2 Esdras 11:1–12:51

¹On the second night I had a dream, and behold, there came up from the sea an eagle that had twelve feathered wings and three heads. ²And I looked, and behold, he spread his wings over all the earth, and all the winds of heaven blew upon him, and the clouds were gathered about him. ³And I looked, and out of his wings there grew opposing wings; but they became little, puny wings. ⁴But his heads were at rest; the middle head was larger than the other heads, but it also was at rest with them. ⁵And I looked, and behold, the eagle flew with his wings, to reign over the earth and over those who dwell in it. ⁶And I saw how all things under heaven were subjected to him, and no one spoke against him, not even one creature that was on the earth. ⁷And I looked, and behold, the eagle rose upon his talons, and uttered a cry to his wings, saying, ⁸“Do not all watch at the same time; let each sleep in his own place, and watch in his turn; ⁹but let the heads be reserved for the last.”

¹⁰And I looked, and behold, the voice did not come from his heads, but from the midst of his body. ¹¹And I counted his opposing wings, and behold, there were eight of them. ¹²And I looked, and behold, on the right side one wing arose, and it reigned over all the earth. ¹³And while it was reigning it came to its end and disappeared, so that its place was not seen. Then the next wing arose and reigned, and it continued to reign a long time. ¹⁴And while it was reigning its end came also, so that it disappeared like the first. ¹⁵And behold, a voice sounded, saying to it. ¹⁶“Hear me, you who have ruled the earth all this time; I announce this to you before you disappear. ¹⁷After you no one shall rule as long as you, or even half as long.”

¹⁸Then the third wing raised itself up, and held the rule like the former ones, and it also disappeared. ¹⁹And so it went with all the wings; they wielded power one after another and then were never seen again. ²⁰And I looked, and behold, in due course the wings that followed also rose up on the right side, in order to rule. There were some of them that ruled, yet disappeared suddenly; ²¹and others of them rose up, but did not hold the rule.

²²And after this I looked, and behold, the twelve wings and the two little wings disappeared; ²³and nothing remained on the eagle’s body except the three heads that were at rest and six little wings. ²⁴And I looked, and behold, two little wings separated from the six and remained under the head that was on the right side; but four remained in their place. ²⁵And I looked, and behold, these little wings planned to set themselves up and hold the rule. ²⁶And I looked, and behold, one was set up, but suddenly disappeared; ²⁷a second also, and this disappeared more quickly than the first. ²⁸And I looked, and behold, the two that remained were planning between themselves to reign together; ²⁹and while they were planning, behold, one of the heads that were at rest (the one which was in the middle) awoke; for it was greater than the other two heads. ³⁰And I saw how it allied the two heads with itself, ³¹and behold, the head turned with those that were with it, and it devoured the two little wings which were planning to reign. ³²Moreover this head gained control of the whole earth, and with much oppression dominated its inhabitants; and it had greater power over the world than all the wings that had gone before.

³³And after this I looked, and behold, the middle head also suddenly disappeared, just as the wings had done. ³⁴But the two heads remained, which also ruled over the earth and its inhabitants. ³⁵And I looked, and behold, the head on the right side devoured the one on the left.

³⁶Then I heard a voice saying to me, “Look before you and consider what you see.” ³⁷And I looked, and behold, a creature like a lion was aroused out of the forest, roaring; and I heard how he uttered a man’s voice to the eagle, and spoke, saying, ³⁸“Listen and I will speak to you. The Most High says to you, ³⁹‘Are you not the one that remains of the four beasts which I had made to reign in my world, so that the end of my times might come through them? ⁴⁰You, the fourth that has come, have conquered all the beasts that have gone before; and you have held sway over the world with much terror, and over all the earth with grievous oppression; and for so long you have dwelt on the earth with deceit. ⁴¹And you have judged the earth, but not with truth; ⁴²for you have afflicted the meek and injured the peaceable; you have hated those who tell the truth, and have loved liars; you have destroyed the dwellings of those who brought forth fruit, and have laid low the walls of those who did you no harm. ⁴³And so your insolence has come up before the Most High, and your pride to the Mighty One. ⁴⁴And the Most High has looked upon his times, and behold, they are ended, and his ages are completed! ⁴⁵Therefore you will surely disappear, you eagle, and your terrifying wings, and your most evil little wings, and your malicious heads, and your most evil talons, and your whole worthless body, ⁴⁶so that the whole earth, freed from your violence, may be refreshed and relieved, and may hope for the judgment and mercy of him who made it.’ ”

Chapter 12

¹While the lion was saying these words to the eagle, I looked, ²and behold, the remaining head disappeared. And the two wings that had gone over to it arose and set themselves up to reign, and their reign was brief and full of tumult. ³And I looked, and behold, they also disappeared, and the whole body of the eagle was burned, and the earth was exceedingly terrified.

