King James Version · Under Rome
2 Esdras 13
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is.
1And it came to pass after seven days, I dreamed a by night: 2And, lo, there arose a wind from the sea, that it moved all the waves thereof. 3And I beheld, and, lo, that man waxed strong with the thousands of : and when he turned his countenance to look, all the things trembled that were seen under him. 4And whensoever the voice went out of his , all they burned that heard his voice, like as the earth faileth when it feeleth the . 5And after this I beheld, and, lo, there was gathered together a multitude of men, out of number, from the four winds of the , to the man that came out of the sea 6But I beheld, and, lo, he had graved himself a great mountain, and flew up upon it. 7But I would have seen the region or place whereout the hill was graven, and I could not. 8And after this I beheld, and, lo, all they which were gathered together to him were sore afraid, and yet durst fight. 9And, lo, as he saw the of that came, he neither lifted up his hand, nor held , nor any instrument of war: 10But only I saw that he sent out of his as it had been a blast of , and out of his a flaming breath, and out of his he cast out sparks and tempests. 11And they were all mixed together; the blast of , the flaming breath, and the great tempest; and fell with upon which was prepared to fight, and burned them up every one, so that upon a sudden of an innumerable multitude nothing was to be perceived, but only and smell of smoke: when I saw this I was afraid. 12Afterward saw I the same man come down from the mountain, and call unto him another peaceable Multitude. 13And there came much people unto him, whereof some were glad, some were sorry, and some of them were bound, and other some brought of them that were offered: then was I sick through great fear, and I awaked, and said, 14Thou hast shewed thy servant these wonders , and hast counted me worthy that thou shouldest receive my : 15Shew me now yet the of this . 16For as I conceive in mine understanding, woe unto them that shall be left in those days and much more woe unto them that are not left behind! 17For they that were not left were in heaviness. 18Now understand I the things that are laid up in the , which shall happen unto them, and to those that are left behind. 19Therefore are they come into great perils and many necessities, like as these declare. 20Yet is it easier for him that is in danger to come into these things, than to pass away as a cloud out of the world, and not to see the things that happen . And he answered unto me, and said, 21The of the shall I shew thee, and I will open unto thee the thing that thou hast required. 22Whereas thou hast spoken of them that are left behind, this is the : 23He that shall the peril in that time hath kept himself: they that be fallen into danger are such as have works, and toward . 24Know this therefore, that they which be left behind are more than they that be . 25This is the meaning of the : Whereas thou sawest a man coming up from the midst of the sea: 26The same is he whom the Highest hath kept a great season, which by his own self shall his creature: and he shall order them that are left behind. 27And whereas thou sawest, that out of his there came as a blast of wind, and , and storm; 28And that he held neither , nor any instrument of war, but that the rushing in of him destroyed the whole multitude that came to him; this is the : 29Behold, the days come, when will begin to them that are upon the earth. 30And he shall come to the astonishment of them that on the earth. 31And one shall undertake to fight against another, one city against another, one place against another, one people against another, and one realm against another. 32And the time shall be when these things shall come to pass, and the signs shall happen which I shewed thee before, and then shall my Son be declared, whom thou sawest as a man ascending. 33And when all the people hear his voice, every man shall in their own land leave the battle they have one against another. 34And an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together, as thou sawest them, willing to come, and to overcome him by fighting. 35But he shall stand upon the top of the mount . 36And shall come, and shall be shewed to all men, being prepared and builded, like as thou sawest the hill graven without hands. 37And this my Son shall rebuke inventions of those nations, which for their life are fallen into the tempest; 38And shall lay before them their evil , and the torments wherewith they shall begin to be tormented, which are like unto a flame: and he shall destroy them without labour by which is like unto me. 39And whereas thou sawest that he gathered another peaceable multitude unto him; 40Those are the ten tribes, which were prisoners out of their own land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanasar the king of led away , and he carried them over the waters, and so came they into another land. 41But they took this among themselves, that they would leave of the heathen, and go forth into a further country, where never mankind dwelt, 42That they might there keep their , which they never kept in their own land. 43And they entered into by the narrow places of the river. 44For then shewed signs for them, and held still the flood, till they were passed over. 45For through that country there was a great way to go, namely, of a year and a half: and the same region is called Arsareth. 46Then dwelt they there until the latter time; and now when they shall begin to come, 47The Highest shall stay the springs of the stream again, that they may go through: therefore sawest thou with peace. 48But those that be left behind of thy people are they that are found within my borders. 49Now when he destroyeth of the nations that are gathered together, he shall defend his people that . 50And then shall he shew them great wonders. 51Then said I, O that bearest rule, shew me this: Wherefore have I seen the man coming up from the midst of the sea? 52And he said unto me, Like as thou canst neither seek out nor know the things that are in the deep of the sea: even so can no man upon earth see my Son, or those that be with him, but in the day time. 53This is the of the which thou sawest, and whereby thou only art here lightened. 54For thou hast forsaken thine own way, and applied thy diligence unto , and sought it. 55Thy life hast thou ordered in , and hast called understanding thy mother. 56And therefore have I shewed thee the of the Highest: after other three days I will speak other things unto thee, and declare unto thee mighty and wondrous things. 57Then went I forth into the field, giving and thanks greatly unto because of his wonders which he did in time; 58And because he governeth the same, and such things as fall in their seasons: and there I sat three days.
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.