2 Esdras 7
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1ANd when I had made an end of these wordes, there was sent vnto me an Angel, which had bene sent downe to me the nights afore. 2And he said vnto me, Vp, Esdras, and heare the wordes that I am come to tell thee. 3And I said, Speake on, my God. Then said he vnto me, The sea is set in a wyde place, that it might be deepe and great, 4But presuppose that the entrance thereof were narow, and like the riuers, 5Who colde go into the sea to loke vpon it, and to rule it? If he went not thorowe the narowe, how colde he come into the broade? 6There is also another thing: a citie is buylded and set vpon a broade field, and is ful of all good things: 7The entrance thereof is narrowe and in a dangerous place to fall, that there is fyre at the right hand, and a deepe water at the lefte, 8And there is but one path betwixt them, euen betwene the fyre and the water, so that there colde but one man go there. 9If this citie were giuen vnto a man for an inheritance, if he neuer went thorowe the peril before it, how colde he receaue his inheritance? 10And I said, It is so, Lord. Then said he, So is the portion of Israel. 11Surely for their sakes haue I made the worlde: and when Adam transgressed my statutes, then came this thing to passe. 12Then were the entrances of the worlde made narowe, full of sorowe and trauail: they are but fewe and euil, and full of perils, and very peineful. 13For the entrances of the fore worlde were wyde and sure, and broght immortal frute. 14If then they that are liuing, labour not to enter by these strait and brittel things, they can not atteine to those things that are hid. 15Why then disquietest thou thy self, seing thou art corruptible? and why art thou moued, seing thou art mortal? 16And why hast thou not considered in thy minde the things to come, rather then them that are present? 17Then said I, O Lord, Lord, seing thou hast ordeined in thy Law, that the righteous shulde inherite these things, and that the vngodlie shulde perish, 18Shulde the righteous suffer straitnes in hoping for large things? yet thei that haue liued vngodly and suffered straitnes, shal not se the large things. 19Then he said vnto me, There is no iudge more iuste then God, and there is none more wise then the moste High. 20For manie perish in this life, because they despise the Law of God that is appointed. 21For God hathe diligently admonished suche as came, so oft as they came, what they shulde do to haue life, and what they shulde obserue, to auoid punishment. 22Neuertheles, they were not obedient vnto him, but spake against him, and imagined vaine things, 23And deceiued them selues by their wicked dedes, & denied the power of the moste High, and regarded not his waies. 24But they despised his Law, and refused his promises: they haue vnfaithfully broken his ordinances, and haue not performed his workes. 25And therefore, Esdras, vnto the emptie are emptie things, & to the ful ful things. 26Beholde, the time shal come, that these tokens which I haue tolde thee, shal come to passe, and the bride shal appeare, and she shal come forthe, and be sene that now is vnder the earth. 27And whosoeuer shal escape these euils, he shal se my wonders. 28For my sonne Iesus shal appeare with those that be with him, and they that remaine, shal reioyce within foure hundreth yeres. 29After these same yeres shal my sonne Christ dye, and all men that haue life. 30And the worlde shalbe turned into the olde silence for seuen dayes, as in the foreiudgements, so that no man shal remaine. 31But after seuen dayes, the worlde that is yet a slepe, shalbe raised vp: and that shal dye, that is corrupt. 32Then the earth shal restore those, that haue slept in her, and so shal the dust those that dwell therein in silence, and the secret places shal deliuer the soules that were committed vnto them. 33And the most High shal appeare vpon the seate of iudgement, and miseries shal vanish away, and long suffring shal haue an end. 34Iustice onely shal continue: the trueth shal remaine, and faith shal be strong. 35The worke shal followe, and the rewarde shalbe shewed: the good dedes shalbe of force, and vnrighteousnes shal beare no more rule. 36Then said I, Abraham prayed first for the Sodomites, and Moyses for the fathers that sinned in the wildernes, 37And they that came after him, for Israel in the time of Achaz, and Samuel, 38And Dauid for the destruction, and Salomon for them that came into the Sanctuarie, 39And Elias for those that recciued raine, and for the dead that he might liue, 40And Ezechias for the people in the time of Sennacherib, and diuerse others for manie. 41Euen so now, seing vice is increased, & wickednes abundeth, and the righteous haue prayed for the vngodlie, wherefore shal not the same effect followe also now? 42Then he answered me, & said, This present life is not the end: oft times honour is reteined in it: therefore haue they prayed for the weake. 43But the day of iudgement shal be the end of this worlde, and the beginning of the immortalitie to come, wherein all corruption shal cease. 44Intemperancie shal passe away: infidelitie shalbe cut of: righteousnes shal growe vp, and the veritie shal spring vp. 45Then shal no man be able to saue him that is destroyed, nor oppresse him that hathe gotten the victorie. 46I answered then, and said, This is my first and last saying, that it had bene better not to haue giuen the earth vnto Adam, or when it was giuen him, to haue kept him that he shulde not haue sinned. 47For what profit is it for men in this present life to be in heauines, and after death to feare punishment? 48O Adam, what hast thou done? for in that that thou hast sinned, thou art not fallen alone, but the fall also redundeth vnto vs that come of thee. 49For what profit is it vnto vs, if there be promised an immortal life, when we do the workes that bring death? 50And that an euerlasting hope shulde be promised vs, seing that we bitide our selues to deadlie vanitie? 51And that there shulde be appointed vs dwellings of health and safetie, if we haue liued wickedly? 52And that the glorie of the moste High shulde be kept to defende them which haue led a pacient life, if we haue walked in the wicked wayes? 53And that an eternal Paradise shulde be shewed, whose frute remaineth incorruptible, wherein is safetie and health, if we wil not enter into it? 54(For we haue bene conuersant in vnpleasant places) 55And that the faces of them, which haue absteined, shulde shine more then starres, if our faces be blacker then darckenes? 56For while we liued, we did not remember when we did vnrighteously, that we shulde suffer after death. 57Then answered he me, and said, This is the maner of the battel, which man, that is borne in the earth, shal fight, 58That if he be ouercome, he shulde suffer as thou hast said: but if he get the victorie, he shulde receaue the thing that I said. 59For this is the life, whereof Moyses spake vnto the people, while he liued, saying, Chuse thee life that thou maist liue. 60Neuertheles, they beleued him not, nether the Prophetes after him, nor me also which haue said vnto them, 61That heauines shulde not so be to their destruction, as ioye shulde come vnto them, to whome saluacion is persuaded. 62I answered then and said, I know, Lord, that the moste High is called merciful, in that he hathe mercie vpon them, which are not yet come to that worlde, 63And that he hathe pitie on those that walke in his Law, 64And that he is pacient: for he long suffreth those that haue sinned as his creatures, 65And that he is liberall: for he wil giue as muche as nedeth, 66And that he is of great mercie: for he ouercometh in mercie those that are present, and that are past, and them which are to come. 67For if he were not abundant in his mercies, the worlde colde not continue, nor thei that haue the possession thereof. 68He pardoneth also: for if he gaue not of his goodnes that they, which haue done euil, might be relieued from their wickednes, the ten thousand parte of men shulde not remaine aliue. 69And if he, being iudge, forgaue not those that be healed with his worde, and toke away the multitude of sinnes, 70There shulde peraduenture be verie fewe left in an vnnumerable multitude.