2 Esdras

¹ And it came to pass, whiles the lion spake these words unto the eagle, I beheld,

² and, lo, the head that remained appeared no more, and the two wings which went over unto it arose and set themselves up to reign, and their kingdom was small, and full of uproar.

³ And I beheld, and, lo, they appeared no more, and the whole body of the eagle was burnt, so that the earth was in great fear: then awaked I by reason of great ecstasy of mind, and from great fear, and said unto my spirit,

⁴ Lo, this hast thou done unto me, in that thou searchest out the ways of the Most High.

⁵ Lo, I am yet weary in my mind, and very weak in my spirit; nor is there the least strength in me, for the great fear wherewith I was affrighted this night.

⁶ Therefore will I now beseech the Most High, that he will strengthen me unto the end.

⁷ And I said, O Lord that bearest rule, if I have found favour in thy sight, and if I am justified with thee above many others, and if my prayer indeed be come up before thy face;

⁸ strengthen me then, and shew me thy servant the interpretation and plain meaning of this fearful vision, that thou mayest perfectly comfort my soul.

⁹ For thou hast judged me worthy to shew me the end of time and the last times.

¹⁰ And he said unto me, This is the interpretation of this vision which thou sawest:

¹¹ The eagle, whom thou sawest come up from the sea, is the fourth kingdom which appeared in vision to thy brother Daniel.

¹² But it was not expounded unto him, as I now expound it unto thee or have expounded it.

¹³ Behold, the days come, that there shall rise up a kingdom upon earth, and it shall be feared above all the kingdoms that were before it.

¹⁴ In the same shall twelve kings reign, one after another:

¹⁵ whereof the second shall begin to reign, and shall have a longer time than any of the twelve.

¹⁶ This is the interpretation of the twelve wings, which thou sawest.

¹⁷ And whereas thou heardest a voice which spake, not going out from the heads, but from the midst of the body thereof, this is the interpretation:

¹⁸ That after the time of that kingdom there shall arise no small contentions, and it shall stand in peril of falling: nevertheless it shall not then fall, but shall be restored again to its first estate.

¹⁹ And whereas thou sawest the eight under wings sticking to her wings, this is the interpretation:

²⁰ That in it there shall arise eight kings, whose times shall be but small, and their years swift.

²¹ And two of them shall perish, when the middle time approacheth: four shall be kept for a while until the time of the ending thereof shall approach: but two shall be kept unto the end.

²² And whereas thou sawest three heads resting, this is the interpretation:

²³ In the last days thereof shall the Most High raise up three kingdoms, and renew many things therein, and they shall bear rule over the earth,

²⁴ and over those that dwell therein, with much oppression, above all those that were before them: therefore are they called the heads of the eagle.

²⁵ For these are they that shall accomplish her wickedness, and that shall finish her last end.

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.

²⁷ But for the two that remained, the sword shall devour them.

²⁸ For the sword of the one shall devour him that was with him: but he also shall fall by the sword in the last days.

²⁹ And whereas thou sawest two under wings passing over unto the head that is on the right side,

³⁰ this is the interpretation: These are they, whom the Most High hath kept unto his end: this is the small kingdom and full of trouble, as thou sawest.

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, and all her words which thou hast heard;

³² this is the anointed one, whom the Most High hath kept unto the end [of days, who shall spring up out of the seed of David, and he shall come and speak] unto them and reprove them for their wickedness and unrighteousness, and shall heap up before them their contemptuous dealings.

³³ For at the first he shall set them alive in his judgement, and when he hath reproved them, he shall destroy them.

³⁴ For the rest of my people shall he deliver with mercy, those that have been preserved throughout my borders, and he shall make them joyful until the coming of the end, even the day of judgment, whereof I have spoken unto thee from the beginning.

³⁵ This is the dream that thou sawest, and this is the interpretation thereof:

³⁶ and thou only hast been meet to know the secret of the Most High.

³⁷ Therefore write all these things that thou hast seen in a book, and put them in a secret place:

³⁸ and thou shalt teach them to the wise of thy people, whose hearts thou knowest are able to comprehend and keep these secrets.

³⁹ But wait thou here thyself yet seven days more, that there may be shewed unto thee whatsoever it pleaseth the Most High to shew thee. And he departed from me.

⁴⁰ And it came to pass, when all the people saw that the seven days were past, and I had not come again into the city, they gathered them all together, from the least unto the greatest, and came unto me, and spake to me, saying,

⁴¹ What have we offended thee? and what evil have we done against thee, that thou hast utterly forsaken us, and sittest in this place?

⁴² For of all the prophets thou only art left us, as a cluster of the vintage, and as a lamp in a dark place, and as a haven for a ship saved from the tempest.

⁴³ Are not the evils which are come to us sufficient?

⁴⁴ If thou shalt forsake us, how much better had it been for us, if we also had been consumed in the burning of Sion!

⁴⁵ For we are not better than they that died there. And they wept with a loud voice. And I answered them, and said,

⁴⁶ Be of good comfort, O Israel; and be not sorrowful, thou house of Jacob:

⁴⁷ for the Most High hath you in remembrance, and the Mighty hath not forgotten you for ever.

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.

⁴⁹ And now go your way every man to his own house, and after these days will I come unto you.

⁵⁰ So the people went their way into the city, like as I said unto them:

⁵¹ but I sat in the field seven days, as the angel commanded me; and in those days I did eat only of the flowers of the field, and had my meat of the herbs.