The Holy Bible

Part 29 out of 29



more time then the rest of the twelue. 16 This is the interpretation of
the twelue winges which thou sawest. 17 And the voice that spake which
thou heardst, not coming forth of her heads, but from the middes of her
bodie, 18 this is the interpretation, that after the time of that kingdom
shal rise no smal contentions, and it shal be in danger to fal: and it
shal not fal then, but shal be constituted againe according to the
beginning therof. 19 And wheras thou sawest eight vnderwings cleauing to
the wings therof, 20 this is the interpretation, eight kinges shal arise
in it, whose times shal be light, and yeares swift, and two of them shal
perish. 21 But when the middest time approcheth, foure shal be kept til
a time, when the time therof shal beginne to approch to be ended, yet two
shal be kept to the end. 22 And wheras thou sawest three heads resting,
23 this is the interpretation: in her last dayes the Highest wil rayse
vp three kingdoms, and wil cal backe manie thinges into them, and they
shal rule ouer the earth, 24 and them that dwel in it, with much labour
aboue al them that vvere before them. For this cause they are called the
heads of the eagle. 25 For these shal be they that shal recapitulate her
impieties, and that shal accomplish her last thinges. 26 And wheras thou
sawest a greater head not appearing, this is the interpretation therof:
that one of them shal dye vpon his bed, and yet with torments. 27 For
the two that shal remayne, the sword shal eate them. 28 For the sword of
one shal deuoure him that is with him: but yet this also at the last
shal fal by the sword. 29 And wheras thou sawest two vnderwings passing
ouer the head that is on the right side, 30 this is the interpretation:
these are they whom the Highest hath kept to their end, this is a smal
kingdom, and ful of truble. 31 As thou sawest the lyon also, whom thou
sawest awaking out of the wood, and roaring, and speaking to the eagle,
and rebuking her, and her iniustices by al his wordes as thou hast heard:
32 this is the wynde which the Highest hath kept vnto the end for them,
and their impieties: and he shal rebuke them, and shal cast in their
spoyles before them. 33 For he shal sette them in iudgment aliue: and
it shal be, when he hath reproued them, then shal he chastise them.
34 For the rest of my people he shal deliuer with miserie, them that are
saued vpon my borders, and he shal make them ioyful til the end shal
come, the day of iudgment, wherof I haue spoken to thee from the
beginning. 35 This is the dreame which thou sawest, and these be the
interpretations. 36 Thou therfore only hast bene worthie to know this
secrete of the Highest. 37 Write therfore in a booke al these thinges
which thou hast sene, and put them in a hidden place: 38 and thou shalt
teach them the wise men of thy people, whose harts thou knowest able to
take, and to kepe these secretes. 39 But doe thou stay here yet other
seuen dayes, that there may be shewed thee whatsoeuer shal seme good to
the Highest to shew thee. 40 And he departed from me. And it came to
passe, when al the people had heard that the seuen dayes were past, and I
had not returned into the citie, and al gathered them selues together
from the least vnto the greatest: & came to me, & spake to me saying:
41 What haue we sinned to thee, or what haue we done vniustly against
thee, that leauing vs thou hast sitten in this place? 42 For thou alone
art remayning to vs of al peoples, as a cluster of grapes of the
vineyard, and as a candle in a darke place, and as an hauen and shippe
saued from the tempest. 43 Or are not the euiles that chance, sufficient
for vs? 44 If then thou shalt forsake vs, how much better had it bene to
vs, if we also had bene burnt with the burning of Sion? 45 For we are
not better then they that dyed there. And they wept with a lowd voice.
And I answered them, and sayd: 46 Be of good chere Israel, and be not
sorowful thou house of Iacob. 47 For there is remebrance of you before
the Highest, and the Strong hath not forgotten you in tentation. 48 For
I haue not forsaken you, neither did I depart form you: but I came into
this place, to pray for the desolation of Sion, and to seeke mercie for
the low estate of your sanctification. 49 And now goe euery one of you
into his house, and I wil come to you after these dayes. 50 And the
people departed, as I sayd to them, into the citie: 51 but I sate in the
fielde seuen dayes, as he commanded me: and I did eate of the flowers of
the field only, of the herbes was my meate made in those dayes.



CHAP. XIII.


A vision of a winde (as it first semed, but) in dede, v. 3. of a man:
5. strong against the enimies: 21. with the interpretation.

