2 Esdras 11

Then I saw a dream, and there before me an eagle came up out of the sea. She had twelve feathered wings and three heads.

1Then saw I a dream, and, behold, there came up from the sea an eagle, which had twelve feathered wings, and three heads.

NoteThis book survives complete only in Latin and in translations made from it, so where the King James is obscure the note points to what the Latin says. An eagle coming up out of the sea deliberately picks up Daniel 7, where four beasts rise from the sea one after another and the fourth is the most frightening; chapter 12 gives a point by point interpretation of the eagle, its wings and its heads. The eagle was also the emblem carried at the head of a Roman legion. The Latin opens the verse "on the second night," marking this as a fresh vision.

2I looked, and there she was, spreading her wings out over all the earth. All the winds of the sky blew on her, and the clouds gathered together.

2And I saw, and, behold, she spread her wings over all the earth, and all the winds of the air blew on her, and were gathered together.

NoteThe King James "and were gathered together" never says what was gathered. The Latin has the clouds gathering against her, which is what the rendering follows.

3I looked, and out of her feathers other feathers grew opposite them, and these became little feathers, small ones.

3And I beheld, and out of her feathers there grew other contrary feathers; and they became little feathers and small.

Note"Contrary" in 1611 means facing or set opposite, not hostile: these feathers grow out over against the first set. One Latin word covers both a wing and the long feather of a wing, which is why the King James keeps sliding between "wings" and "feathers" for what are the same things.

4But her heads were resting. The head in the middle was larger than the other heads, yet it rested along with them.

4But her heads were at rest: the head in the midst was greater than the other, yet rested it with the residue.

Note"The residue" simply means the rest, the ones left over. It implies nothing about their being inferior.

5I looked again, and there was the eagle flying with her feathers, and she ruled over the earth and over those who lived on it.

5Moreover I beheld, and, lo, the eagle flew with her feathers, and reigned upon earth, and over them that dwelt therein.

6I saw that everything under the sky was under her power, and no one spoke against her, not one creature on earth.

6And I saw that all things under heaven were subject unto her, and no man spake against her, no, not one creature upon earth.

7I looked, and there the eagle rose up on her claws and spoke to her feathers. She said,

7And I beheld, and, lo, the eagle rose upon her talons, and spake to her feathers, saying,

8"Do not all keep watch at the same time. Each of you sleep in your own place, and keep watch in turns.

8Watch not all at once: sleep every one in his own place, and watch by course:

Note"Watch by course" means take turns at keeping watch, in a fixed rotation, the way sentries do.

9But let the heads be kept back for last."

9But let the heads be preserved for the last.

10I looked, and the voice did not come out of her heads, but from the middle of her body.

10And I beheld, and, lo, the voice went not out of her heads, but from the midst of her body.

11I counted the feathers that grew opposite the others, and there were eight of them.

11And I numbered her contrary feathers, and, behold, there were eight of them.

12I looked, and on the right side one feather rose up and ruled over all the earth.

12And I looked, and, behold, on the right side there arose one feather, and reigned over all the earth;

13And it happened that while it was ruling, its end came, and its place was seen no more. Then the next one stood up and ruled, and it ruled for a long time.

13And so it was, that when it reigned, the end of it came, and the place thereof appeared no more: so the next following stood up. and reigned, and had a great time;

Note"Had a great time" in the King James means its reign lasted a long while. The phrase has nothing to do with enjoyment.

14And it happened that while this one was ruling, its end came too, just as the first one's had, so that it was seen no more.

14And it happened, that when it reigned, the end of it came also, like as the first, so that it appeared no more.

15Then a voice came to it and said,

15Then came there a voice unto it, and said,

16"Listen, you who have ruled over the earth all this long time. This is what I say to you before you begin to be seen no more:

16Hear thou that hast borne rule over the earth so long: this I say unto thee, before thou beginnest to appear no more,

Note"Borne rule" means held power, governed.

17No one after you will rule as long as you have, not even half as long."

17There shall none after thee attain unto thy time, neither unto the half thereof.

Note"Attain unto thy time" means match the length of your reign.

18Then the third one rose up and ruled as the ones before it had, and it too was seen no more.

18Then arose the third, and reigned as the other before, and appeared no more also.

19So it went with all the rest, one after another. Each one ruled, and then it was seen no more.

19So went it with all the residue one after another, as that every one reigned, and then appeared no more.

20Then I looked, and as time went on, the feathers that came after stood up on the right side so that they could rule too. Some of them ruled, but after a while they were seen no more.

20Then I beheld, and, lo, in process of time the feathers that followed stood up upon the right side, that they might rule also; and some of them ruled, but within a while they appeared no more:

Note"In process of time" is an older way of saying as time went on.

21For some of them were set up, but they never ruled.

21For some of them were set up, but ruled not.

22After this I looked, and the twelve feathers were seen no more, and neither were the two little feathers.

22After this I looked, and, behold, the twelve feathers appeared no more, nor the two little feathers:

23Nothing was left on the eagle's body except the three heads that were resting and six little wings.

23And there was no more upon the eagle’s body, but three heads that rested, and six little wings.

24Then I also saw that two little feathers separated themselves from the six and stayed under the head that was on the right side, while the other four stayed where they were.

24Then saw I also that two little feathers divided themselves from the six, and remained under the head that was upon the right side: for the four continued in their place.

