said to me, “Even so is Israel’s portion also. Because for their sakes I made the world; and when Adam transgressed My statutes, then was decreed that [which] now is done. Then the entrances of this world were made narrow, and sorrowful, and toilsome: they are but few and evil, full of perils, and charged with great toils. For the entrances of the greater world are wide, and sure, and bring out fruit of immortality. If then those who live do not enter these narrow and vain things, they can never receive those that are laid up for them. Now therefore, why do you disquiet yourself, seeing you are but a corruptible man? And why are you moved, whereas you are but mortal? And why have you not considered in your mind that which is to come, rather than that which is present?” Then I answered and said, “O Lord that bears rule, behold, You have ordained in Your law that the righteous should inherit these things, but that the ungodly should perish. The righteous will therefore suffer narrow things, and hope for wide, but those who have done wickedly have suffered the narrow things, and yet will not see the wide.” And He said to me, “You are not a judge above God, neither have you understanding above the Most High. Yes, rather let many that now are perish, than that the Law of God which is set before them be despised. For God strictly commanded such as came, even as they came, what they should do to live, and what they should observe to avoid punishment. Nevertheless, they were not obedient to Him, but spoke against Him and imagined for themselves vain things, and framed cunning plans of wickedness, and said, moreover, of the Most High, that He is not, and did not know His ways, but they despised His law and denied His covenants; they have not been faithful to His statutes and have not performed His works. Therefore, Ezra, for the empty are empty things, and for the full are the full things. For behold, the time will come, and it will be, when these signs of which I told you before will come to pass: that the bride will appear, even the city coming out, and she will be seen that now is withdrawn from the earth. And whoever is delivered from the previously mentioned evils will see My wonders. For My Son the Christ will be revealed with those that are with Him and will rejoice with those who remain four hundred years. After these years My Son the Christ will die, and all those that have the breath of life. And the world will be turned into the primordial silence [for] seven days, just as in the first beginning, so that no man will remain. And after seven days, the world that has not yet awaken will be raised up, and that which is corruptible will die. And the earth will restore those that are asleep in her, and so will the dust those that dwell therein in silence, and the secret places will deliver those souls that were committed to them. And the Most High will be revealed on the seat of judgment, and compassion will pass away, and patience will be withdrawn, but only judgment will remain, truth will stand, and faith will wax strong; and the work will follow, and the reward will be shown, and good deeds will awake, and wicked deeds will not sleep. And the pit of torment will appear, and near it will be the place of rest; and the furnace will be shown, and near it the paradise of delight. And then the Most High will say to the nations that are raised from the dead: See and understand whom you have denied, or whom you have not served, or whose commands you have despised. Look on this side and on that: here is delight and rest, and there fire and torments. He will speak this to them in the Day of Judgment: this is a day that has neither sun, nor moon, nor stars, neither cloud, nor thunder, nor lightning, neither wind, nor water, nor air, neither darkness, nor evening, nor morning, neither summer, nor spring, nor heat, nor winter, neither frost, nor cold, nor hail, nor rain, nor dew, neither noon, nor night, nor dawn, neither shining, nor brightness, nor light, save only the splendor of the glory of the Most High, whereby all will see the things that are set before them, for it will endure as it were a week of years. This is My judgment and the ordinance thereof; but only to you have I showed these things.” And I answered, I said even then, “O Lord, and I say now: blessed are those who are now alive and keep the [statutes] ordained of You. But as touching them for whom my prayer was made, [what will I say]? For who is there of those who are alive that has not sinned, and who of the sons [of men] that has not transgressed Your covenant? And now I see that the world to come will bring delight to few, but torments to many. For an evil heart has grown up in us, which has led us astray from these [statutes, and] has brought us into corruption and into the ways of death, has showed us the paths of perdition, and removed us far from life—and that, not a few only, but well near all that have been created.” And He answered me, and said, “Listen to Me, and I will instruct you; and I will admonish you yet again: for this reason the Most High has not made one world, but two. For whereas you have said that the just are not many, but few, and the ungodly abound, hear [the answer] to that. If you have exceedingly few choice stones, will you set for yourself near them, according to their number, [things of] lead and clay?” And I said, “Lord, how will this be?” And He said to me, “Not only this, but ask the earth, and she will tell you; entreat her, and she will declare to you. For you will say to her, You bring out gold, and silver, and brass, and iron also, and lead, and clay; but silver is more abundant than gold, and brass than silver, and iron than brass, lead than iron, and clay than lead. Therefore judge which things are precious and to be desired, what is abundant or what is rare.” And I said, “O Lord that bears rule, that which is plentiful is of less worth, for that which is more rare is more precious.” And He answered me, and said, “Weigh within yourself the things that you have thought, for he that has what is hard to get rejoices over him that has what is plentiful. So also is the judgment which I have promised, for I will rejoice over the few that will be saved, inasmuch as these are those who have made My glory now to prevail, and of whom My Name is now named. And I will not grieve over the multitude of those who perish; for these are those who are now like to vapor and have become as flame and smoke; they are set on fire and burn hotly and are quenched.” And I answered and said, “O you earth, why have you brought out, if the mind is made out of dust, like as all other created things? For it were better that the dust itself had been unborn, so that the mind might not have been made from it. But now the mind grows with us, and by reason of this we are tormented, because we perish and know it. Let the race of men lament and the beasts of the field be glad; let all that are born lament, but let the four-footed beasts and the cattle rejoice. For it is far better with them than with us; for they do not look for judgment, neither do they know of torments or of salvation promised to them after death. For what does it profit us, that we will be preserved alive, but yet be afflicted with torment? For all that are born are defiled with iniquities, and are full of sins, and laden with offenses; and if after death we were not to come into judgment, perhaps it had been better for us.” And He answered me, and said, “When the Most High made the world, and Adam and all those who came of him, He first prepared the judgment and the things that pertain to the judgment. And now understand from your own words, for you have said that the mind grows with us. Therefore, they that dwell on the earth will be tormented for this reason, that having understanding, they have done iniquity, and receiving commands, have not kept them, and having obtained a law, they dealt unfaithfully with that which they received. What then will they have to say in the judgment, or how will they answer in the last times? For how great a time has the Most High been patient with those who inhabit the world, and not for their sakes, but because of the times which He has foreordained!” And I answered and said, “If I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, show this to Your servant also, whether after death, even now when each of us gives up his soul, we will be kept in rest until those times come, in which You will renew the creation, or whether we will be tormented immediately.” And He answered me, and said, “I will show you this also, but do not join yourself with those who are scorners, nor count yourself with those who are tormented. For you have a treasure of [good] works laid up with the Most High, but it will not be shown to