2 Esdras 11:37–46

³⁷And I beheld, and lo, as it were a roaring ^mlion chased out of the wood: and I saw that he sent out a man’s voice unto the eagle, and said, ³⁸Hear thou, I will talk with thee, and the Highest shall say unto thee, ³⁹Art not thou it that remainest of ⁿthe four beasts, whom I made to reign in my world, that the end of their times might come through them? ⁴⁰And ^othe fourth came, and overcame all the beasts that were past, and had power over the world with great fearfulness, and over ^pthe whole compass of the earth ^kwith much wicked oppression; and so long time dwelt he upon the earth with deceit. ⁴¹For the earth hast thou not judged with truth. ⁴²For 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. ⁴³Therefore is thy wrongful dealing come up unto the Highest, and thy pride unto the Mighty. ⁴⁴The Highest also hath looked upon the proud times, and behold, they are ended, and his abominations are fulfilled. ⁴⁵And therefore appear no more, thou eagle, nor ^qthy horrible wings, nor ^rthy wicked feathers, nor ^qthy malicious heads, nor thy hurtful ^sclaws, nor all thy vain body: ⁴⁶that all the earth ^tmay 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.

XII.