7:55 And that the faces of them which have used abstinence shall shine
above the stars, whereas our faces shall be blacker than darkness?
7:56 For while we lived and committed iniquity, we considered not that
we should begin to suffer for it after death.
7:57 Then answered he me, and said, This is the condition of the
battle, which man that is born upon the earth shall fight;
7:58 That, if he be overcome, he shall suffer as thou hast said: but if
he get the victory, he shall receive the thing that I say.
7:59 For this is the life whereof Moses spake unto the people while he
lived, saying, Choose thee life, that thou mayest live.
7:60 Nevertheless they believed not him, nor yet the prophets after
him, no nor me which have spoken unto them,
7:61 That there should not be such heaviness in their destruction, as
shall be joy over them that are persuaded to salvation.
7:62 I answered then, and said, I know, Lord, that the most High is
called merciful, in that he hath mercy upon them which are not yet come
into the world,
7:63 And upon those also that turn to his law;
7:64 And that he is patient, and long suffereth those that have sinned,
as his creatures;
7:65 And that he is bountiful, for he is ready to give where it
needeth;
7:66 And that he is of great mercy, for he multiplieth more and more
mercies to them that are present, and that are past, and also to them
which are to come.
7:67 For if he shall not multiply his mercies, the world would not
continue with them that inherit therein.
7:68 And he pardoneth; for if he did not so of his goodness, that they
which have committed iniquities might be eased of them, the ten
thousandth part of men should not remain living.
7:69 And being judge, if he should not forgive them that are cured with
his word, and put out the multitude of contentions,
7:70 There should be very few left peradventure in an innumerable
multitude.
8:1 And he answered me, saying, The most High hath made this world for
many, but the world to come for few.
8:2 I will tell thee a similitude, Esdras; As when thou askest the
earth, it shall say unto thee, that it giveth much mould whereof
earthen vessels are made, but little dust that gold cometh of: even so
is the course of this present world.
8:3 There be many created, but few shall be saved.
8:4 So answered I and said, Swallow then down, O my soul,
understanding, and devour wisdom.
8:5 For thou hast agreed to give ear, and art willing to prophesy: for
thou hast no longer space than only to live.
8:6 O Lord, if thou suffer not thy servant, that we may pray before
thee, and thou give us seed unto our heart, and culture to our
understanding, that there may come fruit of it; how shall each man live
that is corrupt, who beareth the place of a man?
8:7 For thou art alone, and we all one workmanship of thine hands, like
as thou hast said.
8:8 For when the body is fashioned now in the mother’s womb, and thou
givest it members, thy creature is preserved in fire and water, and
nine months doth thy workmanship endure thy creature which is created
in her.
8:9 But that which keepeth and is kept shall both be preserved: and
when the time cometh, the womb preserved delivereth up the things that
grew in it.
8:10 For thou hast commanded out of the parts of the body, that is to
say, out of the breasts, milk to be given, which is the fruit of the
breasts,
8:11 That the thing which is fashioned may be nourished for a time,
till thou disposest it to thy mercy.
8:12 Thou broughtest it up with thy righteousness, and nurturedst it in
thy law, and reformedst it with thy judgment.
8:13 And thou shalt mortify it as thy creature, and quicken it as thy
work.
8:14 If therefore thou shalt destroy him which with so great labour was
fashioned, it is an easy thing to be ordained by thy commandment, that
the thing which was made might be preserved.
8:15 Now therefore, Lord, I will speak; touching man in general, thou
knowest best; but touching thy people, for whose sake I am sorry;
8:16 And for thine inheritance, for whose cause I mourn; and for
Israel, for whom I am heavy; and for Jacob, for whose sake I am
troubled;
8:17 Therefore will I begin to pray before thee for myself and for
them: for I see the falls of us that dwell in the land.
8:18 But I have heard the swiftness of the judge which is to come.
8:19 Therefore hear my voice, and understand my words, and I shall
speak before thee. This is the beginning of the words of Esdras, before
he was taken up: and I said,
8:20 O Lord, thou that dwellest in everlastingness which beholdest from
above things in the heaven and in the air;
8:21 Whose throne is inestimable; whose glory may not be comprehended;
before whom the hosts of angels stand with trembling,
8:22 Whose service is conversant in wind and fire; whose word is true,
and sayings constant; whose commandment is strong, and ordinance
fearful;
8:23 Whose look drieth up the depths, and indignation maketh the
mountains to melt away; which the truth witnesseth:
8:24 O hear the prayer of thy servant, and give ear to the petition of
thy creature.
8:25 For while I live I will speak, and so long as I have understanding
I will answer.
8:26 O look not upon the sins of thy people; but on them which serve
thee in truth.
8:27 Regard not the wicked inventions of the heathen, but the desire of
those that keep thy testimonies in afflictions.
8:28 Think not upon those that have walked feignedly before thee: but
remember them, which according to thy will have known thy fear.
8:29 Let it not be thy will to destroy them which have lived like
beasts; but to look upon them that have clearly taught thy law.
8:30 Take thou no indignation at them which are deemed worse than
beasts; but love them that always put their trust in thy righteousness
and glory.
8:31 For we and our fathers do languish of such diseases: but because
of us sinners thou shalt be called merciful.
8:32 For if thou hast a desire to have mercy upon us, thou shalt be
called merciful, to us namely, that have no works of righteousness.
8:33 For the just, which have many good works laid up with thee, shall
out of their own deeds receive reward.
8:34 For what is man, that thou shouldest take displeasure at him? or
what is a corruptible generation, that thou shouldest be so bitter
toward it?
8:35 For in truth them is no man among them that be born, but he hath
dealt wickedly; and among the faithful there is none which hath not
done amiss.
8:36 For in this, O Lord, thy righteousness and thy goodness shall be
declared, if thou be merciful unto them which have not the confidence
of good works.
8:37 Then answered he me, and said, Some things hast thou spoken
aright, and according unto thy words it shall be.
8:38 For indeed I will not think on the disposition of them which have
sinned before death, before judgment, before destruction:
8:39 But I will rejoice over the disposition of the righteous, and I
will remember also their pilgrimage, and the salvation, and the reward,
that they shall have.
8:40 Like as I have spoken now, so shall it come to pass.
8:41 For as the husbandman soweth much seed upon the ground, and
planteth many trees, and yet the thing that is sown good in his season
cometh not up, neither doth all that is planted take root: even so is
it of them that are sown in the world; they shall not all be saved.
8:42 I answered then and said, If I have found grace, let me speak.