you until the last times. For concerning death the teaching is: When the determinate sentence has gone out from the Most High that a man should die, as the spirit leaves the body to return again to Him who gave it, it adores the glory of the Most High first of all. And if it is one of those that have been scorners and have not kept the way of the Most High, and that have despised His law, and that hate those who fear God, these spirits will not enter into habitations, but will wander and be in torments immediately, ever grieving and sad, in seven ways. The first way, because they have despised the Law of the Most High. The second way, because they cannot now make a good returning that they may live. The third way, they will see the reward laid up for those who have believed the covenants of the Most High. The fourth way, they will consider the torment laid up for themselves in the last days. The fifth way, they will see the dwelling places of the others guarded by messengers, with great quietness. The sixth way, they will see how some of them will immediately pass into torment. The seventh way, which is more grievous than all the previously mentioned ways, because they will pine away in confusion, and be consumed with shame, and will be withered up by fears, seeing the glory of the Most High before whom they have sinned while living, and before whom they will be judged in the last times. Now this is the order of those who have kept the ways of the Most High, when they will be separated from the corruptible vessel. In the time that they lived therein they painfully served the Most High, and were in danger every hour, that they might keep the Law of the Lawgiver perfectly. Here then is the teaching concerning them: First of all, they will see with great joy the glory of Him who takes them up, for they will have rest in seven orders. The first order, because they have labored with great effort to overcome the evil thought which was fashioned together with them, that it might not lead them astray from life into death. The second order, because they see the perplexity in which the souls of the ungodly wander, and the punishment that awaits them. The third order, they see the witness which He that fashioned them bears concerning them, that while they lived they kept the Law which was given them in trust. The fourth order, they understand the rest which, being gathered in their chambers, they now enjoy with great quietness, guarded by messengers, and the glory that awaits them in the last days. The fifth order, they rejoice, [seeing] how they have now escaped from that which is corruptible, and how they will inherit that which is to come, while they see moreover the narrowness and the painfulness from which they have been delivered, and the large room which they will receive with joy and immortality. The sixth order, when it is showed to them how their face will shine as the sun, and how they will be made like to the light of the stars, being from now on incorruptible. The seventh order, which is greater than all the previous orders, because they will rejoice with confidence, and because they will be bold without confusion, and will be glad without fear, for they hasten to behold the face of Him whom in their lifetime they served, and from whom they will receive [their] reward in glory. This is the order of the souls of the just, as from now on is announced to them, and announced are the ways of torture which those who would not give heed will suffer from now on.” And I answered and said, “Will time therefore be given to the souls after they are separated from the bodies, that they may see what You have spoken to me?” And He said, “Their freedom will be for seven days, that for seven days they may see the things that you have been told, and afterward they will be gathered together in their habitations.” And I answered and said, “If I have found favor in Your sight, show further to me Your servant whether in the Day of Judgment the just will be able to intercede for the ungodly or to entreat the Most High for them, whether fathers for children, or children for parents, or relatives for relatives, or countrymen for countrymen, or friends for those who are most dear.” And He answered me, and said, “Since you have found favor in My sight, I will show you this also: the Day of Judgment is a day of decision, and displays to all the seal of truth; even as now a father does not send his son, or a son his father, or a master his slave, or a friend him that is most dear, that in his stead he may be sick, or sleep, or eat, or be healed, so never will anyone pray for another in that day, neither will one lay a burden on another, for then everyone will bear his own righteousness or unrighteousness.” And I answered and said, “How do we now find that first Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom, and Moses for the fathers that sinned in the wilderness, and Joshua after him for Israel in the days of Achar, and Samuel in the days of Saul, and David for the plague, and Solomon for those who [should worship] in the sanctuary, and Elijah for those that received rain, and for the dead, that he might live, and Hezekiah for the people in the days of Sennacherib, and many for many? If, therefore now, when corruption is grown up, and unrighteousness increased, the righteous have prayed for the ungodly, why will it not be so then also?” He answered me, and said, “This present world is not the end; the full glory does not remain therein. Therefore, they who were able have prayed for the weak, but the Day of Judgment will be the end of this time, and the beginning of the immortality to come, wherein corruption has passed away, intemperance is at an end, infidelity is cut off, but righteousness has grown, and truth has sprung up. Then no man will be able to have mercy on him that is cast in judgment, nor to thrust down him that has gotten the victory.” I answered then and said, “This is my first and last saying, that it had been better that the earth had not given Adam: or else, when it had given [him], to have restrained him from sinning. For what profit is it for all that are in this present time to live in heaviness, and after death to look for punishment? O you Adam! What have you done? For though it was you that sinned, the evil is not fallen on you alone, but on all of us that come of you. For what profit is it to us, if there is promised us an immortal time, whereas we have done the works that bring death? And that there has been promised us a continuous hope, whereas we have become most miserably vain? And that there are reserved habitations of health and safety, whereas we have lived wickedly? And that the glory of the Most High will defend them which have led a pure life, whereas we have walked in the most wicked ways of all? And that there will be showed a paradise, whose fruit endures without decay, wherein is abundance and healing, but we will not enter into it, for we have walked in unpleasant places? And that the faces of them which have used abstinence will shine above the stars, whereas our faces will be blacker than darkness? For while we lived and committed iniquity, we did not consider what we should have to suffer after death.” Then He answered and said, “This is the condition of the battle, which man that is born on the earth will fight; that, if he is overcome, he will suffer as you have said, but if he gets the victory, he will receive the thing that I say. For this is the way of which Moses spoke to the people while he lived, saying, Choose life, that you may live. Nevertheless, they did not believe him, nor yet the prophets after him, no, nor Me which have spoken to them, so that there will not be such heaviness in their destruction, as there will be joy over those who are persuaded to salvation.” I answered then and said, “I know, Lord, that the Most High is now called merciful, in that He has mercy on them which have not yet come into the world; and compassionate, in that He has compassion on those that turn to His law; and patient, for that He long endures those that have sinned, as His creatures; and bountiful, for that He is ready to give rather than to exact; and of great mercy, for that He multiplies more and more mercies to those who are present, and that are past, and also to them which are to come (for if He did not multiply [His mercies], the world would not continue with those who dwell therein); and one that forgives, for if He did not forgive of His goodness, that they which have committed iniquities might be eased of them, the ten-thousandth part of men would not remain living; and a judge, [for] if He did not pardon those who were created by His word, and blot out the multitude of offenses, there would perhaps be very few left in an innumerable multitude.”

