Without tribulations no man can attayne immortal life: 17. which the
iust shal inherite: and the wicked shal perish. 28. Christ wil come,
and dye for mankind. 36. Prayers of the iust shal profite til the end of
this world, but not after the general iudgement. 48. Al sinned in Adam.
52. and haue added more sinnes, 57. but it is in mans powre, 62. by Gods
grace, to liue eternally.
AND it came to passe when I had ended to speake these wordes, the Angel
was sent to me, which had bene sent to me the first nights, 2 and he sayd
to me: Arise Esdras, and heare the wordes which I am come to speake to
thee. 3 And I sayd: Speake my God. And he sayd to me: The sea is set
in a large place, that it might be deepe and wide: 4 but the entrance to
it shal be set in a straict place, that it might be like to riuers.
5 For who witting wil enter into the sea, and see it, or rule ouer it:
if he passe not the streite, how shal he come into the bredth? 6 Also an
other thing: A citie is built, and set in a plaine place, and it is ful
of al goodes. 7 The entrance therof narrow, and set in a stepe place, so
that on the right hand there was fire, & on the left depe water: 8 and
there is one onlie pathe set betwen them, that is, betwen the fire and
the water, so that the pathe can not conteyne, but onlie a mans steppe.
9 And if the citie shal be geuen a man for inheritance, if he neuer passe
through the peril set before it, how shal he receiue his inhertance?
10 And I sayd: So Lord. And he sayd to me, So it is: Israel also a
part. 11 For I made the world for them: and when Adam transgressed my
constitution, that was iudged which was done. 12 And the entrance of
this world were made streite, and sorowful, & paynful, and few and euil,
and ful of dangers, & stuffed very much with labour. 13 For the
entrances of the greater world are large andsecure, and making fruite of
immortalitie. 14 If then they that liue entring in enter into these
streite and vayne thinges: they can not receiue the thinges that are
layd vp. 15 Now therfore why art thou trubled, wheras thou art
corruptible? and why art thou moued, wheras thou art mortal? 16 And why
hast thou not taken in thy hart that which is to come, but that which is
present? 17 I answered, and sayd: Lord dominatour: behold thou hast
disposed by thy law that the iust shal inherite these thinges, and the
impious shal perish. (Deut 8) 18 But the iust shal suffer the streites,
hoping for the wyde places, for they that haue done impiously, haue both
suffered the streites, and shal not see the wide places. 19 And he sayd
to me: There is no iudge aboue God, nor that vnderstandeth aboue the
Highest. 20 For manie present doe perish, because the law of God which
was set before, is neglected. 21 For God commanding commanded them that
came, when they came, what doing they should liue, and what obseruing
they should not be punished. 22 But they were not perswaded, and
gaynesayd him, and made to them selues a cogitation of vanitie, 23 and
proposed to them selues deceites of sinnes, & they sayd to the Highest
that he was not, and they knew not his wayes, 24 and dispised his law,
and denyed his couenaunces, and had not fidelitie in his ordinances, and
did not accomplish his workes. 25 For this cause Esdras, the emptie to
the emptie, and the ful to the ful. 26 Behold the time shal come, and it
shal be when the signes shal come, which I haue foretold thee, and the
bride shal appeare, and appearing she shal be shewed that now is hid with
the earth: 27 and euerie one that is deliuered from the foresaid euils,
he shal see my meruelous thinges. 28 For my sonne IESVS shal be reueled
with them that are with him, and they shal be merie that are leaft in the
foure hundred yeares. 29 And it shal be after these yeares, and my sonne
CHRIST shal dye: and al men that haue breath, 30 and the world shal be
turned into the old silence seuen dayes, as in the former iudgementes, so
that none shal be leaft. 31 And it shal be after seuen dayes, and the
world shal be raysed vp that yet waketh not, and shal dye corrupted:
32 and the earth shal render the thinges that sleepe in it, & the dust
them that dwel in it with silence, and the cellars shal render the soules
that are commended to them. 33 And the Highest shal be reueled vpon the
seate of iudgement, and miseries shal passe, and long sufferance shal be
gathered together. 34 And iudgement onlie shal remayne, truth shal
stand, and fayth shal waxe strong, 35 and the worke shal folow, and the
reward shal be shewed, and iustice shal awake, and iniustice shal not
haue dominion. [See note below.] 36 And I sayd: First Abraham prayed
for the Sodomites, and Moyses for the fathers that sinned in the desert.
