2 Esdras 14:36–48

³⁶But let no one come to me now, and let no one seek me for forty days.”

³⁷So I took the five men, as he commanded me, and we proceeded to the field, and remained there. ³⁸And on the next day, behold, a voice called me, saying, “Ezra, open your mouth and drink what I give you to drink.” ³⁹Then I opened my mouth, and behold, a full cup was offered to me; it was full of something like water, but its color was like fire. ⁴⁰And I took it and drank; and when I had drunk it, my heart poured forth understanding, and wisdom increased in my breast, for my spirit retained its memory; ⁴¹and my mouth was opened, and was no longer closed. ⁴²And the Most High gave understanding to the five men, and by turns they wrote what was dictated, in characters which they did not know. They sat forty days, and wrote during the daytime, and ate their bread at night. ⁴³As for me, I spoke in the daytime and was not silent at night. ⁴⁴So during the forty days ninety-four books were written. ⁴⁵And when the forty days were ended, the Most High spoke to me, saying, “Make public the twenty-four books that you wrote first and let the worthy and the unworthy read them; ⁴⁶but keep the seventy that were written last, in order to give them to the wise among your people. ⁴⁷For in them is the spring of understanding, the fountain of wisdom, and the river of knowledge.” ⁴⁸And I did so.