CHAPTER 8

And He answered me, and said, “The Most High has made this world for many, but the world to come for few. I will now tell you a similitude, Ezra: [just] as when you ask the earth, it will say to you that it gives very much mold of which earthen vessels are made, and little dust that gold comes of, even so is the course of the present world. There are many created, but few will be saved.” And I answered and said, “Swallow down understanding then, O my soul, and let [my heart] devour wisdom. For you have come here without your will and depart when you would not, for there is given to you no more space than only to live a short time. O Lord, You that are over us, permit Your servant, that we may pray before You, and give us seed to our heart, and culture to our understanding, that there may come fruit of it, whereby each one will live that is corrupt, who bears the likeness of a man. For You are alone, and we are all one workmanship of Your hands, just as You have said. Forasmuch as You give life to the body that is fashioned now in the womb, and give it members, Your creature is preserved in fire and water, and [for] nine months Your workmanship endures Your creature which is created in her. But that which keeps and that which is kept will both be kept by Your keeping: and when the womb gives up again that which has grown in it, You have commanded that out of the parts of the body, that is to say, out of the breasts, be given milk, which is the fruit of the breasts, that the thing which is fashioned may be nourished for a time, and afterward You will order it in Your mercy. Yes, You have brought it up in Your righteousness, and nurtured it in Your law, and corrected it with Your judgment. And You will mortify it as Your creature and give it life as Your work. If, therefore, You will lightly and suddenly destroy him which with so great labor was fashioned by Your command, to what purpose was he made? Now therefore, I will speak; touching man in general, You know best; but touching Your people [I will speak], for whose sake I am sorry; and for Your inheritance, for whose cause I mourn; and for Israel, for whom I am heavy; and for the seed of Jacob, for whose sake I am troubled; therefore I will begin to pray before You for myself and for them, for I see the falls of us that dwell in the land, but I have heard the swiftness of the judgment which is to come. Therefore hear my voice, and understand my saying, and I will speak before You.” The beginning of the words of Ezra, before he was taken up. And he said, “O Lord, You who remain forever, whose eyes are exalted, and whose chambers are in the air; whose throne is inestimable; whose glory may not be comprehended; before whom the army of messengers stand with trembling, at whose bidding they are changed to wind and fire; whose word is sure, and sayings constant; whose ordinance is strong, and command fearful; whose look dries up the depths, and whose indignation makes the mountains to melt away, and whose truth bears witness: hear, O Lord, the prayer of Your servant, and give ear to the petition of Your handiwork; attend to my words, for so long as I live I will speak, and so long as I have understanding I will answer. Do not look on the sins of Your people, but on those who have served You in truth. Do not regard the doings of those who deal wickedly, but of those who have kept Your covenants in affliction. Do not think on those that have walked ungenuine before You, but remember them which have willingly known Your fear. Do not let it be Your will to destroy them which have lived like cattle, but look on those who have clearly taught Your law. Take no indignation at them which are deemed worse than beasts, but love those who have always put their trust in Your glory. For we and our fathers have passed our lives in ways that bring death, but You, because of us sinners, are called merciful. For if You have a desire to have mercy on us, then You will be called merciful, to us, namely, that have no works of righteousness. For the just, which have many [good] works laid up with You, will for their own deeds receive reward. For what is man that You should take displeasure at him? or what is a corruptible race that You should be so bitter toward it? For in truth there is no man among those who are born, but he [who] has dealt wickedly; and among them that have lived there is none which have not done wrong. For in this, O Lord, Your righteousness and Your goodness will be declared, if You are merciful to them which have no store of good works.” Then He answered me, and said, “You have spoken some things correctly, and according to your words so it will come to pass. For indeed, I will not think on the fashioning of them which have sinned, or their death, their judgment, or their destruction, but I will rejoice over the framing of the righteous, their pilgrimage also, and the salvation and the reward that they will have. Therefore, just as I have spoken, so it will be. For as the farmer sows much seed on the ground, and plants many trees, and yet not all that is sown will come up in due season, neither will all that is planted take root: even so those who are sown in the world will not all be saved.” I answered then and said, “If I have found favor, let me speak before You. Forasmuch as the farmer’s seed, if it does not come up, seeing that it has not received Your rain in due season, or if it is corrupted through too much rain, so perishes, likewise man, which is formed with Your hands, and is called Your own image, because he is made like [You], for whose sake You have formed all things, even him you have made like to the farmer’s seed. Do not be angry with us, but spare Your people, and have mercy on Your inheritance; for You have mercy on Your own creation.” Then He answered me, and said, “Things present are for those who now are, and things to come for such as will be hereafter. For you come far short that you should be able to love My creature more than Me. But you have brought yourself full near to the unrighteous—never! Yet in this you will be admirable to the Most High: in that you have humbled yourself, as it is appropriate for you, and have not judged yourself [worthy to be] among the righteous, so as to be much glorified. For many grievous miseries will fall on those who in the last times dwell in the world, because they have walked in great pride. But understand for yourself, and of such as are like you—seek out the glory. For to you paradise is opened, the Tree of Life planted, the time to come is prepared, bounty is made ready, a city is built, and rest is allowed, goodness is perfected, wisdom being perfect beforehand. The root [of evil] is sealed up from you, weakness is done away from you, and [death] is hidden; Hades and corruption have fled into forgetfulness; sorrows have passed away, and in the end, the treasure of immortality is shown. Therefore, do not ask any more questions concerning the multitude of them that perish. For when they had received liberty, they despised the Most High, thought scorn of His law, and forsook His ways. Moreover, they have trodden down His righteous, and said in their heart that there is no God; yes, and that knowing they must die. For as the things previously stated you will receive, so thirst and pain which are prepared [they will receive], for the Most High did not will that men should come to nothing, but they which are created have themselves defiled the Name of Him that made them and were unthankful to Him which prepared life for them. And therefore My judgment is now at hand, which I have not showed to all men, but to you, and a few like you.” Then I answered and said, “Behold, O Lord, now You have showed me the multitude of the wonders, which You will do in the last times, but at what time, You have not showed me.”

CHAPTER 9

And He answered me, and said, “Measure diligently within yourself: and when you see that a certain part of the signs are past, which have been told to you beforehand, then you will understand that it is the very time wherein the Most High will visit the world which was made by Him. And when there will be seen in the world earthquakes, disquietude of peoples, plans of nations, wavering of leaders, disquietude of princes, then you will understand that the Most High spoke of these things from the days that were previously from the beginning. For just as of all that is made in the world, the beginning is evident and the end manifest, so also are the times of the Most High: the beginnings are manifest in wonders and mighty works, and the end in effects and signs. And everyone that will be saved, and will be able to escape by his works, or by faith, whereby he has believed, will be preserved from the stated perils, and will see My salvation in My land, and within My borders, which I have sanctified for Myself from the beginning. Then those which have now abused My ways will be amazed, and those who have despitefully cast them away will dwell in torments. For as many as in their life have received benefits, and yet have not known Me, and as many as have scorned My law while they still had liberty, and, when conversion was open to them, did not understand, but despised [it], must know [it] after death by torment. And therefore, no longer be curious how the ungodly will be punished, but inquire how the righteous will be saved, they whose the world [is, and] for whom the world [was created].” And I answered and said, “I have said before, and now speak, and will speak it also hereafter, that there are more of them which perish, than of those which will be saved: just as a wave is greater than a drop.” And He answered me, saying, “Just as the field is, so also the seed; and as the flowers are, such are the colors also; and such as the work is, such is the judgment [on it] also; and as is the farmer, so is his threshing floor also. For there was a time in the world, even then when I was preparing for those who now live, before the world was made for them to dwell in; and then no man spoke against Me— there was not any; but now they which are created in this world that is prepared, both with a table that does not fail, and a law which is unsearchable, are corrupted in their manners. So I considered My world, and behold, it was destroyed, and My earth, and behold, it was in peril, because of the plans that had come into it. And I saw, and spared them, but not greatly, and saved Myself a grape out of a cluster, and a plant out of a great forest. Let the multitude which was born in vain perish then; and let My grape be saved, and My plant; for I have made them perfect with great labor. Nevertheless, if you will cease yet seven more days, (however you will not fast in them, but will go into a field of flowers, where no house is built, and eat only of the flowers of the field; and you will taste no flesh, and will drink no wine, but [will eat] flowers only;) and pray to the Most High continually, then I will come and talk with you.” So I went my way, just as He commanded me, into the field which is called Ardat; and there I sat among the flowers, and ate of the herbs of the field, and its meat satisfied me. And it came to pass after seven days that I lay on the grass, and my heart was vexed again just as before; and my mouth was opened, and I began to speak before the Lord Most High, and said, “O Lord, You showed Yourself among us, to our fathers in the wilderness, when they went out of Egypt, and when they came into the wilderness, where no man treads and which bears no fruit; and You said, Hear Me, Israel; and mark My words, O seed of Jacob. For behold, I sow My law in you, and it will bring out fruit in you, and you will be glorified in it forever. But our fathers, which received the Law, did not keep it, and did not observe the statutes: and the fruit of the Law did not perish, neither could it, for it was Yours; yet those who received it perished, because they did not keep the thing that was sown in them. And behold, it is a custom that when the ground has received seed, or the sea a ship, or any vessel meat or drink, and when it comes to pass that that which is sown, or that which is launched, or the things which have been received, should come to an end, these come to an end, but the receptacles remain: yet with us it has not happened so. For we that have received the Law will perish by sin, and also our heart which received it. Notwithstanding, the Law does not perish, but remains in its honor.” And when I spoke these things in my heart, I looked around me with my eyes, and on the right side I saw a woman, and behold, she mourned and wept with a loud voice, and was greatly grieved in mind, and her clothes were torn, and she had ashes on her head. Then I let my thoughts go wherein I was occupied, and I turned to her, and said to her, “Why do you weep? And why are you grieved in your mind?” And she said to me, “Leave me alone, my lord, that I may mourn myself, and add to my sorrow, for I am severely vexed in my mind, and brought very low.” And I said to her, “What ails you? Tell me.” She said to me, “I, your servant, was barren, and had no child, though I had a husband [for] thirty years. And every hour and every day these thirty years I made my prayer to the Most High day and night. And it came to pass after thirty years, that God heard me, your handmaid, and looked on my low estate, and considered my trouble, and gave me a son: and I rejoiced in him greatly—me, and my husband, and all my neighbors—and we gave great honor to the Mighty. And I nourished him with great travail. So when he grew up, and I came to take a wife for him, I made him a feast day.”