8:43 Like as the husbandman’s seed perisheth, if it come not up, and
receive not thy rain in due season; or if there come too much rain, and
corrupt it:
8:44 Even so perisheth man also, which is formed with thy hands, and is
called thine own image, because thou art like unto him, for whose sake
thou hast made all things, and likened him unto the husbandman’s seed.
8:45 Be not wroth with us but spare thy people, and have mercy upon
thine own inheritance: for thou art merciful unto thy creature.
8:46 Then answered he me, and said, Things present are for the present,
and things to cometh for such as be to come.
8:47 For thou comest far short that thou shouldest be able to love my
creature more than I: but I have ofttimes drawn nigh unto thee, and
unto it, but never to the unrighteous.
8:48 In this also thou art marvellous before the most High:
8:49 In that thou hast humbled thyself, as it becometh thee, and hast
not judged thyself worthy to be much glorified among the righteous.
8:50 For many great miseries shall be done to them that in the latter
time shall dwell in the world, because they have walked in great pride.
8:51 But understand thou for thyself, and seek out the glory for such
as be like thee.
8:52 For unto you is paradise opened, the tree of life is planted, the
time to come is prepared, plenteousness is made ready, a city is
builded, and rest is allowed, yea, perfect goodness and wisdom.
8:53 The root of evil is sealed up from you, weakness and the moth is
hid from you, and corruption is fled into hell to be forgotten:
8:54 Sorrows are passed, and in the end is shewed the treasure of
immortality.
8:55 And therefore ask thou no more questions concerning the multitude
of them that perish.
8:56 For when they had taken liberty, they despised the most High,
thought scorn of his law, and forsook his ways.
8:57 Moreover they have trodden down his righteous,
8:58 And said in their heart, that there is no God; yea, and that
knowing they must die.
8:59 For as the things aforesaid shalt receive you, so thirst and pain
are prepared for them: for it was not his will that men should come to
nought:
8:60 But they which be created have defiled the name of him that made
them, and were unthankful unto him which prepared life for them.
8:61 And therefore is my judgment now at hand.
8:62 These things have I not shewed unto all men, but unto thee, and a
few like thee. Then answered I and said,
8:63 Behold, O Lord, now hast thou shewed me the multitude of the
wonders, which thou wilt begin to do in the last times: but at what
time, thou hast not shewed me.
9:1 He answered me then, and said, Measure thou the time diligently in
itself: and when thou seest part of the signs past, which I have told
thee before,
9:2 Then shalt thou understand, that it is the very same time, wherein
the Highest will begin to visit the world which he made.
9:3 Therefore when there shall be seen earthquakes and uproars of the
people in the world:
9:4 Then shalt thou well understand, that the most High spake of those
things from the days that were before thee, even from the beginning.
9:5 For like as all that is made in the world hath a beginning and an
end, and the end is manifest:
9:6 Even so the times also of the Highest have plain beginnings in
wonder and powerful works, and endings in effects and signs.
9:7 And every one that shall be saved, and shall be able to escape by
his works, and by faith, whereby ye have believed,
9:8 Shall be preserved from the said perils, and shall see my salvation
in my land, and within my borders: for I have sanctified them for me
from the beginning.
9:9 Then shall they be in pitiful case, which now have abused my ways:
and they that have cast them away despitefully shall dwell in torments.
9:10 For such as in their life have received benefits, and have not
known me;
9:11 And they that have loathed my law, while they had yet liberty,
and, when as yet place of repentance was open unto them, understood
not, but despised it;
9:12 The same must know it after death by pain.
9:13 And therefore be thou not curious how the ungodly shall be
punished, and when: but enquire how the righteous shall be saved, whose
the world is, and for whom the world is created.
9:14 Then answered I and said,
9:15 I have said before, and now do speak, and will speak it also
hereafter, that there be many more of them which perish, than of them
which shall be saved:
9:16 Like as a wave is greater than a drop.
9:17 And he answered me, saying, Like as the field is, so is also the
seed; as the flowers be, such are the colours also; such as the workman
is, such also is the work; and as the husbandman is himself, so is his
husbandry also: for it was the time of the world.
9:18 And now when I prepared the world, which was not yet made, even
for them to dwell in that now live, no man spake against me.
9:19 For then every one obeyed: but now the manners of them which are
created in this world that is made are corrupted by a perpetual seed,
and by a law which is unsearchable rid themselves.
9:20 So I considered the world, and, behold, there was peril because of
the devices that were come into it.
9:21 And I saw, and spared it greatly, and have kept me a grape of the
cluster, and a plant of a great people.
9:22 Let the multitude perish then, which was born in vain; and let my
grape be kept, and my plant; for with great labour have I made it
perfect.
9:23 Nevertheless, if thou wilt cease yet seven days more, (but thou
shalt not fast in them,
9:24 But go into a field of flowers, where no house is builded, and eat
only the flowers of the field; taste no flesh, drink no wine, but eat
flowers only;)
9:25 And pray unto the Highest continually, then will I come and talk
with thee.
9:26 So I went my way into the field which is called Ardath, like as he
commanded me; and there I sat among the flowers, and did eat of the
herbs of the field, and the meat of the same satisfied me.
9:27 After seven days I sat upon the grass, and my heart was vexed
within me, like as before:
9:28 And I opened my mouth, and began to talk before the most High, and
said,
9:29 O Lord, thou that shewest thyself unto us, thou wast shewed unto
our fathers in the wilderness, in a place where no man treadeth, in a
barren place, when they came out of Egypt.
9:30 And thou spakest saying, Hear me, O Israel; and mark my words,
thou seed of Jacob.
9:31 For, behold, I sow my law in you, and it shall bring fruit in you,
and ye shall be honoured in it for ever.
9:32 But our fathers, which received the law, kept it not, and observed
not thy ordinances: and though the fruit of thy law did not perish,
neither could it, for it was thine;
9:33 Yet they that received it perished, because they kept not the
thing that was sown in them.
9:34 And, lo, it is a custom, when the ground hath received seed, or
the sea a ship, or any vessel meat or drink, that, that being perished
wherein it was sown or cast into,
9:35 That thing also which was sown, or cast therein, or received, doth
perish, and remaineth not with us: but with us it hath not happened so.
9:36 For we that have received the law perish by sin, and our heart
also which received it
9:37 Notwithstanding the law perisheth not, but remaineth in his force.
9:38 And when I spake these things in my heart, I looked back with mine
eyes, and upon the right side I saw a woman, and, behold, she mourned
and wept with a loud voice, and was much grieved in heart, and her
clothes were rent, and she had ashes upon her head.
