King James Version · Under Rome
2 Esdras 2
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1Thus saith , I brought this people out of bondage, and I gave them my by menservants ; whom they would not hear, but despised my counsels. 2The mother that them saith unto them, Go your way, ye children; for I am a and forsaken. 3I brought you up with gladness; but with sorrow and heaviness have I lost you: for ye have before your , and done that thing that is evil before him. 4But what shall I now do unto you? I am a and forsaken: go your way, O my children, and ask mercy of . 5As for me, O , I call upon thee for a over the mother of these children, which would not keep my , 6That thou bring them to confusion, and their mother to a spoil, that there may be no of them. 7Let them be scattered abroad among the heathen, let their names be put out of the earth: for they have despised my . 8Woe be unto thee, , thou that hidest the unrighteous in thee! O thou people, remember what I did unto and Gomorrha; 9Whose land lieth in clods of pitch and heaps of : even so also will I do unto them that hear me not, saith . 10Thus saith unto , Tell my people that I will give them of , which I would have given unto Israel. 11Their also will I take unto me, and give these the tabernacles, which I had prepared for them. 12They shall have for an ointment of sweet savour; they shall neither labour, nor be weary. 13Go, and ye shall receive: for few days unto you, that they may be shortened: is already prepared for you: watch. 14Take and earth to ; for I have broken the evil in pieces, and created the good: for I live, saith . 15Mother, embrace thy children, and bring them up with gladness, make their feet as as a pillar: for I have chosen thee, saith . 16And those that be will I raise up again from their places, and bring them out of the : for I have known my name in Israel. 17Fear not, thou mother of the children: for I have chosen thee, saith . 18For thy help will I send my servants and , after whose I have and prepared for thee twelve trees laden with divers fruits, 19And as many fountains , and seven mighty mountains, whereupon there grow roses and lilies, whereby I will fill thy children with joy. 20Do right to the , judge for , give to , defend the orphan, clothe the , 21Heal the broken and the weak, laugh not a lame man to scorn, defend the maimed, and let the blind man come into the sight of my clearness. 22Keep the old and young within thy walls. 23Wheresoever thou findest , take them and bury them, and I will give thee the first place in my . 24 still, O my people, and take thy rest, for thy quietness still come. 25Nourish thy children, O thou good nurse; stablish their feet. 26As for the servants whom I have given thee, there shall not one of them ; for I will require them from among thy number. 27Be not weary: for when the day of trouble and heaviness cometh, others shall weep and be sorrowful, but thou shalt be merry and have abundance. 28The heathen shall envy thee, but they shall be able to do nothing against thee, saith . 29My hands shall cover thee, so that thy children shall not see hell. 30Be joyful, O thou mother, with thy children; for I will thee, saith . 31Remember thy children that sleep, for I shall bring them out of the sides of the earth, and shew mercy unto them: for I am merciful, saith Almighty. 32Embrace thy children until I come and shew mercy unto them: for my wells run over, and my shall not fail. 33I received a charge of upon the mount , that I should go unto Israel; but when I came unto them, they set me at nought, and despised the of . 34And therefore I say unto you, O ye heathen, that hear and understand, look for your , he shall give you rest; for he is nigh at hand, that shall come in the end of the world. 35Be ready to the reward of , for the shall shine upon you for evermore. 36Flee the shadow of this world, receive the joyfulness of your : I testify my openly. 37O receive the gift that is given you, and be glad, giving thanks unto him that hath led you to the kingdom. 38Arise up and stand, behold the number of those that be sealed in the feast of ; 39Which are departed from the shadow of the world, and have received garments of . 40Take thy number, O , and shut up those of thine that are , which have fulfilled of . 41The number of thy children, whom thou longedst for, is fulfilled: beseech the of , that thy people, which have been called , may be hallowed. 42I saw upon the mount a great people, whom I could not number, and they all praised with songs. 43And in the midst of them there was a young man of a high stature, taller than all the rest, and upon every one of their heads he set , and was more exalted; which I marvelled at greatly. 44So I asked , and said, Sir, what are these? 45He answered and said unto me, These be they that have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal, and have the name of : now are they , and receive palms. 46Then said I unto , What young person is it that crowneth them, and giveth them palms in their hands? 47So he answered and said unto me, It is the Son of , whom they have in the world. Then began I greatly to commend them that stood so stiffly for the name of . 48Then said unto me, Go thy way, and tell my people what manner of things, and how great wonders of thy , thou hast seen.
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.