CHAPTER 10

“And so it came to pass, that when my son had entered into his wedding chamber, he fell down and died. Then we all overthrew the lights, and all my neighbors rose up to comfort me: and I remained quiet to the second day at night. And it came to pass when they had all ceased to comfort me, to the end I might be quiet, then I arose by night, and fled, and came here into this field, as you see. And now I do not purpose to return into the city, but to stay here, and neither to eat nor drink, but to continually mourn and fast until I die.” Then I left the meditations wherein I was, and answered her in anger, and said, “You foolish woman above all others! Do you not see our mourning, and what has happened to us? How Zion, the mother of us all, is full of sorrow, and greatly humbled. It is right to mourn very severely now, seeing we all mourn, and to be sorrowful, seeing we are all in sorrow, but you mourn for one son. For ask the earth, and she will tell you that it is she which should mourn for so many that grow on her. For out of her all had their beginnings, and others will come; and behold, almost all of them walk into destruction, and the multitude of them is utterly rooted out. Who then should make more mourning: she that has lost so great a multitude, or you which are grieved but for one? But if you say to me, My lamentation is not like the earth’s, for I have lost the fruit of my womb, which I brought out with pains, and bore with sorrows, but [it is with the] earth after the manner of the earth—the multitude present in it is gone, as it came: then I say to you, just as you have brought out with sorrow, even so the earth has also given her fruit, namely, man, ever since the beginning to Him that made her. Now therefore, keep your sorrow to yourself, and bear with a good courage the adversities which have befallen you. For if you will acknowledge the decree of God to be just, you will both receive your son in time, and will be praised among women. Go your way then into the city to your husband.” And she said to me, “I will not do that. I will not go into the city, but I will die here.” So I proceeded to speak further to her, and said, “Do not do that, but permit yourself to be prevailed on by reason of the adversities of Zion; and be comforted by reason of the sorrow of Jerusalem. For you see that our sanctuary is laid waste, our altar broken down, our temple destroyed; our lute is brought low, 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 plundered, our holy things are defiled, and the name that is called on us is profaned; our freemen are despitefully treated, our priests are burned, our Levites have gone into captivity, our virgins are defiled, and our wives ravished; our righteous men carried away, our little ones betrayed, our young men are brought into bondage, and our strong men have become weak; and, what is more than all, the seal of Zion—for she has now lost the seal of her honor, and is delivered into the hands of those who hate us. Therefore, shake off your great heaviness, and put away from yourself the multitude of sorrows, that the Mighty may be merciful to you again, and the Most High may give you rest, even ease from your travails.” And it came to pass, while I was talking with her, behold, her face suddenly shined exceedingly, and her countenance radiated like lightning, so that I was terrified of her, and wondered what this might be; and behold, she suddenly made a great [and] very fearful cry, so that the earth shook at the noise. And I looked, and behold, the woman appeared to me no longer, but there [where she was] a city was built, and a place showed itself from large foundations. Then I was afraid, and cried with a loud voice, and said, “Where is Uriel the messenger, who came to me at the first? For he has caused me to fall into this great trance, and my end is turned into corruption, and my prayer to rebuke.” And as I was speaking these words, behold, the messenger who had come to me at the first came to me, and he looked on me; and behold, I lay as one that had been dead, and my understanding was taken from me; and he took me by the right hand, and comforted me, and set me on my feet, and said to me, “What ails you? And why are you so disquieted? And why is your understanding troubled, and the thoughts of your heart?” And I said, “Because you have forsaken me: yet I did according to your words, and went into the field, and behold, I have seen, and yet see, that which I am not able to express.” And he said to me, “Stand up like a man, and I will advise you.” Then I said, “Speak, my Lord; only do not forsake me, lest I die without hope. For I have seen and heard that [which] I do not understand. Or is my sense deceived, or my soul in a dream? Now therefore, I implore you to show your servant concerning this vision.” And he answered me, and said, “Hear me, and I will inform you, and tell you concerning the things of which you are afraid. For the Most High has revealed many secret things to you. He has seen that your way is right, for that you continually mourn for your people and make great lamentation for Zion. Therefore, this is the meaning of the vision: the woman which appeared to you a little while ago—whom you saw mourning, and began to comfort her, but now you no longer see the likeness of the woman, but there appeared to you a city in building, and whereas she told you of the death of her son—this is the solution: this woman, whom you saw, is Zion, whom you now see as a city built. And whereas she said to you that she has been barren [for] thirty years, [it is] because there were three thousand years in the world wherein there was no offering as yet offered in her. And it came to pass after three thousand years, that Solomon built the city and offered offerings: then it was that the barren [woman] bore a son. And whereas she told you that she nourished him with travail: that was the dwelling in Jerusalem. And whereas she said to you, My son coming into his marriage chamber died, and that misfortune befell her: this was the destruction that came to Jerusalem. And behold, you saw her likeness, how she mourned for her son, and you began to comfort her for what has befallen her: these were the things to be opened to you. For now the Most High, seeing that you are grieved, and suffer from your whole heart for her, has showed you the brightness of her glory, and the attractiveness of her beauty: and therefore I commanded you to remain in the field where no house was built, for I knew that the Most High would show this to you. Therefore I commanded you to come into the field where no foundation of any building was. For in the place wherein the city of the Most High was to be shown, the work of no man’s building could stand. Therefore, do not fear, nor let your heart be frightened, but go your way in, and see the beauty and greatness of the building, as much as your eyes are able to see, and then you will hear as much as your ears may comprehend. For you are blessed above many, and are called by name with the Most High, like as but few. But tomorrow at night you will remain here; and so the Most High will show you those visions in dreams, of what the Most High will do to those who dwell on the earth in the last days.” So I slept that night and another, just as he commanded me.