9:39 Then let I my thoughts go that I was in, and turned me unto her,
9:40 And said unto her, Wherefore weepest thou? why art thou so grieved
in thy mind?
9:41 And she said unto me, Sir, let me alone, that I may bewail myself,
and add unto my sorrow, for I am sore vexed in my mind, and brought
very low.
9:42 And I said unto her, What aileth thee? tell me.
9:43 She said unto me, I thy servant have been barren, and had no
child, though I had an husband thirty years,
9:44 And those thirty years I did nothing else day and night, and every
hour, but make my, prayer to the Highest.
9:45 After thirty years God heard me thine handmaid, looked upon my
misery, considered my trouble, and gave me a son: and I was very glad
of him, so was my husband also, and all my neighbours: and we gave
great honour unto the Almighty.
9:46 And I nourished him with great travail.
9:47 So when he grew up, and came to the time that he should have a
wife, I made a feast.
10:1 And it so came to pass, that when my son was entered into his
wedding chamber, he fell down, and died.
10:2 Then we all overthrew the lights, and all my neighbours rose up to
comfort me: so I took my rest unto the second day at night.
10:3 And it came to pass, when they had all left off to comfort me, to
the end I might be quiet; then rose I up by night and fled, and came
hither into this field, as thou seest.
10:4 And I do now purpose not to return into the city, but here to
stay, and neither to eat nor drink, but continually to mourn and to
fast until I die.
10:5 Then left I the meditations wherein I was, and spake to her in
anger, saying,
10:6 Thou foolish woman above all other, seest thou not our mourning,
and what happeneth unto us?
10:7 How that Sion our mother is full of all heaviness, and much
humbled, mourning very sore?
10:8 And now, seeing we all mourn and are sad, for we are all in
heaviness, art thou grieved for one son?
10:9 For ask the earth, and she shall tell thee, that it is she which
ought to mourn for the fall of so many that grow upon her.
10:10 For out of her came all at the first, and out of her shall all
others come, and, behold, they walk almost all into destruction, and a
multitude of them is utterly rooted out.
10:11 Who then should make more mourning than she, that hath lost so
great a multitude; and not thou, which art sorry but for one?
10:12 But if thou sayest unto me, My lamentation is not like the
earth’s, because I have lost the fruit of my womb, which I brought
forth with pains, and bare with sorrows;
10:13 But the earth not so: for the multitude present in it according
to the course of the earth is gone, as it came:
10:14 Then say I unto thee, Like as thou hast brought forth with
labour; even so the earth also hath given her fruit, namely, man, ever
since the beginning unto him that made her.
10:15 Now therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself, and bear with a good
courage that which hath befallen thee.
10:16 For if thou shalt acknowledge the determination of God to be
just, thou shalt both receive thy son in time, and shalt be commended
among women.
10:17 Go thy way then into the city to thine husband.
10:18 And she said unto me, That will I not do: I will not go into the
city, but here will I die.
10:19 So I proceeded to speak further unto her, and said,
10:20 Do not so, but be counselled by me: for how many are the
adversities of Sion? be comforted in regard of the sorrow of Jerusalem.
10:21 For thou seest that our sanctuary is laid waste, our altar broken
down, our temple destroyed;
10:22 Our psaltery is laid on the ground, 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 spoiled, our holy things are defiled, and
the name that is called upon us is almost profaned: our children are
put to shame, our priests are burnt, our Levites are gone into
captivity, our virgins are defiled, and our wives ravished; our
righteous men carried away, our little ones destroyed, our young men
are brought in bondage, and our strong men are become weak;
10:23 And, which is the greatest of all, the seal of Sion hath now lost
her honour; for she is delivered into the hands of them that hate us.
10:24 And therefore shake off thy great heaviness, and put away the
multitude of sorrows, that the Mighty may be merciful unto thee again,
and the Highest shall give thee rest and ease from thy labour.
10:25 And it came to pass while I was talking with her, behold, her
face upon a sudden shined exceedingly, and her countenance glistered,
so that I was afraid of her, and mused what it might be.
10:26 And, behold, suddenly she made a great cry very fearful: so that
the earth shook at the noise of the woman.
10:27 And I looked, and, behold, the woman appeared unto me no more,
but there was a city builded, and a large place shewed itself from the
foundations: then was I afraid, and cried with a loud voice, and said,
10:28 Where is Uriel the angel, who came unto me at the first? for he
hath caused me to fall into many trances, and mine end is turned into
corruption, and my prayer to rebuke.
10:29 And as I was speaking these words behold, he came unto me, and
looked upon me.
10:30 And, lo, I lay as one that had been dead, and mine understanding
was taken from me: and he took me by the right hand, and comforted me,
and set me upon my feet, and said unto me,
10:31 What aileth thee? and why art thou so disquieted? and why is
thine understanding troubled, and the thoughts of thine heart?
10:32 And I said, Because thou hast forsaken me, and yet I did
according to thy words, and I went into the field, and, lo, I have
seen, and yet see, that I am not able to express.
10:33 And he said unto me, Stand up manfully, and I will advise thee.
10:34 Then said I, Speak on, my lord, in me; only forsake me not, lest
I die frustrate of my hope.
10:35 For I have seen that I knew not, and hear that I do not know.
10:36 Or is my sense deceived, or my soul in a dream?
10:37 Now therefore I beseech thee that thou wilt shew thy servant of
this vision.
10:38 He answered me then, and said, Hear me, and I shall inform thee,
and tell thee wherefore thou art afraid: for the Highest will reveal
many secret things unto thee.
10:39 He hath seen that thy way is right: for that thou sorrowest
continually for thy people, and makest great lamentation for Sion.
10:40 This therefore is the meaning of the vision which thou lately
sawest:
10:41 Thou sawest a woman mourning, and thou begannest to comfort her:
10:42 But now seest thou the likeness of the woman no more, but there
appeared unto thee a city builded.
10:43 And whereas she told thee of the death of her son, this is the
solution:
10:44 This woman, whom thou sawest is Sion: and whereas she said unto
thee, even she whom thou seest as a city builded,
10:45 Whereas, I say, she said unto thee, that she hath been thirty
years barren: those are the thirty years wherein there was no offering
made in her.
10:46 But after thirty years Solomon builded the city and offered
offerings: and then bare the barren a son.
10:47 And whereas she told thee that she nourished him with labour:
that was the dwelling in Jerusalem.
10:48 But whereas she said unto thee, That my son coming into his
marriage chamber happened to have a fail, and died: this was the
destruction that came to Jerusalem.