AND it came to passe after seuen dayse, and I dreamed a dreame in the
night. 2 And behold there rose a winde from the sea, that trubled al the
waues therof. 3 And I saw, and behold that man grew strong with
thousandes of heauen: and when he turned his countenance to consider, al
thinges trembled that were sene vnder him: 4 and whersoeuer voyce
proceded out of his mouth, al that heard his voices begane to burne, as
the earth is quiet when it feeleth the fire. 5 And I saw after these,
and behold a multitude of men was gathered together, of whom there was no
number, from the foure windes of heauen, to fight against the man that
was come vp out of the sea. 6 And I saw, and behold he had grauen to
himself a great mountaine, & he flew vpon it. 7 And I sought to see the
countrie, or the place whence the mountaine was grauen, & I could not.
8 And after these thinges I saw, and behold al that were gathered to him,
to ouerthrowe him, feared exceedingly, yet they were bold to fieght.
9 And behold as he sawe the violence of the multitude that came, he
lifted not vp his hand, nor held sword, nor anie warlyke instrument but
only as I saw, 10 that he sent forth out of his mouth as it were a blaste
of fire, and from his lippes a spirit of flame, & from his tongue he
sentforth sparkles & tempests, and al thinges were mingled together with
this blast of fire, & spirit of flame, & multitude of tempests. 11 And
it fel with violence vpon the multitude, that was prepared to fight, and
burned them al, that suddenly there was nothing sene of an innumerable
multitude, but only dust, & the sauour of smoke: and I saw, and was
afrayd. 12 And after these thinges I saw the man himself descending from
the mountaine, and calling to him an other peaceable multitude, 13 and
there came to him the countenance of manie men some reioycing, and some
sorrowing: and some bond, some bringing of them them that were offered.
And I was sicke for much feare, and awaked, and sayd. 14 Thou from the
beginning hast shewed thy seruant these meruelous thinges, and hast
counted me worthie that thou wouldest receiue my petition. 15 And now
shew me yet the interpretation of this dreame. 16 For as I thinke in my
iudgement, woe to them that were leaft in those dayes: & much more woe
to them that were not leaft. 17 For they that were not leaft, were
sorrowful. 18 I vnderstand now what thinges are layde vp in the later
dayes, and they shal happen to them, yea and to them that are leaft.
19 For therefore they came into great dangers, and manie necessities, as
these dreames do shew. 20 But yet it is easier, aduenturing to come into
it, then to passe, as a cloud from the world, and vow to see the thinges
that happen in the later time. And he answered me, and sayd: 21 Both
the interpretation of the vision I wil tel thee: and also concerning the
thinges that thou hast spoken I wil open to thee. 22 Wheras thou
speakest of them that were leaft, this is the interpretation. 23 He that
taketh away danger at that time, he hath garded himself. They that haue
fallen into danger, these are they that haue workes, and fayth in the
Strongest. 24 Know therefore that they are more blessed which are leaft,
then they that are dead. 25 These are the interpretations of the vision,
wheras thou sawest a man coming from the hart of the sea, 26 the same is
he whom the Highest preserueth much time, which by himself shal deliuer
his creature: and he shal dispose them that are leaft. 27 And wheras
thou sawest proceede out of his mouth, as it were winde, and fire, and
tempest: 28 and wheras he held no sworde, nor warlike instrument: for
his violence destroyed the multitude that came to ouerthrow him: this is
the interpretation. 29 Behold the dayes come, when the Highest shal
begin to deliuer them, that are vpon the earth: 30 and he shal come in
excesse of minde vpon them that inhabit the earth. 31 And one shal
thinke to ouerthrow an other: one citie an other citie, one place an
other place, and nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
(Matt 24 / Luke 21) 32 And it shal be, when these thinges shal come to
passe, and the signes shal happen, which I shewed thee before: and then
shal my sonne be reueled, whom thou sawest, as a man coming vp. 33 And
it shal be when al nations shal heare his voice: and euery one in his
countrie shal leaue their warre, that they haue toward each other:
34 and an innumerable multitude shal be gathered in one, as willing to
come to ouerthrow him. 35 But he shal stand vpon the top of mount Sion.
36 And Sion shal come, and it shal be shewed to al prepared and builded,
as thou sawest the mountaine to be grauen without handes. 37 And the
same my sonne shal reproue the thinges that the gentils haue inuented,
these their impieties which came nere to the tempest, because of their
euil cogitaitons, and torments wherewith they shal begin to be tormented.
38 Which were likened to the flame, and he shal destroy them without
labour by the law that was likened to the fyre. 39 And wheras thou
sawest him gathering vnto him an other peaceable multitude. 40 These are
the ten tribes, which were made captiue out of their land in the dayes of
Osee the King, whom Salmanasar the King of the Assyrians led captiue:
and he transported them beyond the riuer, and they were transported into
an other land. (4 Kings 17) 41 But they gaue themselues this counsel,
to forsake the multitude of nations, and to goe forth into a farther
countrie, where mankind neuer inhabited. 42 Or there to obserue their
ordinances, which they had not kept in their countrie. 43 And they
entred in by the narrow entrances of the riuer Euphrates. 44 For the
Highest then wrought them signes, and stayed the vaines of the riuer til
they passed. (Ex 14 / Jos 3) 45 For by that countie was a great way to
goe, of one yeare and a half: for the countrie is called Arsareth.
46 Then did they inhabite there til in the later time: and now againe
when they beginne to come, 47 againe the Highest shal stay the vaines of
the riuer, that they may passe: for these thou sawest a multitiude with
peace. 48 But they also that were leaft of the people, these are they
that be within my border. 49 In shal come to passe therefore, when he
shal begine to destroy the multitude of these nations, that are gathered,
he shal protect them that haue ouercome the people: 50 and then shal he
shew them very manie wonders. 51 And I sayd: Lord dominatour, shew me
this, why I saw a man comming vp from the hart of the sea, and he sayd to
me: 52 As thou canst not either search these thinges, or know what
thinges are in the depth of the sea: so can not any man vpon the earth
see my sonne, or them that are with him, but in the time of a day.
53 This is the interpretation of the dreame which thou sawest, and for
the which thou only art here illuminated. 54 For thou hast leaft thyne
owne law, and hast bene occupied about my law, and hast sought it.
55 For thou hast disposed thy lyfe in wisdom, and thyne vnderstanding
thou hast called mother: 56 and for this I haue shewed thee riches with
the Highest. For it shal be after other three dayes, I wil speake other
thinges to thee, and I wil expound to thee weightie and meruelous
thinges. 57 And I went forth, and passed into the fielde, much
glorifying & praising the Highest for the meruelous thinges that he did
by time. 58 And because he gouerneth it, and the thinges that are
brought in times, & I sate there three dayes.



CHAP. XIIII.


God appeareth in a bush, 6. reuealing some thinges to be published, and
some thinges to be hid. 10. As the world waxeth old, al thinges become
worse. 27. The people of Israel are vngratful. 32. Al shal be iudged in
the Resurrection according to their deedes.

