2 Esdras 3
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1IN the thirtieth yere after the fall of the citie, as I was at Babylon, I lay troubled vpon my bed, and my thoghts came vp to mine heart, 2Because I sawe the desolacion of Sion, & the wealth of them that dwelt at Babylon. 3So my spirit was sore moued, so that I beganne to speake fearful wordes to the most High, and said, 4O Lord, Lord, thou spakest at the beginning when thou alone plantedst the earth, and gauest commandement vnto the people, 5And a bodie vnto Adam, without soule, who was also the workmanship of thine hands, and hast breathed in him the breth of life, so that he liued before thee, 6And leddest him into Paradise, which thy right hand had planted, or euer the earth broght forthe. 7Euen then thou gauest him commandement to loue thy way: but he transgressed it, and immediatly thou appointedst death to him and his generacion, of whome came nacions, tribes, people and kinreds out of nomber. 8And euerie people walked after their owne wil, and did wonderful things before thee, and despised thy commandements. 9But at the time appointed thou broghtest the flood vpon those that dwelt in the worlde and destroiedst them, 10So that by the flood, that came to euerie one of them, which came by death vnto Adam, 11Yet thou leftest one, euen Noe, with his housholde, of whome came all righteous men. 12And when they that dwelt vpon the earth, began to multiplie, and the nomber of the children, people and many nacions were increased, they began to be more vngodlie then the first. 13Now when they liued wickedly before thee, thou didest chose thee a man from among them, whose name was Abraham. 14Whome thou louedst, and vnto whome onely thou shewedst thy wil, 15And madest an euerlasting couenant with him, promising him that thou woldest neuer forsake his sede. 16And vnto him thou gauest Isahac, vnto Isahac also thou gauest Iacob and Esau, and didest chose Iacob, and cast of Esau, and so Iacob became a great multitude. 17And when thou leddest his sede out of Egypt, thou broghtest them vp to mount Sina, 18And enclinedst the heauens and bowedst downe the earth, and didest moue the grounde, and cause the depths to shake, and didest astonish the worlde. 19And thy glorie went thorowe foure gates of fyre, with earthquakes, winde and colde, that thou mightest giue the Lawe vnto the sede of Iacob, and that which the generacion of Israel shulde diligently obserue. 20Yet tokest thou not away from them the wicked heart, that thy Law might bring forthe frute in them. 21For Adam first hauing a wicked heart, was ouercome and vainquished, & all they that are borne of him. 22Thus remained weakenes ioyned with the lawe in the hearts of the people, with the wickednes of the roote: so that the good departed away, & the euil abode stil. 23So the times passed away, and the yeres were broght to an end, til thou didest raise thee vp a seruant called Dauid, 24Whome thou commandedst to buyld a citie vnto thy Name, to call vpon thee therein with incense and sacrifice. 25When this was done many yeres, the inhabitants forsoke thee, 26Following the waies of Adam and all his generacion: for they also had a wicked heart. 27Therefore thou gauest thy citie ouer into the hands of thine enemies. 28But do they that dwell at Babylon, any better, that they shulde haue the dominion of Sion? 29For when I came thether, and sawe their wicked dedes without nomber (for this is the thirtieth yere that I se many trespacing) I was discouraged. 30For I sawe, how thou sufferedst them that sinne, and sparedst the wicked doers, where as thou hast destroied thine owne people, and preserued thine enemies, and thou hast not shewed it. 31I can not perceiue how this commeth to passe. Are the dedes of Babylon better then they of Sion? 32Or is there any other people that knoweth thee besides Israel? or what generacion hathe so beleued thy Testimonies, as Iacob? 33And yet their rewarde appeareth not, and their labour hathe no frute: for I haue gone here & there thorow out the heathen, and I se them florish, and thinke not vpon thy commandements. 34Weigh thou therefore our wickednes now in the balance, and theirs also that dwell in the worlde, and no mention of thee shal be founde but in Israel. 35Or when is it that they that dwell on the earth, haue not sinned in thy sight? or what people hathe so kept thy commandements? 36Thou shalt surely finde that Israel by name hathe kept thy precepts, but not the heathen.