2 Esdras 6:36–9:26

³⁶And in the eighth night was my heart vexed within me again, and I began to speak before the most High. ³⁷For my spirit was greatly set on fire, and my soul was in distress.

³⁸And I said, O Lord, thou spakest from the beginning of the creation, even the first day, and saidst thus; Let heaven and earth be made; and thy word was a perfect work. ³⁹And then was the spirit, and darkness and silence were on every side; the sound of man’s voice was not yet formed. ⁴⁰Then commandedst thou a fair light to come forth of thy treasures, that thy work might appear.

⁴¹Upon the second day thou madest the spirit of the firmament, and commandedst it to part asunder and to make a division betwixt the waters, that the one part might go up, and the other remain beneath.

⁴²Upon the third day thou didst command that the waters should be gathered in the seventh part of the earth: six parts hast thou dried up, and kept them, to the intent that of these some being planted of God and tilled might serve thee. ⁴³For as soon as thy word went forth the work was made. ⁴⁴For immediately there was great and innumerable fruit, and many and divers pleasures for the taste, and flowers of unchangeable colour, and odours of wonderful smell: and this was done the third day.

⁴⁵Upon the fourth day thou commandedst that the sun should shine, and the moon give her light, and the stars should be in order: ⁴⁶And gavest them a charge to do service unto man, that was to be made.

⁴⁷Upon the fifth day thou saidst unto the seventh part, where the waters were gathered, that it should bring forth living creatures, fowls and fishes: and so it came to pass. ⁴⁸For the dumb water and without life brought forth living things at the commandment of God, that all people might praise thy wondrous works.

⁴⁹Then didst thou ordain two living creatures, the one thou calledst Enoch, and the other Leviathan; ⁵⁰And didst separate the one from the other: for the seventh part, (namely, where the water was gathered together) might not hold them both. ⁵¹Unto Enoch thou gavest one part, which was dried up the third day, that he should dwell in the same part, wherein are a thousand hills: ⁵²But unto Leviathan thou gavest the seventh part, namely, the moist; and hast kept him to be devoured of whom thou wilt, and when.

⁵³Upon the sixth day thou gavest commandment unto the earth, that before thee it should bring forth beasts, cattle, and creeping things: ⁵⁴And after these, Adam also, whom thou madest lord of all thy creatures: of him come we all, and the people also whom thou hast chosen.

⁵⁵All this have I spoken before thee, O Lord, because thou madest the world for our sakes. ⁵⁶As for the other people, which also come of Adam, thou hast said that they are nothing, but be like unto spittle: and hast likened the abundance of them unto a drop that falleth from a vessel. ⁵⁷And now, O Lord, behold, these heathen, which have ever been reputed as nothing, have begun to be lords over us, and to devour us. ⁵⁸But we thy people, (whom thou hast called thy firstborn, thy only begotten, and thy fervent lover) are given into their hands. ⁵⁹If the world now be made for our sakes, why do we not possess an inheritance with the world? how long shall this endure?

Chapter 7

¹And when I had made an end of speaking these words, there was sent unto me the angel which had been sent unto me the nights afore: ²And he said unto me, Up, Esdras, and hear the words that I am come to tell thee.

³And I said, Speak on, my God. Then said he unto me, The sea is set in a wide place, that it might be deep and great. ⁴But put the case the entrance were narrow, and like a river; ⁵Who then could go into the sea to look upon it, and to rule it? if he went not through the narrow, how could he come into the broad? ⁶There is also another thing; A city is builded, and set upon a broad field, and is full of all good things: ⁷The entrance thereof is narrow, and is set in a dangerous place to fall, like as if there were a fire on the right hand, and on the left a deep water: ⁸And one only path between them both, even between the fire and the water, so small that there could but one man go there at once. ⁹If this city now were given unto a man for an inheritance, if he never shall pass the danger set before it, how shall he receive this inheritance?

¹⁰And I said, It is so, Lord. Then said he unto me, Even so also is Israel’s portion. ¹¹Because for their sakes I made the world: and when Adam transgressed my statutes, then was decreed that now is done. ¹²Then were the entrances of this world made narrow, full of sorrow and travail: they are but few and evil, full of perils, and very painful. ¹³For the entrances of the elder world were wide and sure, and brought immortal fruit. ¹⁴If then they that live labour not to enter these strait and vain things, they can never receive those that are laid up for them. ¹⁵Now therefore why disquietest thou thyself, seeing thou art but a corruptible man? and why art thou moved, whereas thou art but mortal? ¹⁶Why hast thou not considered in thy mind this thing that is to come, rather than that which is present?

