2 Esdras
1And HE said to me, "At the beginning of the circle of the earth, at first by the Son of Man, and afterwards I MYSELF. For the earth and the lands were created, and before the portals of the world were in place, and before the assembled winds blew,
2And before the rumblings of thunder sounded, and before the flashes of lightning shone, and before the foundations of Paradise were laid,
3And before the beautiful flowers were seen, and before the powers of movement were established, and before the innumerable hosts of malakim were gathered together,
4And before the heights of the air were lifted up, and before the measures of the firmaments were named, and before the footstool of Zion was established, or ever the chimneys in Zion were hot,
5And before the present years were reckoned, and or ever the inventions of them that now sin were turned, before they were sealed that have gathered faith for a treasure:
6Then did I planned these things, and they were all made through ME alone, and not through another: just as the end shall come through ME and not through another.
7Then I answered and said, What shall be the dividing of the times? Or when shall be the end of the first age, and the beginning of the age that follows?
8And HE said to me, From Abraham to Yitschaq, when Yacob and Esau were born of him, for Yacob's hand held first the heel of Esau.
9For Esau is the end of this age, and Yacob is the beginning of the age that follows.
10For the beginning of a man is his hand, and the end of a man is his heel, between the heel and the hand seek for nothing else, Ezra!.
11I answered then and said, Oh YAHWEH that bear rule, if I have found favor in YOUR sight,
12I beseech YOU, show YOUR servant the end of YOUR signs, which YOU had shown me part on a previous night. — 2Ezra 4:51-5:13
13So HE answered and said to me, Stand up upon your feet, and hear a mighty sounding voice.
14And it shall be as it were a great motion while the voice is speaking; but the place where you stand shall not be moved.
15And therefore when it speaks be not afraid: for the Word concerns the End, and the foundation of the earth will understand that the Words concerns them.
16And why? because the Words of these things trembles and is moved: for they know that the end of these things must be changed.
17And it happened, that when I had heard this, I stood up upon my feet, and hearkened, and, behold, there was a voice that spoke, and the sound of it was like the sound of many waters.
18And it said, Behold, the days are coming, and it shall be that when I draw near to visit the inhabitants of the earth,
19And when I begin to make inquisition of the doers of iniquity, the penalty of what they have hurt unjustly with their unrighteousness, and when the humiliation of Zion shall be fulfilled;
20And when the seal is placed upon the age which is about to pass away, then I will show these signs: The books shall be opened before the firmament, and all shall see it together.
21And the children of a year old shall speak with their voices, and women with child shall bring forth premature children of three or four months old, and they shall live, and be raised up.
22And the sown places shall suddenly appear unsown, and the full storehouses shall suddenly be found empty:
23And the shofar shall sound aloud, and when every man hears, they shall be suddenly be terrified.
24At that time friends fight one against another like enemies, and the earth and those who inhabit it shall stand in fear with those that dwell therein, the springs of the fountains shall stand still, so that for three hours they shall not run.
25It shall be that whosoever remains from all these that I have foretold you shall escape, and see MY yeshua, and the end of your world.
26And the men that are received shall see it, who have not tasted death from their birth: and the heart of the inhabitants shall be changed and converted to a different spirit.
27For evil shall be blotted out, and deceit shall be quenched.
28As for faith, faithfulness shall flourish, corruption shall be overcome, and the Truth, which has been so long without fruit, shall be revealed and declared.
29While he spoke to me, behold, little by little the place where I was standing, began to rock to and fro.
30And he said to me; I am come to show you the time of the night to come.
31If you will pray yet more, and fast seven days again, I shall declare you greater things by day than I have heard.
32Because your voice is surely heard before the Most High YAHWEH: for the ALMIGHTY has seen your righteous dealing, HE has seen also your chastity, which you have maintained from your youth.
33And therefore HE has sent me to show you all these things, and to say to you, Believe and be of tov comfort and fear not
34And do not be quick to think vain thoughts concerning the former things, lest you be hasty concerning the latter times.
35And it came to pass after this, that I wept again, and fasted seven days in like manner, in order to complete the week which he told me.
36And on the eighth night my heart was troubled within me again, and I began to speak before the Most High YAHWEH.
37For my ruach was greatly aroused, and my soul was in distress.
38And I said, Oh YAHWEH, YOU spoke at the beginning of the creation, and said on the first day; Let heaven and earth be made; and YOUR Word accomplished the work.
39And then the Ruach was hovering, and darkness and silence embraced everything; the sound of man's voice was not yet formed.
40Then YOU commanded that a ray of light to come forth from YOUR treasures, so that YOUR work might appear.
41Upon the second day YOU made the ruach of the firmament, and commanded Him to divide and to make a division between the waters, that the one part might go up, and the other part remain beneath.
42Upon the third day YOU commanded the waters to be gathered together in the seventh part of the earth: one parts have YOU dried up, and kept them, to the intent that of these some being planted of YAHWEH and tilled might serve YOU.
43For as soon as YOUR Word went forth the work was made.
44For immediately there was a great abundance of fruit, and a great varity for the taste, and flowers of inimitable color, and odors of wonderful inexpressible fragrances: and this was done the third day.
45Upon the fourth day YOU commanded the brightness of the sun to shine, and the moon give her light, and the stars should come to be, and all in order:
46And YOU gave them a charge to do service to man, who was about to be made.
47Upon the fifth day YOU commanded the seven parts, where the waters were gathered together, to bring forth living creatures, fowls and fishes: and so it came to pass.
48For the dumb water and without life brought forth living things at the commandment of YOU, YAHWEH, that all people might declare and praise YOUR wondrous works.
49Then did YOU ordain two living creatures, the name of one YOU called Behemoth, and the name of the other Leviathan;
50And YOU did separate one from the other, for the seven parts, namely, where the water was gathered together, could not hold them both.
51And to Behemoth YOU gave one part, which was dried up on the third day, to dwell in the same part, where there are one thousand mountains:
52But to Leviathan YOU gave the seven parts, namely, the moist; and have kept him to be devoured by whom YOU wish, and when YOU wish.
53Upon the sixth day YOU commanded the earth to bring forth before YOU cattle, beasts, and creeping things;
54And after these, Adam also, whom YOU made, and over these YOU placed Adam as ruler over all the works which YOU had made; and from him we have all come, the people from whom YOU have chosen. Why Does Yisrael Not Possess Her Inheritance?
55All this have I spoken before YOU, Oh YAHWEH, because YOU have said that it was for us that YOU created this first-born world.
56As for the other nations, which also come of Adam, YOU have said that they are nothing, and they are as spittle: and have compared the abundance of them to as a drop that falls from a vessel.
57And now, Oh YAHWEH, behold, these nations, which are been reputed as nothing, have begun to be lords over us, and to devour us.
58But we YOUR people, whom YOU have called YOUR firstborn, YOUR only begotten, and YOUR fervent lover, have been given into their hands.
59If the world has indeed been created for us, why do we not possess our world as an inheritance? How long shall this endure so?