10:49 And, behold, thou sawest her likeness, and because she mourned
for her son, thou begannest to comfort her: and of these things which
have chanced, these are to be opened unto thee.
10:50 For now the most High seeth that thou art grieved unfeignedly,
and sufferest from thy whole heart for her, so hath he shewed thee the
brightness of her glory, and the comeliness of her beauty:
10:51 And therefore I bade thee remain in the field where no house was
builded:
10:52 For I knew that the Highest would shew this unto thee.
10:53 Therefore I commanded thee to go into the field, where no
foundation of any building was.
10:54 For in the place wherein the Highest beginneth to shew his city,
there can no man’s building be able to stand.
10:55 And therefore fear not, let not thine heart be affrighted, but go
thy way in, and see the beauty and greatness of the building, as much
as thine eyes be able to see:
10:56 And then shalt thou hear as much as thine ears may comprehend.
10:57 For thou art blessed above many other, and art called with the
Highest; and so are but few.
10:58 But to morrow at night thou shalt remain here;
10:59 And so shall the Highest shew thee visions of the high things,
which the most High will do unto them that dwell upon the earth in the
last days. So I slept that night and another, like as he commanded me.
11:1 Then saw I a dream, and, behold, there came up from the sea an
eagle, which had twelve feathered wings, and three heads.
11:2 And I saw, and, behold, she spread her wings over all the earth,
and all the winds of the air blew on her, and were gathered together.
11:3 And I beheld, and out of her feathers there grew other contrary
feathers; and they became little feathers and small.
11:4 But her heads were at rest: the head in the midst was greater than
the other, yet rested it with the residue.
11:5 Moreover I beheld, and, lo, the eagle flew with her feathers, and
reigned upon earth, and over them that dwelt therein.
11:6 And I saw that all things under heaven were subject unto her, and
no man spake against her, no, not one creature upon earth.
11:7 And I beheld, and, lo, the eagle rose upon her talons, and spake
to her feathers, saying,
11:8 Watch not all at once: sleep every one in his own place, and watch
by course:
11:9 But let the heads be preserved for the last.
11:10 And I beheld, and, lo, the voice went not out of her heads, but
from the midst of her body.
11:11 And I numbered her contrary feathers, and, behold, there were
eight of them.
11:12 And I looked, and, behold, on the right side there arose one
feather, and reigned over all the earth;
11:13 And so it was, that when it reigned, the end of it came, and the
place thereof appeared no more: so the next following stood up, and
reigned, and had a great time;
11:14 And it happened, that when it reigned, the end of it came also,
like as the first, so that it appeared no more.
11:15 Then came there a voice unto it, and said,
11:16 Hear thou that hast borne rule over the earth so long: this I say
unto thee, before thou beginnest to appear no more,
11:17 There shall none after thee attain unto thy time, neither unto
the half thereof.
11:18 Then arose the third, and reigned as the other before, and
appeared no more also.
11:19 So went it with all the residue one after another, as that every
one reigned, and then appeared no more.
11:20 Then I beheld, and, lo, in process of time the feathers that
followed stood up upon the right side, that they might rule also; and
some of them ruled, but within a while they appeared no more:
11:21 For some of them were set up, but ruled not.
11:22 After this I looked, and, behold, the twelve feathers appeared no
more, nor the two little feathers:
11:23 And there was no more upon the eagle’s body, but three heads that
rested, and six little wings.
11:24 Then saw I also that two little feathers divided themselves from
the six, and remained under the head that was upon the right side: for
the four continued in their place.
11:25 And I beheld, and, lo, the feathers that were under the wing
thought to set up themselves and to have the rule.
11:26 And I beheld, and, lo, there was one set up, but shortly it
appeared no more.
11:27 And the second was sooner away than the first.
11:28 And I beheld, and, lo, the two that remained thought also in
themselves to reign:
11:29 And when they so thought, behold, there awaked one of the heads
that were at rest, namely, it that was in the midst; for that was
greater than the two other heads.
11:30 And then I saw that the two other heads were joined with it.
11:31 And, behold, the head was turned with them that were with it, and
did eat up the two feathers under the wing that would have reigned.
11:32 But this head put the whole earth in fear, and bare rule in it
over all those that dwelt upon the earth with much oppression; and it
had the governance of the world more than all the wings that had been.
11:33 And after this I beheld, and, lo, the head that was in the midst
suddenly appeared no more, like as the wings.
11:34 But there remained the two heads, which also in like sort ruled
upon the earth, and over those that dwelt therein.
11:35 And I beheld, and, lo, the head upon the right side devoured it
that was upon the left side.
11:36 Then I head a voice, which said unto me, Look before thee, and
consider the thing that thou seest.
11:37 And I beheld, and lo, as it were a roaring lion chased out of the
wood: and I saw that he sent out a man’s voice unto the eagle, and
said,
11:38 Hear thou, I will talk with thee, and the Highest shall say unto
thee,
11:39 Art not thou it that remainest of the four beasts, whom I made to
reign in my world, that the end of their times might come through them?
11:40 And the fourth came, and overcame all the beasts that were past,
and had power over the world with great fearfulness, and over the whole
compass of the earth with much wicked oppression; and so long time
dwelt he upon the earth with deceit.
11:41 For the earth hast thou not judged with truth.
11:42 For thou hast afflicted the meek, thou hast hurt the peaceable,
thou hast loved liars, and destroyed the dwellings of them that brought
forth fruit, and hast cast down the walls of such as did thee no harm.
11:43 Therefore is thy wrongful dealing come up unto the Highest, and
thy pride unto the Mighty.
11:44 The Highest also hath looked upon the proud times, and, behold,
they are ended, and his abominations are fulfilled.
11:45 And therefore appear no more, thou eagle, nor thy horrible wings,
nor thy wicked feathers nor thy malicious heads, nor thy hurtful claws,
nor all thy vain body:
11:46 That all the earth may be refreshed, and may return, being
delivered from thy violence, and that she may hope for the judgment and
mercy of him that made her.
12:1 And it came to pass, whiles the lion spake these words unto the
eagle, I saw,
12:2 And, behold, the head that remained and the four wings appeared no
more, and the two went unto it and set themselves up to reign, and
their kingdom was small, and fill of uproar.
12:3 And I saw, and, behold, they appeared no more, and the whole body
of the eagle was burnt so that the earth was in great fear: then awaked
I out of the trouble and trance of my mind, and from great fear, and
said unto my spirit,
12:4 Lo, this hast thou done unto me, in that thou searchest out the
ways of the Highest.