AND it came to passe the third day, and I sate vnder an oke. 2 And
behold a voice came forth against me out of a bush, and sayd: Esdras,
Esdras: and I sayd: Loe here I am Lord. And I arose vpon my feete.
And he sayd to me: 3 Reueling I was reueled vpon the bush, and spake to
Moyses, when the people serued in AEgypt, (Ex 3) 4 and I sent him, and
brought my people out of AEgypt, and brought him vpon mount Sina, & held
him with me manie dayes. 5 And I told him manie meruelous thinges, &
shewed him the secrets of times, and the end: and I commanded him,
saying: 6 These wordes thou shalt publish abroade, and these thou shalt
hyde. 7 And now to thee I say: 8 The signes which I haue shewed, and
the dreames which thou hast sene, and the interpretations which thou hast
sene, lay them vp in thy hart. 9 For thou shalt be receiued of al, thou
shalt be conuerted the residue with thy counsel, and with the like to
thee, til the times be finished: 10 Because the world hath lost his
youth, and the times draw nere to waxe old. 11 For the world is diuided
by twelue partes, & the tenth part, & half of the tenth part are passed:
12 and there remaineth hereafter the half of the tenth part. 13 Now
therefore dispose thy house, and correct thy people, & comfort the humble
of them, & forsake now corruption, 14 and put from thee mortal
cogitations, and cast from thee humane burdens, and doe from thee now
infirme nature, & lay at one side cogitations most trublesome to thee, &
make speedie transmigration from these times, 15 for the euiles which
thou hast sene to haue chanced now, worse then these wil they doe againe:
(Matt 24 / 1 John 2) 16 for looke how much the world shal become weake
by age, so much shal euiles be multiplied vpon the inhabitants. 17 For
truth hath remoued it self farther of, and lying hath approched, for now
the vision which thou sawest, hasteneth to come. 18 And I answered, and
sayd before thee o Lord: 19 For behold I wil goe, as thou hast commanded
me, & wil rebuke the people that now is. But them that shal yet be born,
who shal admonish? 20 The world therfore is set in darknes, and they
that dwel in it without light. 21 Because thy law is burnt, therefore no
man knowth the workes that haue bene done by thee, or that shal begin.
22 For if I haue found grace with thee, send the Holie Ghost to me, & I
wil write al that hath bene done in the world from the beginning, the
thinges that were written in thy law, that men may finde the pathe: and
they that wil liue in the later times, may liue. 23 And he answered me,
and sayd: Goe gather together the people, and thou shalt say to them,
that they seeke thee not for fourtie dayes. 24 And doe thou prepare thee
manie tables of boxe, & take with thee Sarea, Dabria, Salemia, Echanus,
and Asiel, these fiue which are readie to write sweeftly. 25 And come
hither, & I wil light in thy hart a candle of vnderstanding, which shal
not be put out til the things be finished, which thou shalt begine to
write. 26 And then some thinges thou shalt open to the perfect, some
thou shalt deliuer secretly to the wyse. For to morrow this houre thou
shalt begine to write. 27 And I went as he commanded me, & gathered
together al the people, and sayd: 28 Heare Israel these wordes: 29 Our
fathers were pilgrimes from the beginning in AEgypt, and were deliuered
from thence. (Gen 47) 30 And they receiued the law of life, which they
kept not, which you also after them haue transgressed: (Deut 4 / Acts 7)
31 and the land was geuen you by lotte, and the land of Sion, and your
fathers, and you haue done iniquitie, and haue not kept the wayes which
the Highest commanded you. 32 And whereas he is a iust iudge, he hath
taken from you in time that which he had geuen. 33 And now you are here,
and your brethren are among you. 34 If then you wil rule ouer your
sense, & instruct your hart, you shal be preserued aliue, and after death
shal obtaine mercie. 35 For the iudgement shal come after death, when we
shal returne to lyfe againe: and then the names of the iust shal
appeare, and the dedes of the impious shal be shewed. 36 Let no man
therfore come to me now, nor aske for me vntil fourtie dayes. 37 And I
tooke the fiue men, as he commandede me, and we went forth into the
field, and taried there. 38 And I was come to the morrow, & behold as
voice called me, saying: Esdras open thy mouth, and drinke that which I
wil geue thee to drinke. (Ezech 3) 39 And I opened my mouth, & behold a
ful cuppe was brought me, this was ful as it were with water: but the
colour therof like as fire. 40 And I tooke it, and dranke; and when I
had drunken of it, my hart was tormented with vnderstanding, and wisdome
grewe into my brest. For my spirit was kept by memorie. 41 And my mouth
was opened, and was shut no more. 42 The Highest gaue vnderstanding vnto
the fiue men, and they wrote excesses of the night which were spoken,
which they knewe not. 43 And at night they did eate breade, but I spake
by day, & by night held not my peace. 44 And there were written in the
fourtie dayes two hundred foure bookes. 45 And it came to passe when
they had ended the fourtie daies, the Highest spake, saying: 46 The
former thinges which thou hast written, set abrode, and let the worthie
and vnworthiereade: but the last seuentie bookes thou shalt keepe, that
thou mayest deliuer them to the wyse of thy people. 47 For in these is
the vaine of vnderstanding, and the fountaine of wisdome, and the streame
of knowledge. and I did soe.



CHAP. XV.


Esdras is bid to denounce, that assuredly manie euiles wil come to the
world. 9. God wil protect his people, the wicked shal be punished, and
lament their final miseries, God reuenging for the good.

