King James Version · Under Rome
2 Esdras 1
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is.
1The second book of the , the son of , the son of , the son of Helchias, the son of Sadamias, the son of Sadoc, the son of Achitob, 2The son of Achias, the son of , the son of Heli, the son of Amarias, the son of Aziei, the son of Marimoth, the son of And he spake unto the of Borith, the son of Abisei, the son of , the son of Eleazar, 3The son of , of the tribe of Levi; which was in the land of the , in the reign of king of the . 4And unto me, saying, 5Go thy way, and shew my people their deeds, and their children their wickedness which they have done against me; that they may tell their children’s children: 6Because the of their fathers are increased in them: for they have forgotten me, and have offered unto strange gods. 7Am not I even he that brought them out of the land of , from the house of bondage? but they have provoked me unto , and despised my counsels. 8Pull thou off then the hair of thy head, and cast all evil upon them, for they have not been obedient unto , but it is a rebellious people. 9How long shall I forbear them, into whom I have done so much good? 10Many kings have I destroyed for their sakes; with his servants and all his have I smitten down. 11All the nations have I destroyed before them, and in the east I have scattered the people of two provinces, even of and , and have slain all their . 12Speak thou therefore unto them, saying, Thus saith , 13I led you through the sea and gave you a large and safe passage; I gave you for a leader, and for a priest. 14I gave you in a , and great wonders have I done among you; yet have ye forgotten me, saith . 15Thus saith , The quails were as a token to you; I gave you tents for your safeguard: nevertheless ye murmured there, 16And triumphed not in my name for the of your , but ever to this day do ye yet murmur. 17Where are the benefits that I have done for you? when ye were hungry and thirsty in , did ye not cry unto me, 18Saying, Why hast thou brought us into this to kill us? it had been better for us to have the , than to in this . 19Then had I upon your mournings, and gave you to eat; so ye did eat ’ bread. 20When ye were thirsty, did I not cleave , and waters flowed out to your fill? for the heat I covered you with the leaves of the trees. 21I divided among you a fruitful land, I cast out , the Pherezites, and the , before you: what shall I yet do more for you? saith . 22Thus saith , When ye were in , in the river of the , being athirst, and blaspheming my name, 23I gave you not for your blasphemies, but cast a tree in the water, and made the river sweet. 24What shall I do unto thee, O ? thou, , wouldest not me: I will turn me to other nations, and unto those will I give my name, that they may keep . 25Seeing ye have forsaken me, I will forsake you also; when ye me to be unto you, I shall have no mercy upon you. 26Whensoever ye shall call upon me, I will not hear you: for ye have defiled your hands with , and your feet are swift to commit manslaughter. 27Ye have not as it were forsaken me, but your own selves, saith . 28Thus saith , Have I not you as a his sons, as a mother her daughters, and a nurse her young babes, 29That ye would be my people, and I should be your ; that ye would be my children, and I should be your ? 30I gathered you together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her : but now, what shall I do unto you? I will cast you out from . 31When ye offer unto me, I will turn from you: for your solemn feastdays, your new moons, and your circumcisions, have I forsaken. 32I sent unto you my servants , whom ye have taken and slain, and torn their bodies in pieces, whose I will require of your hands, saith . 33Thus saith , Your house is desolate, I will cast you out as the wind doth stubble. 34And your children shall not be fruitful; for they have despised my , and done the thing that is an evil before me. 35Your houses will I give to a people that shall come; which not having heard of me yet shall me; to whom I have shewed no signs, yet they shall do that I have commanded them. 36They have seen no , yet they shall call their to remembrance, and them. 37I take to the of the people to come, whose little ones rejoice in gladness: and though they have not seen me with bodily eyes, yet in they the thing that I say. 38And now, brother, behold what ; and see the people that come from the east: 39Unto whom I will give for leaders, , , and , Oseas, , and Micheas, Joel, Abdias, and , 40, and Abacuc, Sophonias, , Zachary, and Malachy, which is called also of .
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.