12:5 Lo, yet am I weary in my mind, and very weak in my spirit; and
little strength is there in me, for the great fear wherewith I was
afflicted this night.
12:6 Therefore will I now beseech the Highest, that he will comfort me
unto the end.
12:7 And I said, Lord that bearest rule, if I have found grace before
thy sight, and if I am justified with thee before many others, and if
my prayer indeed be come up before thy face;
12:8 Comfort me then, and shew me thy servant the interpretation and
plain difference of this fearful vision, that thou mayest perfectly
comfort my soul.
12:9 For thou hast judged me worthy to shew me the last times.
12:10 And he said unto me, This is the interpretation of the vision:
12:11 The eagle, whom thou sawest come up from the sea, is the kingdom
which was seen in the vision of thy brother Daniel.
12:12 But it was not expounded unto him, therefore now I declare it
unto thee.
12:13 Behold, the days will come, that there shall rise up a kingdom
upon earth, and it shall be feared above all the kingdoms that were
before it.
12:14 In the same shall twelve kings reign, one after another:
12:15 Whereof the second shall begin to reign, and shall have more time
than any of the twelve.
12:16 And this do the twelve wings signify, which thou sawest.
12:17 As for the voice which thou heardest speak, and that thou sawest
not to go out from the heads but from the midst of the body thereof,
this is the interpretation:
12:18 That after the time of that kingdom there shall arise great
strivings, and it shall stand in peril of failing: nevertheless it
shall not then fall, but shall be restored again to his beginning.
12:19 And whereas thou sawest the eight small under feathers sticking
to her wings, this is the interpretation:
12:20 That in him there shall arise eight kings, whose times shall be
but small, and their years swift.
12:21 And two of them shall perish, the middle time approaching: four
shall be kept until their end begin to approach: but two shall be kept
unto the end.
12:22 And whereas thou sawest three heads resting, this is the
interpretation:
12:23 In his last days shall the most High raise up three kingdoms, and
renew many things therein, and they shall have the dominion of the
earth,
12:24 And of those that dwell therein, with much oppression, above all
those that were before them: therefore are they called the heads of the
eagle.
12:25 For these are they that shall accomplish his wickedness, and that
shall finish his last end.
12:26 And whereas thou sawest that the great head appeared no more, it
signifieth that one of them shall die upon his bed, and yet with pain.
12:27 For the two that remain shall be slain with the sword.
12:28 For the sword of the one shall devour the other: but at the last
shall he fall through the sword himself.
12:29 And whereas thou sawest two feathers under the wings passing over
the head that is on the right side;
12:30 It signifieth that these are they, whom the Highest hath kept
unto their end: this is the small kingdom and full of trouble, as thou
sawest.
12:31 And the lion, whom thou sawest rising up out of the wood, and
roaring, and speaking to the eagle, and rebuking her for her
unrighteousness with all the words which thou hast heard;
12:32 This is the anointed, which the Highest hath kept for them and
for their wickedness unto the end: he shall reprove them, and shall
upbraid them with their cruelty.
12:33 For he shall set them before him alive in judgment, and shall
rebuke them, and correct them.
12:34 For the rest of my people shall he deliver with mercy, those that
have been pressed upon my borders, and he shall make them joyful until
the coming of the day of judgment, whereof I have spoken unto thee from
the beginning.
12:35 This is the dream that thou sawest, and these are the
interpretations.
12:36 Thou only hast been meet to know this secret of the Highest.
12:37 Therefore write all these things that thou hast seen in a book,
and hide them:
12:38 And teach them to the wise of the people, whose hearts thou
knowest may comprehend and keep these secrets.
12:39 But wait thou here thyself yet seven days more, that it may be
shewed thee, whatsoever it pleaseth the Highest to declare unto thee.
And with that he went his way.
12:40 And it came to pass, when all the people saw that the seven days
were past, and I not come again into the city, they gathered them all
together, from the least unto the greatest, and came unto me, and said,
12:41 What have we offended thee? and what evil have we done against
thee, that thou forsakest us, and sittest here in this place?
12:42 For of all the prophets thou only art left us, as a cluster of
the vintage, and as a candle in a dark place, and as a haven or ship
preserved from the tempest.
12:43 Are not the evils which are come to us sufficient?
12:44 If thou shalt forsake us, how much better had it been for us, if
we also had been burned in the midst of Sion?
12:45 For we are not better than they that died there. And they wept
with a loud voice. Then answered I them, and said,
12:46 Be of good comfort, O Israel; and be not heavy, thou house of
Jacob:
12:47 For the Highest hath you in remembrance, and the Mighty hath not
forgotten you in temptation.
12:48 As for me, I have not forsaken you, neither am I departed from
you: but am come into this place, to pray for the desolation of Sion,
and that I might seek mercy for the low estate of your sanctuary.
12:49 And now go your way home every man, and after these days will I
come unto you.
12:50 So the people went their way into the city, like as I commanded
them:
12:51 But I remained still in the field seven days, as the angel
commanded me; and did eat only in those days of the flowers of the
field, and had my meat of the herbs
13:1 And it came to pass after seven days, I dreamed a dream by night:
13:2 And, lo, there arose a wind from the sea, that it moved all the
waves thereof.
13:3 And I beheld, and, lo, that man waxed strong with the thousands of
heaven: and when he turned his countenance to look, all the things
trembled that were seen under him.
13:4 And whensoever the voice went out of his mouth, all they burned
that heard his voice, like as the earth faileth when it feeleth the
fire.
13:5 And after this I beheld, and, lo, there was gathered together a
multitude of men, out of number, from the four winds of the heaven, to
subdue the man that came out of the sea
13:6 But I beheld, and, lo, he had graved himself a great mountain, and
flew up upon it.
13:7 But I would have seen the region or place whereout the hill was
graven, and I could not.
13:8 And after this I beheld, and, lo, all they which were gathered
together to subdue him were sore afraid, and yet durst fight.
13:9 And, lo, as he saw the violence of the multitude that came, he
neither lifted up his hand, nor held sword, nor any instrument of war:
13:10 But only I saw that he sent out of his mouth as it had been a
blast of fire, and out of his lips a flaming breath, and out of his
tongue he cast out sparks and tempests.
13:11 And they were all mixed together; the blast of fire, the flaming
breath, and the great tempest; and fell with violence upon the
multitude which was prepared to fight, and burned them up every one, so
that upon a sudden of an innumerable multitude nothing was to be
perceived, but only dust and smell of smoke: when I saw this I was
afraid.
13:12 Afterward saw I the same man come down from the mountain, and
call unto him another peaceable Multitude.