BEHOLD speake into the eares of my people the wordes of prophecie, which
I shal put into thy mouth, sayth our Lord: 2 and see that they be
written in paper, because they be faithful and true. 3 Be not afrayd of
the cogitations against thee, neither let the incredulities truble thee
of them that speake. 4 Because euerie incredulous person shal dye in his
incredulitie. 5 Behold I bring in, sayth our Lord, vpon the whole earth
euils, sword, and famine, and death, and destruction. 6 Because
iniquitie hath fully polluted ouer al the earth, and their hurtful workes
are accomplished. 7 Therefore sayth our Lord: 8 I wil not now kepe
silence of their impieties which they doe irreligiously, neither wil I
beare with those thinges, which they practise vniustly. Behold the
innocent & iust bloud crieth to me, & the soules of the iust crie
continually. 9 Reuenging I wil reuenge them, sayth our Lord, and I wil
take al innocent bloud out of them vnto me. (Apoc 6:10 & 19:2)
10 Behold my people is led to slaughter as a flocke, I wil no more suffer
it to dwel in the land of AEgypt. 11 But I wil bring them forth in a
mightie hand and valiant arme, and wil strike with plague as before, and
wil corrupt al the land thereof. 12 AEgypt shal mourne, and fundations
thereof beaten with plague, and with the chastisement which God wil bring
vpon it. 13 The husbandmen that til the ground shal mourne, because
their seedes shal perish by blasting, and haile, and by a terible starre.
14 Woe to the world and them that dwel therein. 15 Because the sword is
at hand and the destruction of them, and nation shal rise vp against
nation to fight, & sword in their handes. (Matt 24 / Luke 21) 16 For
there shal be instabilitie to men, & growing one against an other they
shal not care for their king, & the princes of the way of their doinges,
in their might. 17 For a man shal desire to go into the citie & can not.
18 Because of their prides the cities shal be trubled, the houses raised,
the men shal feare. 19 Man shal not pitie his neighbour, to make their
houses nothing worth in the sword, to spoyle their goodes for famine of
bread, & much tribulation. 20 Behold, I cal together sayth God, al the
kinges of the earth to feare me, that are from the Orient, & from the
South, from the East, & from Libanus, to be turned vpon themselues, and
to render the thinges that they haue geuen them. 21 As they doe vntil
this day to myne elect, so wil I doe, and render in their bosome. Thus
sayth our Lord God: 22 My right hand shal not spare sinners, neither
shal the sword cease vpon them that shede innocent bloud vpon the earth.
23 Fire came forth from his wrath, and hath deuoured the fundations of
the earth, and sinners as it were straw set on fire. 24 Woe to them that
sinne, and obserue not my comandmentes, sayth our Lord. 25 I wil not
spare them: depart o children from the powre. Defile not my
sanctification: 26 because the Lord knoweth al that sinne against him;
therefore hath he deliuered them into death and into slaughter. 27 For
now are euils come vpon the world, and you shal tarrie in them. For God
wil not deliuer you, because you haue sinned against him. 28 Behold an
horrible vision, and the face of it from the east. 29 And the nations of
dragons of Arabians shal come forth in manie chariots, & as a winde the
number of them is caried vpon the earth, so that now al doe feare and
tremble, that shal heare them. 30 the Carmonians madde for anger, and
they shal goe forth as wild boares out of the wood, & they shal come with
great power, and shal stand in fight with them, & they shal waste the
portion of the land of the Assirians. 31 And after these thinges the
dragons shal preuaile mindful of their natiuitie, and conspiring shal
turne themselues in great force to pursue them. 32 These shal be trubled
and hold their peace at their force, and shal turne their fete into
flight. 33 And from the territorie of the Assirians the besiegers shal
beseige them, and shal consume one of them, and there shal be feare and
trembling in their armie, and contention against their kinges. 34 Behold
cloudes from the east, and from the north vnto the south, and their face
very horrible, ful of wrath and storme. 35 And they shal beate one
against an other, and they shal beate downe manie starres, and their
starre vpon the earth, and bloud shal be from the sword vnto the bellie.
36 And mans dung vnto the camels litter, and there shal be much feare,
and trembling vpon the earth. 37 And they shal shake that shal see that
wrath, and tremble shal take them: and after these thinges there shal
manie showers be moued: 38 from the south, and the north: and an other
portion from the weast. 39 And the windes from the east shal reuaile
vpon it, and shal shut it vp, and the cloudes which he raised in wrath,
and the starre to make terrour to the east winde, and the west shal be
destroyed. 40 And there shal be exalted great and mightie cloudes ful of
wrath, and a starre to terrifie al the earth, and the inhabitantes
therof, and they shal powre in vpon euerie high, and eminent place a
terrible starre, 41 fire, and haile, and flying swordes, and manie
waters, so that al fildes also shal be filled, and al riuers with the
fulnes of manie waters. 42 And they shal throw downe cities, and walles,
and mountaines, and hilles, and the trees of the woodes, and the grasse
of the medowes, and their corne. 43 And they shal passe constant vnto
Babylon, and shal raise her. (Apoc 18) 44 They shal come together
against her, and shal compasse her, and shal power out the starre, and al
wrath vpon her, and the dust and smoke shal goe vp euen into heauen, and
round about shal lament her. 45 And they that shal remaine vnder her,
shal serue them that terified her. 46 And thou Asia agreeing into the
hope of Babylon, and the glorie of her person, 47 woe be to thee thou
wretch, because thou art like to her, and hast adorned thy daughters in
fornication, to please & glorie in thy louers, which haue desired alwayes
to fornicate with thee. 48 Thou hast imitated the odious in al her
workes, and in her inuentions: therefore sayth God: 49 I wil send in
euils vpon thee, widowhood, pouertie, and famine, and sword, and
pestilence, to destroy thy houses by violation, and death, and glorie of
thy vertue. 50 As a flower shal be withered, when the heate shal rise
that is sent forth vpon thee, 51 thou shalt be weakned as a litle poore
soule plaged and chastised of wemen, that the mightie and the louers may
not receiue thee. 52 Wil I be zealous against thee sayth our Lord,
53 vnles thou hadst slayne myne elect at al times, exalting the slaughter
of the handes, and saying vpon their death, when thou wast drunken.
54 Adorne the beautie of thy countenance. 55 The reward of thy
fornication is in thy bosome, therefore thou shalt receiue recompence.
56 As thou shalt doe to my elect, sayth our Lord, so shal God do to thee,
and shal deliuer thee vnto euil. 57 And thy children shal dye for
famine: and thou shalt fal by the sword, and thy cities shal be
destroyed, & al thyne shal fal in the filde by the sword. 58 And they
that are in the mountaines, shal perish, with famine, and shal eate their
owne flesh, & drinke bloud, for the famine of bread and thirst of waters.
59 Vnhappie by the seas shalt thou come, and againe thou shalt receuie
euils. 60 And in the passage they shal beate against the idle citie, and
shal destroy some portion of thy land, and shal deface part of thy
glorie, againe returning to Babylon ourethrowen. 61 And being throwen
downe thou shalt be to them for stubble, and they shal be to thee fire:
62 and deuoure thee, and thy cities, thy land, and thy mountaynes, al thy
woodes and fruitful trees they wil burne with fire. 63 Thy children they
shal lead captiue, & shal haue thy goodes for a praye, and the glorie of
thy face they shal destroy.



