The eagle vanisheth away, 5. Esdras prayeth, 10. and the former visions
are declared to him.
AND it came to passe, whiles the lyon spake these wordes to the eagle: I
saw, 2 and behold the head that had ouercome, and those foure winges
appeared not which passed to him, and were set vp to reigne: and their
reigne was smal, and ful of tumult. 3 And I saw, and behold they
appeared not, and al the bodie of the eagle was burnt, & the earth was
afrayd excedingly, and I by the tumult and traunce of minde, and for
great feare awaked, and sayd to my spirit: 4 Behold thou hast geuen me
this, in that, that thou searchest the wayes of the Highest. 5 Behold
yet I am wearie in minde, and in my spirit I am very feeble, and there is
not so much as a litle strength in me for the great feare, that I was
afrayd of this night. 6 Now therfore I wil pray the Highest, that he
strengthen me euen to the end. 7 And I sayd: Lord Dominatour, if I haue
found grace before thine eyes, and if I am iustified before thee aboue
manie, and if in deede my prayer be ascended before thy face,
8 strengthen me, and shew vnto me thy seruant the interpretation, and
distinction of this horrible vision, that thou mayst comfort my soule
most fully. 9 For thou hast counted me worthie to shew vnto me the later
times. And he sayd to me: 10 This is the interpretation of this vision.
11 The eagle which thou sawest coming vp from the sea, this is the
kingdom which was sene in a vision to Daniel thy brother. (Dan 7:7)
12 But it was not interpreted to him, therfore I do now interprete it to
thee. 13 Behold the dayes come, and there shal rise a kingdon vpon the
earth, and the feare shal be more terrible then of al the kingdomes that
were before it. 14 And there shal twelue kinges reigne in it, one after
an other. 15 For the second shal beginne to reigne, and he shal continew
more time then the rest of the twelue. 16 This is the interpretation of
the twelue winges which thou sawest. 17 And the voice that spake which
thou heardst, not coming forth of her heads, but from the middes of her
bodie, 18 this is the interpretation, that after the time of that kingdom
shal rise no smal contentions, and it shal be in danger to fal: and it
shal not fal then, but shal be constituted againe according to the
beginning therof. 19 And wheras thou sawest eight vnderwings cleauing to
the wings therof, 20 this is the interpretation, eight kinges shal arise
in it, whose times shal be light, and yeares swift, and two of them shal
perish. 21 But when the middest time approcheth, foure shal be kept til
a time, when the time therof shal beginne to approch to be ended, yet two
shal be kept to the end. 22 And wheras thou sawest three heads resting,
23 this is the interpretation: in her last dayes the Highest wil rayse
vp three kingdoms, and wil cal backe manie thinges into them, and they
shal rule ouer the earth, 24 and them that dwel in it, with much labour
aboue al them that vvere before them. For this cause they are called the
heads of the eagle. 25 For these shal be they that shal recapitulate her
impieties, and that shal accomplish her last thinges. 26 And wheras thou
sawest a greater head not appearing, this is the interpretation therof:
that one of them shal dye vpon his bed, and yet with torments. 27 For
the two that shal remayne, the sword shal eate them. 28 For the sword of
one shal deuoure him that is with him: but yet this also at the last
shal fal by the sword. 29 And wheras thou sawest two vnderwings passing
ouer the head that is on the right side, 30 this is the interpretation:
these are they whom the Highest hath kept to their end, this is a smal
kingdom, and ful of truble. 31 As thou sawest the lyon also, whom thou
sawest awaking out of the wood, and roaring, and speaking to the eagle,
and rebuking her, and her iniustices by al his wordes as thou hast heard:
32 this is the wynde which the Highest hath kept vnto the end for them,
and their impieties: and he shal rebuke them, and shal cast in their
spoyles before them. 33 For he shal sette them in iudgment aliue: and
it shal be, when he hath reproued them, then shal he chastise them.
34 For the rest of my people he shal deliuer with miserie, them that are
saued vpon my borders, and he shal make them ioyful til the end shal
come, the day of iudgment, wherof I haue spoken to thee from the
beginning. 35 This is the dreame which thou sawest, and these be the
interpretations. 36 Thou therfore only hast bene worthie to know this
secrete of the Highest. 37 Write therfore in a booke al these thinges
which thou hast sene, and put them in a hidden place: 38 and thou shalt
teach them the wise men of thy people, whose harts thou knowest able to
take, and to kepe these secretes. 39 But doe thou stay here yet other
seuen dayes, that there may be shewed thee whatsoeuer shal seme good to
the Highest to shew thee. 40 And he departed from me. And it came to
passe, when al the people had heard that the seuen dayes were past, and I
had not returned into the citie, and al gathered them selues together
from the least vnto the greatest: & came to me, & spake to me saying:
41 What haue we sinned to thee, or what haue we done vniustly against
thee, that leauing vs thou hast sitten in this place? 42 For thou alone
art remayning to vs of al peoples, as a cluster of grapes of the
vineyard, and as a candle in a darke place, and as an hauen and shippe
saued from the tempest. 43 Or are not the euiles that chance, sufficient
for vs? 44 If then thou shalt forsake vs, how much better had it bene to
vs, if we also had bene burnt with the burning of Sion? 45 For we are
not better then they that dyed there. And they wept with a lowd voice.
And I answered them, and sayd: 46 Be of good chere Israel, and be not
sorowful thou house of Iacob. 47 For there is remebrance of you before
the Highest, and the Strong hath not forgotten you in tentation. 48 For
I haue not forsaken you, neither did I depart form you: but I came into
this place, to pray for the desolation of Sion, and to seeke mercie for
the low estate of your sanctification. 49 And now goe euery one of you
into his house, and I wil come to you after these dayes. 50 And the
people departed, as I sayd to them, into the citie: 51 but I sate in the
fielde seuen dayes, as he commanded me: and I did eate of the flowers of
the field only, of the herbes was my meate made in those dayes.