13:13 And there came much people unto him, whereof some were glad, some
were sorry, and some of them were bound, and other some brought of them
that were offered: then was I sick through great fear, and I awaked,
and said,
13:14 Thou hast shewed thy servant these wonders from the beginning,
and hast counted me worthy that thou shouldest receive my prayer:
13:15 Shew me now yet the interpretation of this dream.
13:16 For as I conceive in mine understanding, woe unto them that shall
be left in those days and much more woe unto them that are not left
behind!
13:17 For they that were not left were in heaviness.
13:18 Now understand I the things that are laid up in the latter days,
which shall happen unto them, and to those that are left behind.
13:19 Therefore are they come into great perils and many necessities,
like as these dreams declare.
13:20 Yet is it easier for him that is in danger to come into these
things, than to pass away as a cloud out of the world, and not to see
the things that happen in the last days. And he answered unto me, and
said,
13:21 The interpretation of the vision shall I shew thee, and I will
open unto thee the thing that thou hast required.
13:22 Whereas thou hast spoken of them that are left behind, this is
the interpretation:
13:23 He that shall endure the peril in that time hath kept himself:
they that be fallen into danger are such as have works, and faith
toward the Almighty.
13:24 Know this therefore, that they which be left behind are more
blessed than they that be dead.
13:25 This is the meaning of the vision: Whereas thou sawest a man
coming up from the midst of the sea:
13:26 The same is he whom God the Highest hath kept a great season,
which by his own self shall deliver his creature: and he shall order
them that are left behind.
13:27 And whereas thou sawest, that out of his mouth there came as a
blast of wind, and fire, and storm;
13:28 And that he held neither sword, nor any instrument of war, but
that the rushing in of him destroyed the whole multitude that came to
subdue him; this is the interpretation:
13:29 Behold, the days come, when the most High will begin to deliver
them that are upon the earth.
13:30 And he shall come to the astonishment of them that dwell on the
earth.
13:31 And one shall undertake to fight against another, one city
against another, one place against another, one people against another,
and one realm against another.
13:32 And the time shall be when these things shall come to pass, and
the signs shall happen which I shewed thee before, and then shall my
Son be declared, whom thou sawest as a man ascending.
13:33 And when all the people hear his voice, every man shall in their
own land leave the battle they have one against another.
13:34 And an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together, as thou
sawest them, willing to come, and to overcome him by fighting.
13:35 But he shall stand upon the top of the mount Sion.
13:36 And Sion shall come, and shall be shewed to all men, being
prepared and builded, like as thou sawest the hill graven without
hands.
13:37 And this my Son shall rebuke the wicked inventions of those
nations, which for their wicked life are fallen into the tempest;
13:38 And shall lay before them their evil thoughts, and the torments
wherewith they shall begin to be tormented, which are like unto a
flame: and he shall destroy them without labour by the law which is
like unto me.
13:39 And whereas thou sawest that he gathered another peaceable
multitude unto him;
13:40 Those are the ten tribes, which were carried away prisoners out
of their own land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanasar the
king of Assyria led away captive, and he carried them over the waters,
and so came they into another land.
13:41 But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would
leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a further
country, where never mankind dwelt,
13:42 That they might there keep their statutes, which they never kept
in their own land.
13:43 And they entered into Euphrates by the narrow places of the
river.
13:44 For the most High then shewed signs for them, and held still the
flood, till they were passed over.
13:45 For through that country there was a great way to go, namely, of
a year and a half: and the same region is called Arsareth.
13:46 Then dwelt they there until the latter time; and now when they
shall begin to come,
13:47 The Highest shall stay the springs of the stream again, that they
may go through: therefore sawest thou the multitude with peace.
13:48 But those that be left behind of thy people are they that are
found within my borders.
13:49 Now when he destroyeth the multitude of the nations that are
gathered together, he shall defend his people that remain.
13:50 And then shall he shew them great wonders.
13:51 Then said I, O Lord that bearest rule, shew me this: Wherefore
have I seen the man coming up from the midst of the sea?
13:52 And he said unto me, Like as thou canst neither seek out nor know
the things that are in the deep of the sea: even so can no man upon
earth see my Son, or those that be with him, but in the day time.
13:53 This is the interpretation of the dream which thou sawest, and
whereby thou only art here lightened.
13:54 For thou hast forsaken thine own way, and applied thy diligence
unto my law, and sought it.
13:55 Thy life hast thou ordered in wisdom, and hast called
understanding thy mother.
13:56 And therefore have I shewed thee the treasures of the Highest:
after other three days I will speak other things unto thee, and declare
unto thee mighty and wondrous things.
13:57 Then went I forth into the field, giving praise and thanks
greatly unto the most High because of his wonders which he did in time;
13:58 And because he governeth the same, and such things as fall in
their seasons: and there I sat three days.
14:1 And it came to pass upon the third day, I sat under an oak, and,
behold, there came a voice out of a bush over against me, and said,
Esdras, Esdras.
14:2 And I said, Here am I, Lord And I stood up upon my feet.
14:3 Then said he unto me, In the bush I did manifestly reveal myself
unto Moses, and talked with him, when my people served in Egypt:
14:4 And I sent him and led my people out of Egypt, and brought him up
to the mount of where I held him by me a long season,
14:5 And told him many wondrous things, and shewed him the secrets of
the times, and the end; and commanded him, saying,
14:6 These words shalt thou declare, and these shalt thou hide.
14:7 And now I say unto thee,
14:8 That thou lay up in thy heart the signs that I have shewed, and
the dreams that thou hast seen, and the interpretations which thou hast
heard:
14:9 For thou shalt be taken away from all, and from henceforth thou
shalt remain with my Son, and with such as be like thee, until the
times be ended.
14:10 For the world hath lost his youth, and the times begin to wax
old.
14:11 For the world is divided into twelve parts, and the ten parts of
it are gone already, and half of a tenth part:
14:12 And there remaineth that which is after the half of the tenth
part.
14:13 Now therefore set thine house in order, and reprove thy people,
comfort such of them as be in trouble, and now renounce corruption,
14:14 Let go from thee mortal thoughts, cast away the burdens of man,
put off now the weak nature,
14:15 And set aside the thoughts that are most heavy unto thee, and
haste thee to flee from these times.
14:16 For yet greater evils than those which thou hast seen happen
shall be done hereafter.
14:17 For look how much the world shall be weaker through age, so much
the more shall evils increase upon them that dwell therein.
14:18 For the time is fled far away, and leasing is hard at hand: for
now hasteth the vision to come, which thou hast seen.