CHAP. XVI.


Al are admonished, that extreme calamities shal fal vpon this world,
36. the penitent returning to iustice shal escape, 55. & as al thinges
were made by Gods omnipotent powre at his wil, so al thinges shal serue
to the reward of the blessed, and punishment of the wicked.

VVOE to thee Babylon & Asia, woe to thee AEgypt, and Syria. 2 Gird
yourselues with sackclothes and shirtes of heare, & mourne for your
children, & be sorie: because your destruction is at hand. 3 The sword
is sent in vpon you, and who is he that can turne it away? 4 Fire is
sent in vpon you, and who is he that can quench it? 5 Euiles are sent in
vpon you, and who is he that can repel them? 6 Shal anie man repel the
lion being hungrie in the woode, or quench the fire in stubble, forthwith
when it beginneth to burne? 7 Shal anie man repel the arrow shot of a
strong archer? 8 Our strong Lord sendeth in euiles, and who is he that
can repel them? 9 Fire came forth from his wrath, and who is he that can
quench it? 10 He wil lighten, who shal not feare, he wil thunder, and
who shal not be afrayed? 11 Our Lord wil threaten, and who shal not
vtterly be destroyed before his face? 12 The earth hath trembled, and
the fundations thereof, the sea tosseth vp waues from the depth, and the
floudes of it shal be destroyed, and the fishes thereof at the face of
our Lord, and at the glorie of his powre: 13 because his right hand is
strong which bendeth the bow, his arrowes be sharpe that are shot of him,
they shal not misse, when they shal begine to be shot into the endes of
the earth. 14 Behold euiles are sent, and they shal not returne til they
come vpon the earth. 15 The fire is kindled and it shal not be quenched,
til it consume the fundations of the earth. 16 For as the arrow shot of
a strong archer returneth not, so shal not the euils returne backe, that
shal be sent vpon the earth. 17 Woe is me, woe is me: who shal deliuer
me in those dayes? 18 The beginning of sorrowes and much mourning, the
beginning of famine and much destruction. The beginning of warres and
the potestates shal feare, the beginning of euiles and al shal tremble.
19 In these what shal I doe, when the euils shal come? 20 Behold famine,
and plague, and tribulation, and distresse are sent al as scourges for
amendment, 21 and in al these they wil not conuert themselues from their
iniquities, neither wil they be alwayes mindful of the scourges.
22 Behold, there shal be good cheape victuals vpon the earth, so that
they may thinke that peace is directly coming toward them, and then shal
euiles spring vpon the earth, sword, famine, and great confusion. 23 For
by famine manie that inhabit the earth shal dye, and the sword shal
destroy the rest that remained aliue of the famine, 24 and the dead shal
be cast forth as dung, and there shal be none to comfort them. For the
earth shal be left desert, and the cities therof shal be throwen downe.
25 There shal not be left a man to til the ground and to sow it. 26 The
trees shal yeeld fruites, and who shal gather them? 27 The grape shal
become ripe, & who shal tread it? For there shal be great desolation to
places. 28 For a man shal desire to see a man, or to heare his voyce.
29 For there shal be leaft ten of a citie, and two of the field that haue
hid themselues in thicke woodes, and cliffes of rockes. 30 As there are
left in the oliuet, and on euerie tree, three of foure oliues. 31 Or as
in a vinyeard when it is gathered there are grapes left by them, that
diligently search the vineyard: 32 so shal there be left in those dayes
three or foure, by them that search their houses in the sword. 33 And
the earth shal be left desolate, and the fildes thereof shal waxe old, &
the wayes thereof, and al the pathes thereof shal bringforth thornes,
because no man shal passe by it. 34 Virgins shal mourne hauing no
bridegromes, wemen shal mourne hauing no husbandes, their daughters shal
mourne hauing no helpe: 35 their bridegromes shal be consumed in battel,
and their husbandes be destroyed in famine. 36 But heare these thinges,
and know them ye seruantes of our Lord. 37 Behold the word of our Lord,
receiue it: beleue not the goddes of whom our Lord speaketh. 38 Behold
the euiles approch, and slacke not. 39 As a woman with childe when shee
bringeth forth her child in the ninth moneth, the houre of her
deliuerance approching, two or three howres before, paines come about her
wombe, and the infants coming out of her wombe, they wil not tarrie one
moment. 40 So the euiles shal not slacke to come forth vpon the earth,
and the world shal lament, and sorowes shal hold it round about.
41 Heare the word, my people: prepare yourselues vnto the fight, & in
the euiles so be ye as strangers of the earth. 42 He that selleth as if
he should flee, and he that byeth as he that should lose it. 43 He that
playeth the marchant, as he that should take no fruite: and he that
buildeth as he that should not inhabite. 44 He that soweth, as he that
shal not reape: so he also that pruneth a vinyeard, as if he should not
haue the vintage. 45 They that marie so as if they should not get
children, & they that marie not, so as if were widowes. 46 Wherfore they
that labour, labour without cause: 47 for foreners shal reape their
fruites, & shal violently take their goodes, and ouerthrow their houses,
and lead theire children captiue, because in captiuitie, and famine they
beget their children. 48 And they that play the marchantes by robrie,
the longer they adorne their cities and houses, and their possessions and
persons: 49 so much the more wil I be zealous toward them, vpon their
sinnes, sayth our Lord. 50 As a whore enuieth an honest & very good
woman: 51 so shal iustice hate impietie when she adorneth herselfe, and
accuseth her to her face, when he shal come that may defend him that
searcheth out al vpon the earth. 52 Therefore be not made like to her,
nor to her workes. 53 For yet a little whyle & iniquitie shal be taken
away from the earth, & iustice shal reigne ouer you. 54 Let not the
sinner say he hath not sinned: because he shal burne coales of fire vpon
his head, that sayth I haue not sinned before our Lord God and his
glorie. 55 Behold our Lord shal know al the workes of men, and their
inuentions, & their cogitations, and their hartes. (Eccli 23 / Luke 16)
56 For he sayd: Let the earth be made, and it was made: let the heauen
be made, & it was made. (Gen 1) 57 And by his worde the starrs were
made, & he noweth the number of the starres. (Ps 146:4) 58 Who
searcheth the depth and the treasures therof: who hath measured the sea,
& capacitie therof. (Job 38) 59 Who hath shut vp the sea in the midest
of waters, & hath hanged the earth vpon the waters with his word. 60 Who
hath spred heauen as it were a vault, ouer the waters he hath founded it.
61 Who hath put fountaines of waters in the desert, and lakes vpon the
toppes of mountaines, to send forth riuers from the high rocke to watter
the earth. 62 Who made man & put his hart in the midds of the bodie, and
gaue him spirit, life and vnderstanding. 63 And the inspiration of God
omnipotent that made al thinges, and searcheth al hid thinges, in the
secretes of the earth. 64 He knoweth your inuention, and what you thinke
in your hartes sinning, and willing to hide your sinnes. 65 Wherfore our
Lord in searching hath searched al your workes, and he wil put you al to
open shame, 66 and you shal be confounded when your sinnes shal come
forth before men, and the iniquities shal be they, that shal stand
accusers in that day. 67 What wil you doe? or how shal you hide your
sinnes before God and his Angels? 68 Behold God is the Iudge, feare him.
Cease from your sinnes, and now forget your iniquities to doe them anie
more, & God wil bring you out, and deliuer you from al tribulation.
69 For behold the heate of a great multitude is kindled ouer you, and
they shal take certaine of you by violence, & shal make the slaine to be
meate for idols. 70 And they that shal consent vnto them, shal be to
them in derision, and in reproch, and in conculcation. 71 For there shal
be place against places, and against the next cities great insurrection
vpon them that feare our Lord. 72 They shal be as it were madde sparing
no bodie, to spoyle and waste yet them that feare our Lord. 73 because
they shal waste and spoyle the goodes, and shal cast them out of their
houses. 74 Then shal appeare the probation of mine elect, as gold that
is proued by the fire. 75 Heare be beloued, sayth our Lord: Behold the
dayes of tribulation are come: and out of them I wil deliuer you.
76 Doe not feare, nor stagger, because God is your guide. 77 And he that
kepeth my commandmentes, and precepts, sayth our Lord God: Let not your
sinnes ouerway you, nor your inquities be aduanced ouer you. 78 Woe to
them that are entangled with their sinnes, and are couered with their
iniquities, as a filde is entangled with the wood, & the path therof
couered with thornes, by which no man passeth, & it is closed out, & cast
to be deuoured of the fire.

