1 Esdras — Chapter 7

U6, ert 33 992 FOVRTH BOOK vnderftandeth aboue the Highelt. 20. For asanie prefent doe perifh,be- caufe the law of God which was fet before, isneglected, 21, For God commanding commanded them that came, when they came, what doing they fhould lie,and what obferuing they fhould not be punithed, 2.2. But they were not perfwaded, & gaynefayd hint,and made to them- felues acogitatioa of vanitie, 23, aud propofed to chemfelues deceites of finnes, and they -fayd tothe Hizhett thathe was not , and they knew not his wayes, 2 4. and difpifed hislaw, and denyed his couenances, and had not fidelicie in his ordinances, & did not accomplih his works. 25.For this caufe Efdras,the emptie torhe emptiz & the ful to the fui.26, Behold the time fhal comz,& it inal be when the fiznes thal come which I haue foretold thee , and the bride (hal appeare, and appearing fhe thal be thewed thar now is.hid with the earth: 27. and cueric one tiat is de- ltuered fromthe forefaid euils, he thal fee my meruelous things. 28. For my fonne FE SVS ihal be reueled with. chetn chat are with him, & they {hal be merie that are leaft in the toure hundred yeares. 29. And it inal be after thefe yeares , and my fonne CHRIS T inal dye : and al men that hauebreath , 30, aud the world fhal be turned-into the old filerce feuen dayes , as in the former iudgements , fo that none {hal be leatr. 31, And it thal be after feuen dayes. and the world thal be ray{cd vpthat yetwaketh not, and fhal dye corrupted : 33, and’ the earth thal render the things chat fleep in it, andthe duit them that dwel in it with filence, and the cellars fhal render the foules that are commended to them. 33, And the Higheft thal be reueled vpon the feate of indgement , and mi- feries fhal paffe , and long futferance thal be gathered together. 34. And iudgement onlie fhal remayne, truth ih:] itand, and tayth fhal waxe {trong, 35. and the worke thal folow , and the reward:thal be fhewed, and iuftice fhal awake, and iniuftice thal-not haue dominion. 36. And fayd:: Firft Abraham prayed tor the Sodomites, and Moyfes for the fathers that unned in the defert.3 7. And-they that were atter him for If- racliti the dayes‘of Achaz, and of Samuel, 38. and Dauid for the de- ftruGion , and of Salomor for them that came vatothe fanctification.

Esdras came with the first from Babylon (2. Esd. 1.) but returned thither, and now ascended the second time to Jerusalem.

in the dayes of Sennacherib, and mapie tor manic, 41.1£ therfore now when coreupuble did ixcreate, -and iniuftice was multiplied,and the iutt prayed tor the impious ; why row alfo thalitnot be for42, And he aniwered.meand fayd: This pre- fent worldis.northe end , much glorie remaineth in it .tor this caufe they prayed tor theimpotent, 43. For-the day of: 1udgement thal be the erd ot this time , and the begining of the immorralitie to. come, wherein corruption is:paft : 34, antemperai.ce is diffolucd, incredulitie is cut of . and iuftice nath increafed , tratnisfprong. 45, For then no wan can faue him twat hath peri.ned, cordrowae nim that bath oucr= 4 come, Adi anfwered, 46, ard faya; Lnis is my word the orit and the jadi, that itaad been better not to viue the cart. to Adan, or-when he had OF ESDRAS, 993 nad now giuenit , to reftrainte him that hefhould not tiane. 45. FOr what doth it profit men prefently to liue in forow , and being dead to hope for puntihment ? 48. O what haft thou done Adam ? Forif thou didft finne , it was not made thy falonly , but ours alfo which came of thee, 49. For what doth it profit vs if immortal time be promised tovs:but we haue done mortal works ? 50, And that eucriafting hope is foretold vs : but we moft wicked are become vayne ?5:.And that habitations of health and fecuritie are referued for vs , burwe haue coruerft naughtily > 52, And that the glorie of the Higheft is referucd to proteG them that haue flowly conuerft : but we haue wal- Kedin moft wicked wayes? 53. And thar paradife fhal be fhewed,whofe fruite continueth lncorrupted , wherin is fecurtie and remedie : 54. bur ‘We thal rot enter in : for we haue conuerft in vnlawful piaces? 55, And their face which haue had abflinence , fhalibyne aboue the fiarres : but our faces blacke aboue darknes. 5 6.For we did not thinke ling win fwered,& fayd: This is the cogitatio of the batte] which man ihal fight, whois borne vpon the earth, 53. that if he thal be ouercome, he‘fuffer that which thou haft fayd : butit he ouercome he fhal receiue that ued, tothe people, faying : Choofe ynto thee life, thac thou may ft line.

But they belieued him not, no nor the Prophets after him , no nor me which haue fpoken to them. 61. Eecaufe there fhould not be forow vnto their perdition, as there {hal be ioy vpon them, to whom faluation is perfwaded, 62, And I anfwered, and fayd:] know Lord, that the Higheft is called merciful in that, hefhath mercie on thé which are not yet come inte the world , 63. and thathe hath mercie onthem Which cOuerfe in his law:6 4.8 he is long fuffering, becaufe he fheweth Jong fufferance to them that haue finned , as it were with their owne works: 65. and heis bountiful , becaufe he wil giue according to exi- gents :66. and of great mercie, becaufe he multiplieth more mercies to them that are prefent, and that are paft, and that are to come.67.For if he fhal nor multiplie his mercies , the world thal not be made aliue with them that did inherite it, 68, And he giueth: for ifthe fhal not giue of his bountie, that they may be releeued which haue done iriquitie,the tenth thoufand part of men can notbe quickned trom their iniquities,

And the iudge if he thal not forgiue them that are tcured with his word , and wype away a multitude ot contentions : there fhould nor pethaps be leattin an innumerable multitude, but very few, We didiniquitie,thatwe thal beginne after death to fuffer.s57.And he an- . which I fay : §9. for this isthe life which Moyfes fpake of when he li- Rom, §, ¥,2. Dent, 30, v. Ig, CHAP ! --- PAGE 2011 --- Magc20, v.18, Pane ert 994 FOVRTH BOOK