CHAPTER 11

And it came to pass the second night that I saw a dream, and behold, there came up from the sea an eagle which had twelve feathered wings and three heads. And I saw, and behold, she spread her wings over all the earth, and all the winds of the sky blew on her, and the clouds were gathered together against her. And I saw, and out of her wings there grew [other] wings near them; and they became little wings and small. But her heads were at rest: the head in the midst was greater than the other heads yet rested with them. Moreover, I saw, and behold, the eagle flew with her wings, to reign over the earth, and over those who dwell therein. And I saw how all things under Heaven were subject to her, and no man spoke against her, no, not one creature on earth. And I saw, and behold, the eagle rose on her talons, and uttered her voice to her wings, saying, “Do not watch all at once: everyone sleep in his own place, and watch by course; but let the heads be preserved for the last.” And I saw, and behold, the voice did not go out of her heads, but from the midst of her body. And I counted her wings that were near the other, and behold, there were eight of them. And I saw, and behold, on the right side there arose one wing, and it reigned over all the earth; and so it was, that when it reigned, the end of it came and it did not appear, so that the place thereof appeared no longer; and following [it], the next rose up and reigned, and it ruled a great time; and it happened, that when it reigned, the end of it also came, so that it appeared no longer, just as the first. And behold, there came a voice to it, and said, “Hear—you that have borne rule over the earth all this time; this I proclaim to you, before you will appear no longer: none after you will attain to your time, neither to the half thereof.” Then the third arose, and had the rule as the others before, and it also appeared no longer. So it went with all the wings, one after another, as that each one bore rule, and then appeared no longer. And I saw, and behold, in process of time the wings that followed were set up on the right side, that they might also rule; and some of them ruled, but within a while they appeared no longer; some of them also rose up, but did not rule. After this I saw, and behold, the twelve wings appeared no longer, nor two of the little wings, and there was no longer left on the eagle’s body, but the three heads that rested, and six little wings. And I saw, and behold, two little wings divided themselves from the six, and remained under the head that was on the right side, but four remained in their place. And I saw, and behold, these wings under thought to set themselves up, and to have the rule. And I saw, and behold, there was one set up, but within a while it appeared no longer. A second also, and it was gone sooner than the first. And I saw, and behold, the two that remained also thought in themselves to reign: and while they so thought, behold, there awakened one of the heads that were at rest, [namely, it] that was in the midst; for that was greater than the two [other] heads. And I saw how it joined the two [other] heads with it. And behold, the head was turned with those who were with it, and it ate up the two wings under that thought to have reigned. But this head held the whole earth in possession, and bore rule over those that dwell therein with much oppression; and it had the governance of the world more than all the wings that had been. And after this I saw, and behold, the head that was in the midst also suddenly appeared no longer, just as the wings. But there remained the two heads, which also in like manner reigned over the earth, and over those that dwell therein. And I saw, and behold, the head on the right side devoured it that was on the left side. Then I heard a voice, which said to me, “Look before you, and consider the thing that you see.” And I saw, and behold, as it were a lion roused out of the wood roaring; and I heard how that he sent out a man’s voice to the eagle, and spoke, saying, “Hear! I will talk with you, and the Most High will say to you, Are you not it that remains of the four beasts, whom I made to reign in My world, that the end of My times might come through them? And the fourth came, and overcame all the beasts that were past, and held the world in governance with great trembling, and the whole circle of the earth with grievous oppression; and for such a long time he lived on the earth with deceit. And you have judged the earth, but not with truth. For you have afflicted the meek, you have hurt the peaceful, you have hated those who speak truth, you have loved liars, and destroyed the dwellings of those who brought out fruit, and cast down the walls of such as did you no harm. Therefore your insolent dealing has come up to the Most High, and your pride to the Mighty. The Most High has also looked on His times, and behold, they are ended, and His ages are fulfilled. And therefore, appear no longer you eagle, nor your horrible wings, nor your evil little wings, nor your cruel heads, nor your hurtful talons, nor all your vain body, that all the earth may be refreshed, and be eased, being delivered from your violence, and that she may hope for the judgment and mercy of Him that made her.”

CHAPTER 12

And it came to pass while the lion spoke these words to the eagle, I saw, and behold, the head that remained appeared no longer, and the two wings which went over to it arose and set themselves up to reign, and their kingdom was small, and full of uproar. And I saw, and behold, they appeared no longer, and the whole body of the eagle was burned, so that the earth was in great fear: then I awoke by reason of great ecstasy of mind, and from great fear, and said to my spirit, “Behold, you have done this to me, in that you search out the ways of the Most High. Behold, I am yet weary in my mind, and very weak in my spirit; nor is there the least strength in me, because of the great fear with which I was frightened this night. Therefore, I will now implore the Most High, that He will strengthen me to the end.” And I said, “O Lord that bears rule, if I have found favor in Your sight, and if I am justified with You above many others, and if my prayer has indeed come up before Your face, strengthen me then and show me, Your servant, the interpretation and plain meaning of this fearful vision, that You may perfectly comfort my soul. For You have judged me worthy to show me the end of time and the last times.” And He said to me, “This is the interpretation of this vision which you saw: the eagle, whom you saw come up from the sea, is the fourth kingdom which appeared in vision to your brother Daniel. But it was not expounded to him, as I now expound it to you or have expounded it. Behold, the days come that there will rise up a kingdom on earth, and it will be feared above all the kingdoms that were before it. Twelve kings will reign in it, one after another, of which the second will begin to reign and will have a longer time than [any of the] twelve. This is the interpretation of the twelve wings, which you saw. And whereas you heard a voice which spoke, not going out from the heads, but from the midst of the body thereof, this is the interpretation: that after the time of that kingdom there will arise no small contentions, and it will stand in peril of falling; nevertheless, it will not then fall, but will be restored again to its first estate. And whereas you saw the eight wings under sticking to her wings, this is the interpretation: that there will arise eight kings in it, whose times will be but small, and their years swift. And two of them will perish when the middle time approaches; four will be kept for awhile until the time of the ending thereof will approach; but two will be kept to the end. And whereas you saw three heads resting, this is the interpretation: in the last days thereof, the Most High will raise up three kingdoms, and renew many things therein, and they will bear rule over the earth, and over those that dwell therein, with much oppression, above all those that were before them. Therefore they are called the heads of the eagle. For these are those who will accomplish her wickedness, and that will finish her last end. And whereas you saw that the great head appeared no longer, [it signifies] that one of them will die on his bed, and yet with pain. But for the two that remained, the sword will devour them. For the sword of the one will devour him that was with him, but he will also fall by the sword in the last days. And whereas you saw two wings under passing over to the head that is on the right side, this is the interpretation: these are they whom the Most High has kept to His end; this is the small kingdom and full of trouble, as you saw. And the lion, whom you saw rising up out of the wood, and roaring, and speaking to the eagle, and rebuking her for her unrighteousness, and all her words which you have heard: this is the Anointed One, whom the Most High has kept to the end of days, who will spring up out of the seed of David, and He will come and speak to them, and reprove them for their wickedness and unrighteousness, and will heap up before them their contemptuous dealings. For at the first He will set them alive in His judgment, and when He has reproved them, He will destroy them. For He will deliver the rest of My people with mercy, those that have been preserved throughout My borders, and He will make them joyful until the coming of the end, even the Day of Judgment, of which I have spoken to you from the beginning. This is the dream that you saw, and this is the interpretation thereof: and you alone have been chosen to know the secret of the Most High. Therefore, write all these things that you have seen in a scroll and put them in a secret place, and you will teach them to the wise of your people, whose hearts you know are able to comprehend and keep these secrets. But wait here yourself yet seven more days, that there may be showed to you whatever it pleases the Most High to show you.” And He departed from me. And it came to pass, when all the people saw that the seven days were past, and I had not come into the city again, they gathered themselves all together, from the least to the greatest, and came to me, and spoke to me, saying, “How have we offended you? And what evil have we done against you that you have utterly forsaken us, and sit in this place? For of all the prophets you alone are left to us, as a cluster of the vintage, and as a lamp in a dark place, and as a haven for a ship saved from the tempest. Are the evils which have come to us not sufficient? If you will forsake us, how much better had it been for us if we had also been consumed in the burning of Zion! For we are not better than those who died there.” And they wept with a loud voice. And I answered them, and said, “Be of good comfort, O Israel; and do not be sorrowful, you house of Jacob: for the Most High has you in remembrance, and the Mighty has not forgotten you forever. As for me, I have not forsaken you, neither have I departed from you, but have come into this place to pray for the desolation of Zion, and that I might seek mercy for the low estate of your sanctuary. And now go your way, every man to his own house, and after these days I will come to you.” So the people went their way into the city, just as I said to them, but I sat in the field seven days, as [the messenger] commanded me; and in those days I ate only of the flowers of the field and had my meat of the herbs.