14:19 Then answered I before thee, and said,
14:20 Behold, Lord, I will go, as thou hast commanded me, and reprove
the people which are present: but they that shall be born afterward,
who shall admonish them? thus the world is set in darkness, and they
that dwell therein are without light.
14:21 For thy law is burnt, therefore no man knoweth the things that
are done of thee, or the work that shall begin.
14:22 But if I have found grace before thee, send the Holy Ghost into
me, and I shall write all that hath been done in the world since the
beginning, which were written in thy law, that men may find thy path,
and that they which will live in the latter days may live.
14:23 And he answered me, saying, Go thy way, gather the people
together, and say unto them, that they seek thee not for forty days.
14:24 But look thou prepare thee many box trees, and take with thee
Sarea, Dabria, Selemia, Ecanus, and Asiel, these five which are ready
to write swiftly;
14:25 And come hither, and I shall light a candle of understanding in
thine heart, which shall not be put out, till the things be performed
which thou shalt begin to write.
14:26 And when thou hast done, some things shalt thou publish, and some
things shalt thou shew secretly to the wise: to morrow this hour shalt
thou begin to write.
14:27 Then went I forth, as he commanded, and gathered all the people
together, and said,
14:28 Hear these words, O Israel.
14:29 Our fathers at the beginning were strangers in Egypt, from whence
they were delivered:
14:30 And received the law of life, which they kept not, which ye also
have transgressed after them.
14:31 Then was the land, even the land of Sion, parted among you by
lot: but your fathers, and ye yourselves, have done unrighteousness,
and have not kept the ways which the Highest commanded you.
14:32 And forasmuch as he is a righteous judge, he took from you in
time the thing that he had given you.
14:33 And now are ye here, and your brethren among you.
14:34 Therefore if so be that ye will subdue your own understanding,
and reform your hearts, ye shall be kept alive and after death ye shall
obtain mercy.
14:35 For after death shall the judgment come, when we shall live
again: and then shall the names of the righteous be manifest, and the
works of the ungodly shall be declared.
14:36 Let no man therefore come unto me now, nor seek after me these
forty days.
14:37 So I took the five men, as he commanded me, and we went into the
field, and remained there.
14:38 And the next day, behold, a voice called me, saying, Esdras, open
thy mouth, and drink that I give thee to drink.
14:39 Then opened I my mouth, and, behold, he reached me a full cup,
which was full as it were with water, but the colour of it was like
fire.
14:40 And I took it, and drank: and when I had drunk of it, my heart
uttered understanding, and wisdom grew in my breast, for my spirit
strengthened my memory:
14:41 And my mouth was opened, and shut no more.
14:42 The Highest gave understanding unto the five men, and they wrote
the wonderful visions of the night that were told, which they knew not:
and they sat forty days, and they wrote in the day, and at night they
ate bread.
14:43 As for me. I spake in the day, and I held not my tongue by night.
14:44 In forty days they wrote two hundred and four books.
14:45 And it came to pass, when the forty days were filled, that the
Highest spake, saying, The first that thou hast written publish openly,
that the worthy and unworthy may read it:
14:46 But keep the seventy last, that thou mayest deliver them only to
such as be wise among the people:
14:47 For in them is the spring of understanding, the fountain of
wisdom, and the stream of knowledge.
14:48 And I did so.
15:1 Behold, speak thou in the ears of my people the words of prophecy,
which I will put in thy mouth, saith the Lord:
15:2 And cause them to be written in paper: for they are faithful and
true.
15:3 Fear not the imaginations against thee, let not the incredulity of
them trouble thee, that speak against thee.
15:4 For all the unfaithful shall die in their unfaithfulness.
15:5 Behold, saith the Lord, I will bring plagues upon the world; the
sword, famine, death, and destruction.
15:6 For wickedness hath exceedingly polluted the whole earth, and
their hurtful works are fulfilled.
15:7 Therefore saith the Lord,
15:8 I will hold my tongue no more as touching their wickedness, which
they profanely commit, neither will I suffer them in those things, in
which they wickedly exercise themselves: behold, the innocent and
righteous blood crieth unto me, and the souls of the just complain
continually.
15:9 And therefore, saith the Lord, I will surely avenge them, and
receive unto me all the innocent blood from among them.
15:10 Behold, my people is led as a flock to the slaughter: I will not
suffer them now to dwell in the land of Egypt:
15:11 But I will bring them with a mighty hand and a stretched out arm,
and smite Egypt with plagues, as before, and will destroy all the land
thereof.
15:12 Egypt shall mourn, and the foundation of it shall be smitten with
the plague and punishment that God shall bring upon it.
15:13 They that till the ground shall mourn: for their seeds shall fail
through the blasting and hail, and with a fearful constellation.
15:14 Woe to the world and them that dwell therein!
15:15 For the sword and their destruction draweth nigh, and one people
shall stand up and fight against another, and swords in their hands.
15:16 For there shall be sedition among men, and invading one another;
they shall not regard their kings nor princes, and the course of their
actions shall stand in their power.
15:17 A man shall desire to go into a city, and shall not be able.
15:18 For because of their pride the cities shall be troubled, the
houses shall be destroyed, and men shall be afraid.
15:19 A man shall have no pity upon his neighbour, but shall destroy
their houses with the sword, and spoil their goods, because of the lack
of bread, and for great tribulation.
15:20 Behold, saith God, I will call together all the kings of the
earth to reverence me, which are from the rising of the sun, from the
south, from the east, and Libanus; to turn themselves one against
another, and repay the things that they have done to them.
15:21 Like as they do yet this day unto my chosen, so will I do also,
and recompense in their bosom. Thus saith the Lord God;
15:22 My right hand shall not spare the sinners, and my sword shall not
cease over them that shed innocent blood upon the earth.
15:23 The fire is gone forth from his wrath, and hath consumed the
foundations of the earth, and the sinners, like the straw that is
kindled.
15:24 Woe to them that sin, and keep not my commandments! saith the
Lord.
15:25 I will not spare them: go your way, ye children, from the power,
defile not my sanctuary.
15:26 For the Lord knoweth all them that sin against him, and therefore
delivereth he them unto death and destruction.
15:27 For now are the plagues come upon the whole earth and ye shall
remain in them: for God shall not deliver you, because ye have sinned
against him.
15:28 Behold an horrible vision, and the appearance thereof from the
east:
15:29 Where the nations of the dragons of Arabia shall come out with
many chariots, and the multitude of them shall be carried as the wind
upon earth, that all they which hear them may fear and tremble.
