1 Esdras — Chapter 1

Liberally gaue such things into their hands.

him, and in his pofteritie,& there were borne nations , and tribes, & peoples ,and kinreds, wherof there is no number, 8. And euerie nation walked in their owne wil, & they did meraelous things before thee , and defpifed thy precepts. -9 And againe in time thou broughft in the fload vpon inbabitants of the world, and didft deftroy them, 10. And there was made in euery one of them, as vnto Adam to dyc, fo tothem the floud, 11, But.thou didft leaue one ofthem , Noe with his houfe,and of him were al the inft, 12. And it cameto paffe , when they began tobe multiplied, that dwelt vpon the earth, and multiplred children and peoples and manic.

He alfo chofe Dauid , but fii the people were finful : 28, the Babylonians alfo , by whom.they arc afflicted , are no leffe,vut rather greater finners. N the thirteth yeare of the ruine of the citie I was in Babylon , & was troubled lying in my chamber, & my cogitations came vp ouer my hart : 2. becaufe 1 faw the defolation of Sion, yy & the aboundance of them that dweltin Ba» bylon, 3. And my fpiric was toffed excee-: dingly, & I beganto {peake to the higheft ti- morous words, 4,and fayd: O Lord domira- tour thou {pakeft fromthe beginning , when thou didft plant the earth, and that alone, & didft rule ouer the people , 5. and gaueft Adama dead bodie , but that alfo was the worke of thy hands, and did{t breath into him the fpirit of: lite, and he was made to liue before thee: 6, and thou broughft him. into paradife, which thy right hand had planted, before the earth came,

reproch to the gen- tiles , the people whom thou haftloued, is giuento impious tribes , and the law of our fathers is brought to deftruction , and. the written ordi. nances are no where : 2.4.and we haue pafled out of the world, as locu- {tes , and our life is aftonifhment and dreade , and we are not whorthie to obtaine mercie. 25. But what wil he doe to his name that is inuocated Vpon vs? and of thefe things did aske. 26, And he anfwered me, and fayd : 1f thoufearch very much, thou fhalt often meruail : becaufe the world haftning haftneth to paffe , 27, and can not comprehend the thiags which in times to come are promifed to the iuft : becaufe this world is ful of iniuftice and infirmities, 28, But concerning the things that thou demandeft I wil rel thee: for the evil is fowed, and the de- ftruction therof is not yct come. 29, If then that which is fowen be notturned vp, and the place depart where the euil is fowen, thar thal not come where the good is fowen.3o. Becaufe the grayne of i] feed hath been {owen in the hart of Adam fromthe beginning: and how much impictic hath it ingendred vntil‘now , and doth ingender vntil the floore come? 31, And efteeme with thy felf the graine ot theil feed, how much fruit of impietie it hath ingendred ; 32. When the eares thal be cut, which are innumerable,what a great floore wil they begin to make?