(Gen 18 / Ex 32) 37 And they that were after him for Isreal in the dayes
of Achaz, and of Samuel, 38 and Dauid for the destruction, and Salomon
for them that came vnto the sanctification. (2 Kings 24:17 / 2 Par 6:13)
39 And Elias for them that receiued raine, and for the dead that he might
liue, (3 Kings 17 & 18) 40 and Ezechias for the people in the dayes of
Sennacherib, and manie for manie. (4 Kings 19:15) 41 If therfore now
when corruptible did increase, and iniustice was multiplied, and the iust
prayed for the impious: why now also shal it not be so? 42 And he
answered me and sayd: This present world is not the end, much glorie
remaineth in it: for this cause they prayed for the impotent. 43 For
the day of iudgement shal be the end of this time, and the beginning of
the immortalitie to come, wherein corruption is past: 44 intemperance is
dissolued, incredulitie is cut of: and iustice hath increased, truth is
strong. 45 For then no man can saue him that hath perished, nor drowne
him that hath ouercome. And I answered, 46 and sayd: This is my word
the first and the last, that it had bene better not to geue the earth to
Adam, or when he had now geuen it, to restraine him that he should not
sinne. 47 For what doth it profit men presently to liue in sorow, and
being dead to hope for punishment? 48 O what hast thou done Adam? For
if thou didst sinne, it was not made thy fal only, but ours also which
came of thee. (Rom 5:12) 49 For what doth it profit vs if immortal time
be promised to vs: but we haue done mortal workes? 50 And that
euerlasting hope is foretold vs: but we most wicked are become vayne?
51 And that habitations of health and securitie are reserued for vs, but
we haue conuerst naughtely? 52 And that the glorie of the Highest is
reserued to protect them that haue slowly conuerst: but we haue walked
in most wicked wayes. 53 And that paradise shal be shewed, whose fruite
continueth incorrupted, wherin is securitie and remedie: 54 but we shal
not enter in: for we haue conuerst in vnlawful places. 55 And their
faces which haue had abstinence, shal shyne aboue the starres: but our
faces blacke aboue darkenes. 56 For we did not thinke liuing when we
did iniquitie, that we shal beginne after death to suffer. 57 And he
answered, and sayd: This is the cogitation of the battel which man shal
fight, who is borne vpon the earth, 58 that if he shal be ouercome, he
suffer that which thou hast sayd: but if he ouercome he shal receiue
that which I say: 59 for this is the life which Moyses spake of when he
liued, to the people, saying: Choose vnto thee life, that thou mayst
liue. (Deut 30:19) 60 But they beleued him not, no nor the Prophetes
after him, no nor me which haue spoken to them. 61 Because there should
not be sorow vnto their perdition, as there shal be ioy vpon them, to
whom saluation is perswaded. 62 And I answered, and sayd: I know Lord,
that the Highest is called merciful in that, that he hath mercie on them
which are not yet come into the world, 63 and that he hath mercie on them
which conuerse in his law: 64 and he is long suffering, because he
sheweth long sufferance to them that haue sinned, as it were with their
owne workes: 65 and he is bountiful, because he wil geue according to
exigentes: 66 and of freat mercie, because he multiplieth more mercies
to them that are present, and that are past, and that are to come.
67 For if he shal not multiplie his mercies, the world shal not be made
aliue with them that did inherite it. 68 And he geueth: for if he shal
not geue of his bountie, that they may be releeued which haue done
iniquitie, the tenth thousand part of men can not be quickned from their
iniquities. 69 And the iudge if he shal not forgeue them that are cured
with his word, and wype away a multitude of contentions: there should
not perhaps be leaft in an innumerable multitiude, but very few.