Then I awoke in great perplexity of mind and great fear, and I said to my spirit, ⁴“Behold, you have brought this upon me, because you search out the ways of the Most High. ⁵Behold, I am still weary in mind and very weak in my spirit, and not even a little strength is left in me, because of the great fear with which I have been terrified this night. ⁶Therefore I will now beseech the Most High that he may strengthen me to the end.”

⁷And I said, “O sovereign Lord, if I have found favor in thy sight, and if I have been accounted righteous before thee beyond many others, and if my prayer has indeed come up before thy face, ⁸strengthen me and show me, thy servant, the interpretation and meaning of this terrifying vision, that thou mayest fully comfort my soul. ⁹For thou hast judged me worthy to be shown the end of the times and the last events of the times.”

¹⁰He said to me, “This is the interpretation of this vision which you have seen: ¹¹The eagle which you saw coming up from the sea is the fourth kingdom which appeared in a vision to your brother Daniel. ¹²But it was not explained to him as I now explain or have explained it to you. ¹³Behold, the days are coming when a kingdom shall arise on earth, and it shall be more terrifying than all the kingdoms that have been before it. ¹⁴And twelve kings shall reign in it, one after another. ¹⁵But the second that is to reign shall hold sway for a longer time than any other of the twelve. ¹⁶This is the interpretation of the twelve wings which you saw. ¹⁷As for your hearing a voice that spoke, coming not from the eagle’s heads but from the midst of his body, this is the interpretation: ¹⁸In the midst of the time of that kingdom great struggles shall arise, and it shall be in danger of falling; nevertheless it shall not fall then, but shall regain its former power. ¹⁹As for your seeing eight little wings clinging to his wings, this is the interpretation: ²⁰Eight kings shall arise in it, whose times shall be short and their years swift; ²¹and two of them shall perish when the middle of its time draws near; and four shall be kept for the time when its end approaches; but two shall be kept until the end. ²²As for your seeing three heads at rest, this is the interpretation: ²³In its last days the Most High will raise up three kings, and they shall renew many things in it, and shall rule the earth ²⁴and its inhabitants more oppressively than all who were before them; therefore they are called the heads of the eagle. ²⁵For it is they who shall sum up his wickedness and perform his last actions. ²⁶As for your seeing that the large head disappeared, one of the kings shall die in his bed, but in agonies. ²⁷But as for the two who remained, the sword shall devour them. ²⁸For the sword of one shall devour him who was with him; but he also shall fall by the sword in the last days. ²⁹As for your seeing two little wings passing over to the head which was on the right side, ³⁰this is the interpretation: It is these whom the Most High has kept for the eagle’s end; this was the reign which was brief and full of tumult, as you have seen.

³¹“And as for the lion whom you saw rousing up out of the forest and roaring and speaking to the eagle and reproving him for his unrighteousness, and as for all his words that you have heard, ³²this is the Messiah whom the Most High has kept until the end of days, who will arise from the posterity of David, and will come and speak to them; he will denounce them for their ungodliness and for their wickedness, and will cast up before them their contemptuous dealings. ³³For first he will set them living before his judgment seat, and when he has reproved them, then he will destroy them. ³⁴But he will deliver in mercy the remnant of my people, those who have been saved throughout my borders, and he will make them joyful until the end comes, the day of judgment, of which I spoke to you at the beginning. ³⁵This is the dream that you saw, and this is its interpretation. ³⁶And you alone were worthy to learn this secret of the Most High. ³⁷Therefore write all these things that you have seen in a book, and put it in a hidden place; ³⁸and you shall teach them to the wise among your people, whose hearts you know are able to comprehend and keep these secrets. ³⁹But wait here seven days more, so that…