CHAPTER 13

And it came to pass after seven days, I dreamed a dream by night: and behold, there arose a wind from the sea, that it moved all the waves thereof. And I saw, and behold, this wind caused to come up from the midst of the sea as it were the likeness of a Man, and I saw, and behold, that Man flew with the clouds of Heaven; and when He turned His countenance to look, all things trembled that were seen under Him. And whenever the voice went out of His mouth, all those that heard His voice burned, just as the wax melts when it feels the fire. And after this I saw, and behold, there was gathered together a multitude of men, out of number, from the four winds of the sky, to make war against the Man that came out of the sea. And I saw, and behold, He carved Himself a great mountain, and flew on it. But I sought to see the region or place where the mountain was graven, and I could not. And after this I saw, and behold, all they which were gathered together to fight against Him were severely afraid, and yet dared fight. And behold, as He saw the assault of the multitude that came, He neither lifted up His hand, nor held spear, nor any instrument of war, but only I saw how that He sent out of His mouth as it had been a flood of fire, and out of His lips a flaming breath, and out of His tongue He cast out sparks of the storm. And these were all mixed together: the flood of fire, the flaming breath, and the great storm; and they fell on the assault of the multitude which was prepared to fight, and burned all of them up, so that suddenly nothing of [the] innumerable multitude was to be seen, but only dust of ashes and smell of smoke. When I saw this, I was amazed. Afterward I saw the same Man come down from the mountain, and call to Himself another multitude which was peaceful. And many people came to Him, of which some were glad, some were sorry, some of them were bound, and some brought of those who were offered. Then through great fear I awakened, and prayed to the Most High, and said, “You have showed Your servant these wonders from the beginning, and have counted me worthy that You should receive my prayer: and now show me, moreover, the interpretation of this dream. For as I conceive in my understanding, woe to those who will be left in those days! and much more, woe to those who are not left! For those who were not left will be in heaviness, understanding the things that are laid up in the latter days, but not attaining to them. But also woe to them that are left, for this reason; for they will see great perils and many necessities, just as these dreams declare. Yet it is better for one to be in peril and to come into these things, than to pass away as a cloud out of the world, and not to see the things that will happen in the last days.” And He answered to me, and said, “I will tell you the interpretation of the vision, and I will also open to you the things of which you have made mention. Whereas you have spoken of those who are left behind, this is the interpretation: He that will endure the peril in that time will keep those who have fallen into danger, even such as have works and faith toward the Almighty. Therefore, know that they which are left behind are more blessed than those who are dead. These are the interpretations of the vision: whereas you saw a Man coming up from the midst of the sea, this is He whom the Most High has kept a great season, which by His own self will deliver His creature; and He will order those who are left behind. And whereas you saw that out of His mouth there came wind, and fire, and storm, and whereas He held neither spear, nor any instrument of war, but destroyed the assault of that multitude which came to fight against Him, this is the interpretation: behold, the days come when the Most High will begin to deliver those who are on the earth. And there will come astonishment of mind on those who dwell on the earth. And one will think to war against another—city against city, place against place, people against people, and kingdom against kingdom. And it will be, when these things will come to pass, and the signs will happen which I showed you before, then My Son will be revealed, whom you saw [as] a Man ascending. And it will be, when all the nations hear His voice, every man will leave his own land and the battle they have against one another. And an innumerable multitude will be gathered together, as you saw, desiring to come and to fight against Him. But He will stand on the top of Mount Zion. And Zion will come, and will be shown to all men, being prepared and built, just as you saw the mountain graven without hands. And He, My Son, will rebuke the nations which have come for their wickedness, [with plagues] that are like to a tempest; and He will taunt them to their face with their evil thoughts, and the torments with which they will be tormented, which are likened to a flame; and He will destroy them without labor by the Law, which is likened to fire. And whereas you saw that He gathered to Himself another multitude that was peaceful: these are the ten tribes, which were led away out of their own land in the time of Hoshea the king, whom Salmananser the king of the Assyrians led away captive, and he carried them beyond the River, and they were carried into another land. But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go out into a further country, where mankind never lived, that they might keep their statutes there, which they had not kept in their own land. And they entered by the narrow passages of the River Euphrates. For the Most High then performed signs for them, and held back the springs of the River until they had passed over. For through that country there was a great way to go, namely, of a year and a half: and the same region is called Arzareth. Then they lived there until the latter time; and now when they begin to come again, the Most High holds back the springs of the River again, that they may go through: therefore you saw the multitude gathered together with peace. But those that are left behind of your people are those who are found within My holy border. It will be, therefore, when He will destroy the multitude of the nations that are gathered together, He will defend the people that remain. And then He will show them very many wonders.” Then I said, “O Lord that bears rule, show me this: why I have seen the Man coming up from the midst of the sea.” And He said to me, “Just as one can neither seek out nor know what is in the deep of the sea, even so can no man on earth see My Son, or those that are with Him, but in the time of His day. This is the interpretation of the dream which you saw, and for this you only are enlightened herein. For you have forsaken your own [ways, and] applied your diligence to Mine, and have sought out My law. You have ordered your life in wisdom and have called understanding your mother. And therefore I have showed you this; for there is a reward laid up with the Most High; and it will be, after another three days I will speak other things to you and declare to you mighty and wondrous things.” Then I went out and passed into the field, greatly giving praise and thanks to the Most High because of His wonders, which He did from time to time, and because He governs the time, and such things as fall in their seasons. And there I sat three days.

CHAPTER 14

And it came to pass on the third day, I sat under an oak, and behold, there came a voice out of a bush near me, and said, “Ezra, Ezra.” And I said, “Here I am, Lord.” And I stood up on my feet. Then He said to me, “In the bush I manifestly revealed Myself, and talked with Moses when My people were in bondage in Egypt: and I sent him, and he led My people out of Egypt; and I brought him up to [the] mountain of Sinai, where I kept him near Me for many days, and told him many wondrous things, and showed him the secrets of the times, and the end of the seasons, and commanded him, saying, You will publish these words openly, and these you will hide. And now I say to you, lay up in your heart the signs that I have showed, and the dreams that you have seen, and the interpretations which you have heard: for you will be taken away from men, and from now on you will remain with My Son, and with such as are like you, until the times are ended. For the world has lost its youth, and the times begin to wax old. For the world is divided into twelve parts, and ten parts of it are already gone, even the half of the tenth part: and there remains of it two parts after the middle of the tenth part. Now therefore, set your house in order, and reprove your people, comfort the lowly among them, and instruct such of them as are wise, and now renounce the life that is corruptible, and let go from the mortal thoughts, cast yourself away from the burdens of man, put off now your weak nature, and lay aside the thoughts that are most grievous to you, and hasten to depart from these times. For yet worse evils than those which you have seen happen will be done hereafter. For see how much the world will be weaker through age—so much the more will evils increase on those who dwell therein. For the truth will withdraw itself further off, and falsehood will be hard at hand; for now the eagle which you saw in [the] vision hastens to come.” Then I answered and said, “I will speak before You, O Lord. Behold, I will go, as You have commanded me, and reprove the people that now are, but those who will be born afterward, who will admonish them? For the world is set in darkness, and those who dwell therein are without light. For Your law is burned, therefore no man knows the things that You have done, or the works that will be done. But if I have found favor before You, send the Holy Spirit to me, and I will write all that has been done in the world since the beginning, even the things that were written in Your law, that men may be able to find the path, and that they which would live in the latter days may live.” And He answered me and said, “Go your way, gather the people together, and say to them that they may not seek you for forty days. But prepare many tablets, and take with you Sarea, Dabria, Selemia, Ethanus, and Asiel, these five, which are ready to write swiftly; and come here, and I will light a lamp of understanding in your heart, which will not be put out until the things which you will write are ended. And when you have done this, some things you will publish openly, and some things you will deliver in secret to the wise. Tomorrow at this hour you will begin to write.” Then I went out, as He commanded me, and gathered all the people together, and said, “Hear these words, O Israel. At the beginning our fathers were strangers in Egypt, and they were delivered from there, and received the law of life, which they did not keep, which you also have transgressed after them. Then the land, even the land of Zion, was given to you for a possession, but you yourselves, and your fathers, have done unrighteousness, and have not kept the ways which the Most High commanded you. And forasmuch as He is a righteous judge, He took from you for awhile the thing that He had given to you. And now you are here, and your relatives are among you. Therefore, if [it] so be that you will rule over your own understanding, and instruct your hearts, you will be kept alive, and after death you will obtain mercy. For after death the judgment will come when we will live again; and then the names of the righteous will be manifest, and the works of the ungodly will be declared. Therefore, let no man come to me now, nor seek after me these forty days.” So I took the five men as He commanded me, and we went out into the field and remained there. And it came to pass on the next day that, behold, a voice called me, saying, “Ezra, open your mouth, and drink what I give you to drink.” Then I opened my mouth, and behold, there was given to me a full cup, which was full as it were with water, but the color of it was like fire. 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 retained its memory; and my mouth was opened and no longer shut. The Most High gave understanding to the five men, and they wrote by course the things that were told them, in characters which they did not know, and they sat [for] forty days. Now they wrote in the daytime, and at night they ate bread. As for me, I spoke in the day, and I did not hold my tongue by night. So in forty days ninety-four scrolls were written. And it came to pass, when the forty days were fulfilled, that the Most High spoke to me, saying, “The first that you have written publish openly, and let the worthy and unworthy read it, but keep the seventy last, that you may deliver them to such as are wise among your people, for in them is the spring of understanding, the fountain of wisdom, and the stream of knowledge.” And I did so.