FINIS.



Note: This translation comes from the Latin text, usually printed in an
appendix to editions of the Vulgate, but these editions miss seventy
verses between 7:35 and 7:36. The missing fragment was discovered in a
Latin manuscript by Robert Lubbock Bensly in 1874. Below is a
translation of this fragment from a revised Authorized Version.
Although often numbered 7:36-7:105, they are here number as A:1-A:70 to
avoid any repetition in chapter:verse designations.

A:1. And the pit of torment shall appear, and over against it shall be
the place of rest: and the furnace of hell shall be shewed, and over
against it the paradise of delight.
A:2. And then shall the Most High say to the nations that are raised from
the dead, See ye and understand whom ye have denied, or whom ye have not
served, or whose commandments ye have despised.
A:3. Look on this side and on that: here is delight and rest, and there
fire and torments. Thus shall he speak unto them in the day of
judgement:
A:4. This is a day that hath neither sun, nor moon, nor stars,
A:5. neither cloud, nor thunder, nor lightning, neither wind, nor water,
nor air, neither darkness, nor evening, nor morning,
A:6. neither summer, nor spring, nor heat, nor winter, neither frost, nor
cold, nor hail, nor rain, nor dew,
A:7. neither noon, nor night, nor dawn, neither shining, nor brightness,
nor light, save only the splendour of the glory of the Most High, whereby
all shall see the things that are set before them:
A:8. for it shall endure as it were a week of years.
A:9. This is my judgement and the ordinance thereof; but to thee only
have I shewed these things.
A:10. And I answered, I said even then, O Lord, and I say now: Blessed
are they that be now alive and keep the statutes ordained of thee.
A:11. But as touching them for whom my prayer was made, what shall I say?
for who is there of them that be alive that hath not sinned, and who of
the sons of men that hath not transgressed thy covenant?
A:12. And now I see, that the world to come shall bring delight to few,
but torments unto many.
A:13. For an evil heart hath grown up in us, which hath led us astray
from these statutes, and hath brought us into corruption and into the
ways of death, hath shewed us the paths of perdition and removed us far
from life; and that, not a few only, but well nigh all that have been
created.
A:14. And he answered me, and said, Hearken unto me, and I will instruct
thee; and I will admonish thee yet again:
A:15. for this cause the Most High hath not made one world, but two.
A:16. For whereas thou hast said that the just are not many, but few, and
the ungodly abound, hear the answer thereunto.
A:17. If thou have choice stones exceeding few, wilt thou set for thee
over against them according to their number things of lead and clay?
A:18. And I say, Lord, how shall this be?
A:19. And he said unto me, Not only this, but ask the earth, and she
shall tell thee; intreat her, and she shall declare unto thee.
A:20. For thou shalt say unto her, Thou bringest forth gold and silver
and brass, and iron also and lead and clay:
A:21. but silver is more abundant than gold, and brass than silver, and
iron than brass, lead than iron, and clay than lead.
A:22. Judge thou therefore which things are precious and to be desired,
whatso is abundant or what is rare.
A:23. And I said, O Lord that bearest rule, that which is plentiful is of
less worth, for that which is more rare is more precious.
A:24. And he answered me, and said, Weigh within thyself the things that
thou hast thought, for he that hath what is hard to get rejoiceth over
him that hath what is plentiful.
A:25. So also is the judgement which I have promised: for I will rejoice
over the few that shall be saved, inasmuch as these are they that have
made my glory now to prevail, and of whom my name is now named.
A:26. And I will not grieve over the multitude of them that perish; for
these are they that are now like unto vapour, and are become as flame and
smoke; they are set on fire and burn hotly, and are quenched.
A:27. And I answered and said, O thou earth, wherefore hast thou brought
forth, if the mind is made out of dust, like as all other created things?
A:28. For it were better that the dust itself had been unborn, so that
the mind might not have been made therefrom.
A:29. But now the mind groweth with us, and by reason of this we are
tormented, because we perish and know it.
A:30. Let the race of men lament and the beasts of the field be glad; let
all that are born lament, but let the fourfooted beasts and the cattle
rejoice.
A:31. For it is far better with them than with us; for they look not for
judgement, neither do they know of torments or of salvation promised unto
them after death.
A:32. For what doth it profit us, that we shall be preserved alive, but
yet be afflicted with torment?
A:33. For all that are born are defiled with iniquities, and are full of
sins and laden with offences:
A:34. and if after death we were not to come into judgement, peradventure
it had been better for us.
A:35. And he answered me, and said, When the Most High made the world,
and Adam and all them that came of him, he first prepared the judgement
and the things that pertain unto the judgement.
A:36. And now understand from thine own words, for thou hast said that
the mind groweth with us.
A:37. They therefore that dwell upon the earth shall be tormented for
this reason, that having understanding they have wrought iniquity, and
receiving commandments have not kept them, and having obtained a law they
dealt unfaithfully with that which they received.
A:38. What then will they have to say in the judgement, or how will they
answer in the last times?