¹⁷Then answered I and said, O Lord that bearest rule, thou hast ordained in thy law, that the righteous should inherit these things, but that the ungodly should perish. ¹⁸Nevertheless the righteous shall suffer strait things, and hope for wide: for they that have done wickedly have suffered the strait things, and yet shall not see the wide.

¹⁹And he said unto me, There is no judge above God, and none that hath understanding above the Highest. ²⁰For there be many that perish in this life, because they despise the law of God that is set before them. ²¹For God hath given strait commandment to such as came, what they should do to live, even as they came, and what they should observe to avoid punishment. ²²Nevertheless they were not obedient unto him; but spake against him, and imagined vain things; ²³And deceived themselves by their wicked deeds; and said of the most High, that he is not; and knew not his ways: ²⁴But his law have they despised, and denied his covenants: in his statutes have they not been faithful, and have not performed his works.

²⁵And therefore, Esdras, for the empty are empty things, and for the full are the full things. ²⁶Behold, the time shall come, that these tokens which I have told thee shall come to pass, and the bride shall appear, and she coming forth shall be seen, that now is withdrawn from the earth. ²⁷And whosoever is delivered from the foresaid evils shall see my wonders. ²⁸For my son Jesus shall be revealed with those that be with him, and they that remain shall rejoice within four hundred years. ²⁹After these years shall my son Christ die, and all men that have life. ³⁰And the world shall be turned into the old silence seven days, like as in the former judgments: so that no man shall remain. ³¹And after seven days the world, that yet awaketh not, shall be raised up, and that shall die that is corrupt. ³²And the earth shall restore those that are asleep in her, and so shall the dust those that dwell in silence, and the secret places shall deliver those souls that were committed unto them. ³³And the most High shall appear upon the seat of judgment, and misery shall pass away, and the long suffering shall have an end: ³⁴But judgment only shall remain, truth shall stand, and faith shall wax strong: ³⁵And the work shall follow, and the reward shall be shewed, and the good deeds shall be of force, and wicked deeds shall bear no rule. ³⁶Then said I, Abraham prayed first for the Sodomites, and Moses for the fathers that sinned in the wilderness: ³⁷And Jesus after him for Israel in the time of Achan: ³⁸And Samuel and David for the destruction: and Solomon for them that should come to the sanctuary: ³⁹And Helias for those that received rain; and for the dead, that he might live: ⁴⁰And Ezechias for the people in the time of Sennacherib: and many for many. ⁴¹Even so now, seeing corruption is grown up, and wickedness increased, and the righteous have prayed for the ungodly; wherefore shall it not be so now also? ⁴²He answered me, and said, This present life is not the end where much glory doth abide; therefore have they prayed for the weak. ⁴³But the day of doom shall be the end of this time, and the beginning of the immortality for to come, wherein corruption is past, ⁴⁴Intemperance is at an end, infidelity is cut off, righteousness is grown, and truth is sprung up. ⁴⁵Then shall no man be able to save him that is destroyed, nor to oppress him that hath gotten the victory. ⁴⁶I answered then and said, This is my first and last saying, that it had been better not to have given the earth unto Adam: or else, when it was given him, to have restrained him from sinning. ⁴⁷For what profit is it for men now in this present time to live in heaviness, and after death to look for punishment? ⁴⁸O thou Adam, what hast thou done? for though it was thou that sinned, thou art not fallen alone, but we all that come of thee. ⁴⁹For what profit is it unto us, if there be promised us an immortal time, whereas we have done the works that bring death? ⁵⁰And that there is promised us an everlasting hope, whereas ourselves being most wicked are made vain? ⁵¹And that there are laid up for us dwellings of health and safety, whereas we have lived wickedly? ⁵²And that the glory of the most High is kept to defend them which have led a wary life, whereas we have walked in the most wicked ways of all? ⁵³And that there should be shewed a paradise, whose fruit endureth for ever, wherein is security and medicine, since we shall not enter into it? ⁵⁴(For we have walked in unpleasant places.) ⁵⁵And that the faces of them which have used abstinence shall shine above the stars, whereas our faces shall be blacker than darkness? ⁵⁶For while we lived and committed iniquity, we considered not that we should begin to suffer for it after…