CHAPTER 15

“Behold, speak in the ears of My people the words of prophecy, which I will put in your mouth,” says the Lord; “and cause them to be written in paper, for they are faithful and true. Do not be afraid of their imaginations against you, do not let the unbelief of them that speak against you trouble you. For all the unbelievers will die in their unbelief. Behold,” says the Lord, “I bring calamities on the whole earth: sword, and famine, and death, and destruction. For wickedness has prevailed over every land, and their hurtful works have come to the full. Therefore,” says the Lord, “I will no longer hold My peace as touching their wickedness, which they profanely commit, neither will I permit them in these things, which they wickedly practice. Behold, the innocent and righteous blood cries to Me, and the souls of the righteous cry out continually. I will surely avenge them,” says the Lord, “and will receive to Myself all the innocent blood from among them. Behold, My people are led as a flock to the slaughter: I will not permit them to now dwell in the land of Egypt, but I will bring them out with a mighty hand and with a high arm, and will strike Egypt with plagues, as previously, and will destroy all the land thereof. Let Egypt mourn, and the foundations thereof, for the plague of the discipline and the punishment that God will bring on it. Let the farmers that till the ground mourn, for their seeds will fail and their trees will be laid waste through the blasting, and hail, and a terrible storm. Woe to the world and those who dwell therein! For the sword and their destruction draws near, and nation will rise up against nation to battle with weapons in their hands. For there will be sedition among men; and waxing strong against one another, they will not regard their king nor the chief of their great ones, in their might. For a man will desire to go into a city and will not be able. For because of their pride the cities will be troubled, the houses will be destroyed, and men will be afraid. A man will have no pity on his neighbor but will make an assault on their houses with the sword, and plunder their goods, because of the lack of bread, and for great suffering. Behold,” says God, “I call together all the kings of the earth, to stir up those who are from the rising of the sun, from the south, from the east, and Libanus, to turn themselves against one another, and repay the things that they have done to them. Just as they yet do this day to My chosen, so I will do also, and repay in their bosom.” The Lord God says: “My right hand will not spare the sinners, and My sword will not cease over those who shed innocent blood on the earth. And a fire has gone out from His wrath, and has consumed the foundations of the earth, and the sinners, like the straw that is kindled. Woe to those who sin and do not keep My commands!” says the Lord. “I will not spare them. Go your way, you rebellious children, do not defile My sanctuary. For the Lord knows all those who trespass against Him, therefore He has delivered them to death and destruction. For now the calamities have come on the whole earth, and you will remain in them, for God will not deliver you, because you have sinned against Him. Behold, a horrible vision, and the appearance thereof from the east! And the nations of the dragons of Arabia will come out with many chariots, and from the day that they set out the hissing of them is carried over the earth, so that all they which will hear them may also fear and tremble. Also the Carmonians raging in wrath will go out as the wild boars of the wood, and they will come with great power and join battle with them, and will waste a portion of the land of the Assyrians with their teeth. And then the dragons will have the upper hand, remembering their nature; and if they will turn themselves, conspiring together in great power to persecute them, then these will be troubled, and keep silence through their power, and will turn and flee. And from the land of the Assyrians the ambusher in wait will besiege them, and consume one of them, and on their army will be fear and trembling, and sedition against their kings. Behold, clouds from the east and from the north to the south, and they are very horrible to look on—full of wrath and storm. They will dash one against another, and they will pour out a plentiful storm on the earth, even their own storm; and there will be blood from the sword to the horse’s belly, and to the thigh of man, and to the camel’s hock. And there will be fearfulness and great trembling on earth: and they that see that wrath will be afraid, and trembling will take hold on them. And after this there will be stirred up great storms from the south, and from the north, and another part from the west. And strong winds will arise from the east, and will shut it up, even the cloud which He raised up in wrath; and the storm that was to cause destruction by the east wind will be violently driven toward the south and west. And great clouds, indeed mighty and full of wrath, will be lifted up—and the storm—that they may destroy all the earth, and those who dwell therein; and they will pour out over every high and eminent one a terrible storm, [with] fire, and hail, and flying swords, and many waters, that all plains may be full, and all rivers, with the abundance of those waters. And they will break down the cities and walls, mountains and hills, trees of the wood, and grass of the meadows, and their corn. And they will go on steadfastly to Babylon and destroy her. They will come to her and surround her; they will pour out the storm and all wrath on her; then the dust and smoke will rise up to the sky, and all those who are around her will mourn her. And those who remain will do service to those who have put her in fear. And you, Asia, that are partaker in the beauty of Babylon, and in the glory of her person: woe to you, you wretch, because you have made yourself like to her; you have decked your daughters in whoredom, that they might please and glory in your lovers, which have always desired you to commit whoredom with! You have followed her that is hateful in all her works and inventions: therefore,” says God, “I will send evils on you: widowhood, poverty, famine, sword, and pestilence, to waste your houses to destruction and death. And the glory of your power will be dried up as a flower, when the heat will arise that is sent over you. You will be weakened as a poor woman with stripes, and as one disciplined with wounds, so that you will not be able to receive your mighty ones and [your] lovers. Would I with jealousy have so proceeded against you,” says the Lord, “if you had not always slain My chosen, exalting the stroke of your hands, and saying over their dead, when you were drunken, Set out the beauty of your countenance? The reward of a prostitute will be in your bosom, therefore you will receive repayment. Just as you will do to My chosen,” says the Lord, “even so God will do to you, and will deliver you into mischief. And your children will die of hunger, and you will fall by the sword, and your cities will be broken down, and all yours will perish by the sword in the field. And those who are in the mountains will die of hunger, and eat their own flesh, and drink [their own] blood, for great hunger of bread, and thirst of water. You, unhappy above all, will come and will receive calamities again. And in the passage, they will rush on the idle city, and will destroy some portion of your land, and mar part of your glory, and will again return to Babylon that was destroyed. And you will be cast down by them as stubble, and they will be to you as fire, and will devour you, and your cities, your land, and your mountains; they will burn up all your woods and your fruitful trees with fire. They will carry your children away captive, and will plunder your wealth, and mar the glory of your face.”