manie offendisg this thirteth yeate, and my hart was aftonifhed: 30. becaufe 1 faw how thou beareft with their finne, and didft fparethem that did impioufly , anddidi{t de» ftroy thine owne peopie, and preferue thine enenvies , and didft not fi- gnife it, 31.1 nothing remember how this way thould be forfaken:doth Babylon better things then Sion? 32. Or hath anie nation knowen thee ‘efide Ifrael : or what tribes haue belieued thy teltaments as lacob? 33, “Whofe reward hath not appeared, nor their labour fructified. For paf- fing through I paffed amang the nations , & faw them about, & not mindful of thy commandments. 34. Now therfore wey our iniquities dn a ballance,and theirs thar dwel in the world : and they name fhal not be found , but in Mrael. 35. Or when haue not they finned in thy fight, } that inhabire the earth? or what nation hath fo obferued thy command- } ments? 36. Thefe certes by their names thou fhalr find to haue kept thy commandments, but the nations thou shalt not finde, 1s OF ESDRAS. 983 CHAP, III. Mans wit and reafen is net able to vaderftand the counfel and indgement of God, 22. why bis people are afflicted by wicked nations , 33. nor of times, and things tecome. ND the Angel anfwered me,that was fentto me,whofe name was Vriel, 2. and faydto me: Thy hartexceeding S hath exceeded inthis world, and thou thinkeft tocom- prehend the way of the Highelt. 3, And I fayd:It is fo my Lord, And he anfwered me, and fayd :1 am fentto fhew theethree wayes , & to propofe to thee three fimilitudes.4, Of the which if thou fhalrdeclare to me one of them, I alfo wil fhew thee the way which thou defireft to fee,& wil teach thee whence a wicked hart is. 5, And I fayd , Speake my Lord. And he faydto.me: Goe , wey me. the weight of the fire , or meafure me the blaft of the-winde,or cal me backe the day that is paft.6 And I anfwered,and fayd: what man borne can doe it,tharthou askeft me of thefe things ? 7. And he fayd ro me:1f I fhould aske thee , faying: How great habitations are there ia the hare of the fea.or how great vaines be there in the beginning of the depth, or how great vaines be there aboue the firmament, and what are the iflues of paradife :8. thou wouldeft perhaps fay to me: 1 haue nor de- {cended into the depth, nor into hei as yet’, neither,hauel afcended at ante timc into heauen. 9. But now I haue not asked thee, fauing of the fire, & the winde, and the day by the which thouhaft pafied , and from the which thou canft noi be feparated: and thou haft not anfwered me of thei, 1o-Andhe faydto me: Thou canft not know the things that are thine which grow together with thee ; 11. and how can thy veffel comprehend the way of the Higheft , and now the world being out- wardly corrupted, vuderftand the corruption euident in my fight: 12.1 fayd tohim : Better were it for vs not to be, then yet living toliue in impieties, and to fuffer, and not tovnderftand for what thing, 13, And } he anfwered me,and {aid : Going forth 1 went forward to a woad of trees in the field , and they deuifed a deuife , 14. and faid : Come and Jet vs goe , and make warre againft the fea, that it may retyre backe before vs , and we way make vs other woods, 15. And in like manner the waues of the fea they alfo deuifed a deuife, and fayd: Come let vs goe vp, let vs ouerthrow the woods of the field, that there alfo we may confummate an other countrie for our felues. 16. And the avoods deuife was made vaine, for fire came, and confumed it.17.Like- wife alfo the deuife of the waues of the fea.For the fand ftood,& {tay- ‘ed them, 18, Forif thou wert iudge of thefe, whom wouldeft thou FELEE 3 begin Rea NNT aa aa oanilipaie: Iud.9.'2. Par. 25, 984 FOVRTH BOOK begin to iuftifie, or whom to condemne?49.And I anfwered,and fayd: Verily,they deuifed a vayne deuife.For the earth is giuento the wood, and a place to the feato carie her waues. 20. And he anfivered me, and fayd ; Thowhalft iudged wel, and why haft thou not iudged for thy felf> :1, For.as the earth is giuen to the wood, and the fea for the wa- ues therof: fo they that inhabite vpon the earth , can vuderftand onlie the things that are vpon the earth : andthey vponthe heauens , the thin gs that are aboue the height of the heauens.22.And I anfwered, and \ fayd: 1 befeech thee Lord , that fenfe may be giuen me to vnderftand,

euil? 34. And he anfwered me , and fayd to me,Haften not aboue tne Higheft. For thou doeft haften in vaine to be aboue him , for thy exceffe is much. 35. Did not the foules of the iuft in theircellars,aske of thefe things., faying: How hope I fo, and when “thabthe fruit coine of the floore of our reward ? 36. And Jeremiel.the Archangel anfwered to thofe things , and fayd : When the number of the feeds in youthal be filled, becaufe he hath weyed the world in a ba- lance,27,.and with: meafure hath he meafured the times,and in number he hath.numbred the times ,& hath not moued, nor ftirred them , vntil. the forefayd meafurebe filled. 38-And J anfwered,& fayd: OQ Lord Do-. minatour,we alfo areal ful of impiezie. 3g. And leit perhaps for vs.the -floorcs-of the iuft be not filled, for the finnes of the inhabitants vpon the earth.4o.And he anfwered.me, and {ayd : Goe , and aske a woman with childe, if when fhe hath.accompliihed her nine. months , her won —_ OF ESDRAS. 985 can yet hoid the infane within it?41. And fayd itcan not Lord, And ne faydto me : In hel thecellars of the foules are like to the matrice. 42. : For as (he that is in trauail maketh haft, toefcape the neceffitie of trauailing ; fo this alfo hafteneth to render thofe things which arecom- mended to it. 43. From the beginning i thal be ihewed thee touching thofe things, which thou doeft couet to fee. 44. And Lanfwered and fayd :1€1 haue found grace before thine eyes , and if it be poflible , and ifI be firte, 45. fhew me if there be more to come then is pafied , or moe things have paffed then are to come.46. What paffed,1 know : but what is to come, I knownot. 47. And he fayd to me: Stand vpon the right fide , aud] wil fhew thee the interpretation of the fimilicude.48. And I ftood , and faw: and behold a burning fornace paffed before me, and it came to pafle when the flame paffed , 1 faw : and behold the {moke ouercame. 49. After thefe things there paffed before mea cloud ful of water, and with violence cating in much raine: and when the violence of raine wasealt, the drops therin ouercame. 50, And he fayd to me: Thinke with thy felt,as the raine increafeth more then the drops, and the fire then che {moke: fodid the meafure that pafled more a- boud, But the drops, and the {moke ouercame: 51. and J prayed , and fayd,thal I liue thinkeft thou vntil thefe dayes? or what thal be in thofe dayes? 52. He anfwered me, and fayd : Of the fignes wherof thou askeft me, inpart 1 can telthee , howbeit of thy life 1 was not fent totel thee, neither doe 1 know.