A:39. For how great a time hath the Most High been longsuffering with
them that inhabit the world, and not for their sakes, but because of the
times which he hath foreordained!
A:40. And I answered and said, If I have found grace in thy sight, O
Lord, shew this also unto thy servant, whether after death, even now when
every one of us giveth up his soul, we shall be kept in rest until those
times come, in which thou shalt renew the creation, of whether we shall
be tormented forthwith.
A:41. And he answered me, and said, I will shew thee this also; but join
not thyself with them that are scorners, nor number thyself with them
that are tormented.
A:42. For thou hast a treasure of good works laid up with the Most High,
but it shall not be shewed thee until the last times.
A:43. For concerning death the teaching is: When the determinate
sentence hath gone forth from the Most High that a man should die, as the
spirit leaveth the body to return again to him who gave it, it adoreth
the glory of the Most High first of all.
A:44. And if it be one of those that have been scorners and have not kept
the way of the Most High, and that have despised his law, and that hate
them that fear God,
A:45. these spirits shall not enter into habitations, but shall wander
and be in torments forthwith, ever grieving and sad, in seven ways.
A:46. The first way, because they have despised the law of the Most High.
A:47. The second way, because they cannot now make a good returning that
they may live.
A:48. The third way, they shall see the reward laid up for them that have
believed the covenants of the Most High.
A:49. The fourth way, they shall consider the torment laid up for
themselves in the last days.
A:50. The fifth way, they shall see the dwelling places of the others
guarded by angels, with great quietness.
A:51. The sixth way, they shall see how forthwith some of them shall pass
into torment.
A:52. The seventh way, which is more grievous than all the aforesaid
ways, because they shall pine away in confusion and be consumed with
shame, and shall be withered up by fears, seeing the glory of the Most
High before whom they have sinned whilst living, and before whom they
shall be judged in the last times.
A:53. Now this is the order of those who have kept the ways of the Most
High, when they shall be separated from the corruptible vessel.
A:54. In the time that they dwelt therin they painfully served the Most
High, and were in jeopardy every hour, that they might keep the law of
the lawgiver perfectly.
A:55. Wherefore this is the teaching concerning them:
A:56. First of all they shall see with great joy the glory of him who
taketh them up, for they shall have rest in seven orders.
A:57. The first order, because they have striven with great labour to
overcome the evil thought which was fashioned together with them, that it
might not lead them astray from life into death.
A:58. The second order, because they see the perplexity in which the
souls of the ungodly wander, and the punishment that awaiteth them.
A:59. The third order, they see the witness which he that fashioned them
beareth concerning them, that while they lived they kept the law which
was given them in trust.
A:60. The fourth order, they understand the rest which, being gathered in
their chambers, they now enjoy with great quietness, guarded by angels,
and the glory that awaiteth them in the last days.
A:61. The fifth order, they rejoice, seeing how they have now escaped
from that which is corruptible, and how they shall inherit that which is
to come, while they see moreover the straitness and the painfulness from
which they have been delivered, and the large room which they shall
receive with joy and immortality.
A:62. The sixth order, when it is shewed unto them how their face shall
shine as the sun, and how they shall be made like unto the light of the
stars, being henceforth incorruptible.
A:63. The seventh order, which is greater than all the aforesaid orders,
because they shall rejoice with confidence, and because they shall be
bold without confusion, and shall be glad without fear, for they hasten
to behold the face of him whom in their lifetime they served, and from
whom they shall receive their reward in glory.
A:64. This is the order of the souls of the just, as from henceforth is
announced unto them, and aforesaid are the ways of torture which they
that would not give heed shall suffer from henceforth.
A:65. And I answered and said, Shall time therefore be given unto the
souls after they are separated from the bodies, that they may see that
whereof thou hast spoken unto me?
A:66. And he said, Their freedom shall be for seven days, that for seven
days they may see the things whereof thou hast been told, and afterwards
they shall be gathered together in their habitations.
A:67. And I answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, shew
further unto me thy servant whether in the day of judgement the just will
be able to intercede for the ungodly or to intreat the Most High for
them,
A:68. whether fathers for children, or children for parents, or brethren
for brethren, or kinsfolk for their next of kin, or friends for them that
are most dear.
A:69. And he answered me, and said, Since thou hast found favour in my
sight, I will shew thee this also: The day of judgement is a day of
decision, and displayeth unto all the seal of truth; even as now a father
sendeth not his son, or a son his father, or a master his slave, or a
friend him that is most dear, that in his stead he may be sick, or sleep,
or eat, or be healed:
A:70. so never shall any one pray for another in that day, neither shall
one lay a burden on another, for then shall all bear every one his own
righteousness or unrighteousness.