CHAPTER 16

¹“Woe to you, Babylon and Asia! woe to you, Egypt and Syria! ²Gird yourselves with sackcloth and garments of hair, and mourn your children, and lament; for your destruction is at hand. ³A sword is sent on you, and who is he that may turn it back? ⁴A fire is sent on you, and who is he that may quench it? ⁵Calamities are sent on you, and who is he that may drive them away? ⁶May one drive away a hungry lion in the wood? or may one quench the fire in stubble, when it has once begun to burn? ⁷May one turn again the arrow that is shot of a strong archer? ⁸The Lord God sends the evils, and who will drive them away? ⁹A fire will go out from His wrath, and who is he that may quench it? ¹⁰He will cast lightning, and who will not fear? he will thunder, and who will not tremble? ¹¹The Lord will threaten, and who will not be utterly broken in pieces at His presence? ¹²The earth quakes, and the foundations thereof; the sea arises with waves from the deep, and the waves of it will be troubled, and also the fishes thereof, at the presence of the Lord, and before the glory of His power: ¹³for strong is His right hand that bends the bow; His arrows that He shoots are sharp, and will not miss, when they begin to be shot into the ends of the world. ¹⁴Behold, the calamities are sent out, and will not return again, until they come on the earth. ¹⁵The fire is kindled, and will not be put out, until it consumes the foundations of the earth. ¹⁶Just as an arrow which is shot by a mighty archer does not return backward, even so the calamities that are sent out on earth will not return again. ¹⁷Woe is me! woe is me! who will deliver me in those days? ¹⁸The beginning of sorrows, and the great mourning; the beginning of famine, and many will perish; the beginning of wars, and the powers will stand in fear; the beginning of calamities, and all will tremble! what will they do in [all] this when the calamities will come? ¹⁹Behold, famine and plague, suffering and anguish! they are sent as scourges for amendment. ²⁰But for all these things they will not turn them from their wickedness, nor be always mindful of the scourges. ²¹Behold, food will be so cheap on earth that they will think themselves to be in a good case, and even then, calamities will grow on earth: sword, famine, and great confusion. ²²For many of those who dwell on earth will perish of famine; and the other, that escape the famine, will the sword destroy. ²³And the dead will be cast out as dung, and there will be no man to comfort them, for the earth will be left desolate, and the cities thereof will be cast down. ²⁴There will be no farmer left to till the earth, and to sow it. ²⁵The trees will give fruit, and who will gather them? ²⁶The grapes will ripen, and who will tread them? for in [all] places there will be a great forsaking: ²⁷for one man will desire to see another, or to hear his voice. ²⁸For of a city there will be ten left, and two of the field, which have hidden themselves in the thick groves, and in the clefts of the rocks. ²⁹As in an orchard of olives on every tree there are left three or four olives, ³⁰or as when a vineyard is gathered there are some clusters left by those who diligently seek through the vineyard; ³¹even so in those days there will be three or four left by those who search their houses with the sword. ³²And the earth will be left desolate, and the fields thereof will be for briers, and her ways and all her paths will bring out thorns, because no sheep will pass through there. ³³The virgins will mourn, having no bridegrooms; the women will mourn, having no husbands; their daughters will mourn, having no helpers. ³⁴In the wars their bridegrooms will be destroyed, and their husbands will perish of famine. ³⁵Now hear these things, and understand them, you servants of the Lord. ³⁶Behold, the word of the Lord, receive it: do not disbelieve the things of which the Lord speaks. ³⁷Behold, the calamities draw near, and are not slack. ³⁸Just as a woman with child in the ninth month, when the hour of her delivery draws near, within two or three hours sorrowful pains surround her womb, and when the child comes out from the womb, there will be no waiting for [even] a moment: ³⁹even so the calamities will not be slack to come on the earth, and the world will groan, and sorrows will take hold of it on every side. ⁴⁰O My people, hear My word: make ready for the battle, and in those calamities be even as pilgrims on the earth. ⁴¹He that sells, let him be as he that flees away; and he that buys, as one that will lose; ⁴²he that occupies merchandise, as he that has no profit by it; and he that builds, as he that will not dwell therein; ⁴³he that sows, as if he should not reap; so also he that prunes [the vines], as he that will not gather the grapes; ⁴⁴those who marry, as those who will get no children; and those who do not marry, as the widowed. ⁴⁵Because of this, those who labor labor in vain; ⁴⁶for strangers will reap their fruits, and plunder their goods, overthrow their houses, and take their children captive, for in captivity and famine they will beget their children; ⁴⁷and those who traffic traffic to become a plunder—the more they deck their cities, their houses, their possessions, and their own persons, ⁴⁸the more I will hate them for their sins,” says the Lord. ⁴⁹“Just as a rightly honest and virtuous woman hates a prostitute, ⁵⁰so righteousness will hate iniquity when she decks herself, and will accuse her to her face when He comes that will defend him that diligently searches out every sin on earth. ⁵¹Therefore, do not be like them, nor do the works thereof. ⁵²For yet a little while, and iniquity will be taken away out of the earth, and righteousness will reign over us. ⁵³Do not let the sinner say that he has not sinned, for he will burn coals of fire on his head, which says, I have not sinned before God and His glory. ⁵⁴Behold, the Lord knows all the works of men, their imaginations, their thoughts, and their hearts— ⁵⁵[He] who said, Let the earth be made, and it was made; [and,] Let the heaven be made, and it was made; ⁵⁶and at His word the stars were established, and He knows the number of the stars; ⁵⁷who searches the deep, and the treasures thereof; He has measured the sea, and what it contains; ⁵⁸who has shut the sea in the midst of the waters, and with His word He has hanged the earth on the waters; ⁵⁹who spreads out the sky like a vault; He has established it on the waters; ⁶⁰who has made springs of water in the desert, and pools on the tops of the mountains, to send out rivers from the height to water the earth; ⁶¹who framed man and put a heart in the midst of the body, and gave him breath, life, and understanding— ⁶²yes, the Spirit of God Almighty. He who made all things, and searches out hidden things in hidden places, ⁶³surely He knows your imagination, and what you think in your hearts. Woe to those who sin and would gladly hide their sin! ⁶⁴Because of this, the Lord will exactly search out all your works, and He will put you all to shame. ⁶⁵And when your sins are brought out before men, you will be ashamed, and your own iniquities will stand as your accusers in that day. ⁶⁶What will you do? or how will you hide your sins before God and His messengers? ⁶⁷Behold, God is the judge—fear Him: depart from your sins, and forget your iniquities, to no longer meddle with them forever, so God will lead you out, and deliver you from all suffering. ⁶⁸For behold, the burning wrath of a great multitude is kindled over you, and they will take away certain of you, and feed you with that which is slain to idols. ⁶⁹And those who consent to them will be held in derision and in reproach and will be trodden under their foot. ⁷⁰For there will be in various places, and in the next cities, a great insurrection on those that fear the Lord. ⁷¹They will be like mad men, sparing none, but spoiling and destroying those who still fear the Lord. ⁷²For they will waste and take away their goods and cast them out of their houses. ⁷³Then the trial of My chosen ones will be manifested, even as the gold that is tried in the fire. ⁷⁴Hear, O you My chosen ones,” says the Lord: “behold, the days of suffering are at hand, and I will deliver you from them. ⁷⁵Do not be afraid, neither doubt; for God is your guide. ⁷⁶And you who keep My commands and precepts,” says the Lord God, “do not let your sins weigh you down, and do not let your iniquities lift themselves up. ⁷⁷Woe to those who are fast bound with their sins, and covered with their iniquities, like as a field is fast bound with bushes, and the path thereof covered with thorns, that no man may travel through! ⁷⁸It is even shut off and given up to be consumed by fire.”