15:30 Also the Carmanians raging in wrath shall go forth as the wild
boars of the wood, and with great power shall they come, and join
battle with them, and shall waste a portion of the land of the
Assyrians.
15:31 And then shall the dragons have the upper hand, remembering their
nature; and if they shall turn themselves, conspiring together in great
power to persecute them,
15:32 Then these shall be troubled bled, and keep silence through their
power, and shall flee.
15:33 And from the land of the Assyrians shall the enemy besiege them,
and consume some of them, and in their host shall be fear and dread,
and strife among their kings.
15:34 Behold clouds from the east and from the north unto the south,
and they are very horrible to look upon, full of wrath and storm.
15:35 They shall smite one upon another, and they shall smite down a
great multitude of stars upon the earth, even their own star; and blood
shall be from the sword unto the belly,
15:36 And dung of men unto the camel’s hough.
15:37 And there shall be great fearfulness and trembling upon earth:
and they that see the wrath shall be afraid, and trembling shall come
upon them.
15:38 And then shall there come great storms from the south, and from
the north, and another part from the west.
15:39 And strong winds shall arise from the east, and shall open it;
and the cloud which he raised up in wrath, and the star stirred to
cause fear toward the east and west wind, shall be destroyed.
15:40 The great and mighty clouds shall be puffed up full of wrath, and
the star, that they may make all the earth afraid, and them that dwell
therein; and they shall pour out over every high and eminent place an
horrible star,
15:41 Fire, and hail, and flying swords, and many waters, that all
fields may be full, and all rivers, with the abundance of great waters.
15:42 And they shall break down the cities and walls, mountains and
hills, trees of the wood, and grass of the meadows, and their corn.
15:43 And they shall go stedfastly unto Babylon, and make her afraid.
15:44 They shall come to her, and besiege her, the star and all wrath
shall they pour out upon her: then shall the dust and smoke go up unto
the heaven, and all they that be about her shall bewail her.
15:45 And they that remain under her shall do service unto them that
have put her in fear.
15:46 And thou, Asia, that art partaker of the hope of Babylon, and art
the glory of her person:
15:47 Woe be unto thee, thou wretch, because thou hast made thyself
like unto her; and hast decked thy daughters in whoredom, that they
might please and glory in thy lovers, which have always desired to
commit whoredom with thee.
15:48 Thou hast followed her that is hated in all her works and
inventions: therefore saith God,
15:49 I will send plagues upon thee; widowhood, poverty, famine, sword,
and pestilence, to waste thy houses with destruction and death.
15:50 And the glory of thy Power shall be dried up as a flower, the
heat shall arise that is sent over thee.
15:51 Thou shalt be weakened as a poor woman with stripes, and as one
chastised with wounds, so that the mighty and lovers shall not be able
to receive thee.
15:52 Would I with jealousy have so proceeded against thee, saith the
Lord,
15:53 If thou hadst not always slain my chosen, exalting the stroke of
thine hands, and saying over their dead, when thou wast drunken,
15:54 Set forth the beauty of thy countenance?
15:55 The reward of thy whoredom shall be in thy bosom, therefore shalt
thou receive recompence.
15:56 Like as thou hast done unto my chosen, saith the Lord, even so
shall God do unto thee, and shall deliver thee into mischief
15:57 Thy children shall die of hunger, and thou shalt fall through the
sword: thy cities shall be broken down, and all thine shall perish with
the sword in the field.
15:58 They that be in the mountains shall die of hunger, and eat their
own flesh, and drink their own blood, for very hunger of bread, and
thirst of water.
15:59 Thou as unhappy shalt come through the sea, and receive plagues
again.
15:60 And in the passage they shall rush on the idle city, and shall
destroy some portion of thy land, and consume part of thy glory, and
shall return to Babylon that was destroyed.
15:61 And thou shalt be cast down by them as stubble, and they shall be
unto thee as fire;
15:62 And shall consume thee, and thy cities, thy land, and thy
mountains; all thy woods and thy fruitful trees shall they burn up with
fire.
15:63 Thy children shall they carry away captive, and, look, what thou
hast, they shall spoil it, and mar the beauty of thy face.
16:1 Woe be unto thee, Babylon, and Asia! woe be unto thee, Egypt and
Syria!
16:2 Gird up yourselves with cloths of sack and hair, bewail your
children, and be sorry; for your destruction is at hand.
16:3 A sword is sent upon you, and who may turn it back?
16:4 A fire is sent among you, and who may quench it?
16:5 Plagues are sent unto you, and what is he that may drive them
away?
16:6 May any man drive away an hungry lion in the wood? or may any one
quench the fire in stubble, when it hath begun to burn?
16:7 May one turn again the arrow that is shot of a strong archer?
16:8 The mighty Lord sendeth the plagues and who is he that can drive
them away?
16:9 A fire shall go forth from his wrath, and who is he that may
quench it?
16:10 He shall cast lightnings, and who shall not fear? he shall
thunder, and who shall not be afraid?
16:11 The Lord shall threaten, and who shall not be utterly beaten to
powder at his presence?
16:12 The earth quaketh, and the foundations thereof; the sea ariseth
up with waves from the deep, and the waves of it are troubled, and the
fishes thereof also, before the Lord, and before the glory of his
power:
16:13 For strong is his right hand that bendeth the bow, his arrows
that he shooteth are sharp, and shall not miss, when they begin to be
shot into the ends of the world.
16:14 Behold, the plagues are sent, and shall not return again, until
they come upon the earth.
16:15 The fire is kindled, and shall not be put out, till it consume
the foundation of the earth.
16:16 Like as an arrow which is shot of a mighty archer returneth not
backward: even so the plagues that shall be sent upon earth shall not
return again.
16:17 Woe is me! woe is me! who will deliver me in those days?
16:18 The beginning of sorrows and great mournings; the beginning of
famine and great death; the beginning of wars, and the powers shall
stand in fear; the beginning of evils! what shall I do when these evils
shall come?
16:19 Behold, famine and plague, tribulation and anguish, are sent as
scourges for amendment.
16:20 But for all these things they shall not turn from their
wickedness, nor be always mindful of the scourges.
16:21 Behold, victuals shall be so good cheap upon earth, that they
shall think themselves to be in good case, and even then shall evils
grow upon earth, sword, famine, and great confusion.
16:22 For many of them that dwell upon earth shall perish of famine;
and the other, that escape the hunger, shall the sword destroy.
16:23 And the dead shall be cast out as dung, and there shall be no man
to comfort them: for the earth shall be wasted, and the cities shall be
cast down.