BOOK FOR COMPARISON




THE PROPHECIE OF ABDIAS.



ABDIAS borne in Sichem, of the tribe Ephraim, prophecied the same time
with Amos; so briefly that his prophecie is not parted into chapters:
1. against the Idumeans; foreshewing their destruction; 10. for their
perpetual emnitie against the Iewes, and confederacie with the Chaldees.
17. The captiuitie and relaxation of the Iewes. 19. And redemption of
the whole world by Christ.


THE vision of Abdias. Thus sayth our Lord God to Edom: We haue heard a
bruit from our Lord, and he hath sent a legate to the Gentils: Rise ye,
and let vs arise against him into battel. 2 Behold I haue geuen thee a
litle one in the Gentils: thou art contemptible excedingly. 3 The pride
of thy hart hath extolled thee, dwelling in the clefts of rockes,
exalting thy throne: which sayst in thy hart: Who shal plucke me downe
to the earth. 4 If thou shalt be exalted as an eagle, and if thou shalt
set thy nest among the starres: thence wil I plucke thee downe, sayth
our Lord. 5 If theues had gone in to thee, if robbers by night, how
hadst thou held thy peace. would not they haue stolen thinges sufficent
for themselues. if the grape gathereres had entered in to thee, would
they not haue left thee at the least a cluster. 6 How haue they searched
Esau, haue they sought out his hidden thinges. 7 Euen to the border haue
they cast thee out: al the men of thy league haue mocked thee: the men
of thy peace haue peuailed against thee: they that eate with thee, shal
lay embushments vnder thee: there is no wisedom in him. 8 Why, shal not
I in that day, sayth our Lord, destroy the wise out of Idumea, and
prudence from the mount of Esau, 9 And thy valients of the South shal
feare, that man may perish from the mount of Esau. 10 For the slaughter,
and for the iniquitie against thy brother Iacob, confusion shal couer
thee, and thou shalt perish for euer. 11 In the day when thou stoodest
against him, when strangers tooke his armie, and foreners entered his
gates, and vpon Ierusalem cast lotte: thou also wast as one of them.
12 And thou shalt not dispise in the day of thy brother, in the day of
his peregrination: and thou shalt not reioyce ouer the children of Iuda,
in the day of their perdition: & thou shalt not magnifie thy mouth in
the day of distresse. 13 Neither shalt thou enter the gate of my people
in the day of their ruine: neither shalt thou also dispise in his euils
in the day of his distruction: and thou shalt not be sent out against
his armie in the day of his destruction. 14 Neither shalt thou stand in
the outgoings to kil them that flee: and thou shalt not shut vp his
remnant in the day of tribulation. 15 Because the day of our Lord is at
hand vpon al nations: as thou hast done, so shal it be done to thee:
thy retribution he wil returne vpon thine owne head. 16 For as you haue
drunke vpon my holie mount, shal al Gentils drinke continually: & they
shal drinke, and swallow vp, and they shal be as though they were not.
17 And in mount Sion shal be saluation, and it shal be holie: and the
house of Iacob shal possesse those that had possessed them. 18 And the
house of Iacob shal be a fyre, and the house of Ioseph a flame, and the
house of Esau stubble: and they shal be kindled in them, and shal
deuoure them: and there shal be no remaynes of the house of Esau,
because our Lord hath spoken. 19 And they that are toward the South,
shal inherite the mount of Esau, and they in the champaine countries,
Philisthiims: and they shal possesse the region of Ephraim, and the
region of Samaria: and Beniamin shal possesse Galaad. 20 And the
transmigration of this host of the children of Israel, al places of the
Chananeits euen to Sarepta: and the transmigration of Ierusalem, that is
in Bosphorus, shal possesse the cities of the South. 21 And sauiours
shal ascend into mount Sion to iudge the mount of Esau: and the kingdom
shal be to our Lord.







 


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