NoteThe "little wings," also called the feathers under the wing, translate a Latin term for the smaller feathers lying beneath the main ones. In the scheme the vision is counting out they stand for lesser and shorter lived rulers than the twelve.

25I looked, and the feathers that were under the wing planned to set themselves up and take the rule.

25And I beheld, and, lo, the feathers that were under the wing thought to set up themselves and to have the rule.

26I looked, and one of them was set up, but soon it was seen no more.

26And I beheld, and, lo, there was one set up, but shortly it appeared no more.

27And the second one was gone sooner than the first.

27And the second was sooner away than the first.

Note"Sooner away" means it vanished more quickly than the one before.

28I looked, and the two that were left were also planning within themselves to rule.

28And I beheld, and, lo, the two that remained thought also in themselves to reign:

29And while they were planning this, one of the heads that had been resting woke up. It was the one in the middle, for that head was larger than the other two heads.

29And when they so thought, behold, there awaked one of the heads that were at rest, namely, it that was in the midst; for that was greater than the two other heads.

30Then I saw that the two other heads joined with it.

30And then I saw that the two other heads were joined with it.

31And the head turned, together with the ones that were with it, and it ate up the two feathers under the wing that had meant to rule.

31And, behold, the head was turned with them that were with it, and did eat up the two feathers under the wing that would have reigned.

32But this head took hold of the whole earth, and it ruled over all who lived on the earth with much cruelty. It had a stronger grip on the world than all the wings that had gone before.

32But this head put the whole earth in fear, and bare rule in it over all those that dwelt upon the earth with much oppression; and it had the governance of the world more than all the wings that had been.

Note"Bare rule" is the past tense of bear rule, that is, it governed. The King James "put the whole earth in fear" and the rendering "took hold of the whole earth" reflect a genuine split in the Latin manuscripts: some have the head holding the earth in its grip or possession, others have it terrifying the earth.

33And after this I looked, and the head that was in the middle was suddenly seen no more, just as the wings had been.

33And after this I beheld, and, lo, the head that was in the midst suddenly appeared no more, like as the wings.

34But the two heads were left, and they too ruled in the same way over the earth and over those who lived on it.

34But there remained the two heads, which also in like sort ruled upon the earth, and over those that dwelt therein.

35And I looked, and the head on the right side ate up the head that was on the left side.

35And I beheld, and, lo, the head upon the right side devoured it that was upon the left side.

36Then I heard a voice, which said to me, "Look in front of you and think about what you see."

36Then I head a voice, which said unto me, Look before thee, and consider the thing that thou seest.

Note"I head a voice" is a printer's error for "I heard a voice" that survives in many printings of the King James Apocrypha.

37I looked, and there was something like a lion, roused out of the forest and roaring. And I saw that he sent out a man's voice to the eagle, and said,

37And I beheld, and lo, as it were a roaring lion chased out of the wood: and I saw that he sent out a man’s voice unto the eagle, and said,

Note"Chased out of the wood" means roused or driven out of the forest. Chapter 12 explains this lion as the anointed king from David's line; the lion had long been the emblem of the tribe of Judah, the tribe David came from.

38"Listen, I will speak with you, and the Most High will say to you:

38Hear thou, I will talk with thee, and the Highest shall say unto thee,

39Are you not the one left of the four beasts that I made to rule in my world, so that the end of their times might come through them?

39Art not thou it that remainest of the four beasts, whom I made to reign in my world, that the end of their times might come through them?

NoteThe four beasts are the four kingdoms of Daniel 7, which come up out of the sea one after another. The eagle is being addressed as the last survivor of that set.

40And the fourth one came, and it overcame all the beasts that had gone before. It held power over the world with great terror, and over the whole stretch of the earth with cruel and wicked oppression. And it lived on the earth a very long time by lying.

40And the fourth came, and overcame all the beasts that were past, and had power over the world with great fearfulness, and over the whole compass of the earth with much wicked oppression; and so long time dwelt he upon the earth with deceit.

NoteThe speech talks about the fourth beast in the third person here and then turns and addresses the eagle directly as "thou" in the next verse. The two are the same creature.

41For you have not judged the earth with truth.

41For the earth hast thou not judged with truth.

NoteIn this older idiom, to judge a land means to govern it, not merely to decide court cases.

42You have crushed the meek, you have hurt the peaceable, you have loved liars, you have destroyed the homes of those who produced fruit, and you have thrown down the walls of people who did you no harm.

42For thou hast afflicted the meek, thou hast hurt the peaceable, thou hast loved liars, and destroyed the dwellings of them that brought forth fruit, and hast cast down the walls of such as did thee no harm.

NoteThe Latin carries a further line here that the King James does not: "you have hated those who speak the truth."

43So your wrongdoing has come up to the Most High, and your pride has come up to the Mighty One.

43Therefore is thy wrongful dealing come up unto the Highest, and thy pride unto the Mighty.

Note"The Highest" and "the Mighty" are both titles for God: the Most High and the Mighty One.

44The Most High has also looked at the proud times, and now they are ended, and its hateful deeds are complete.

44The Highest also hath looked upon the proud times, and, behold, they are ended, and his abominations are fulfilled.

NoteThis verse is obscure in the Latin and the manuscripts differ. The King James read it as the proud one's "abominations" being now complete; others read it as his allotted ages being finished, that is, his time having run out.

45So appear no more, you eagle, and neither shall your horrible wings, nor your wicked feathers, nor your cruel heads, nor your hurtful claws, nor any part of your worthless body:

45And therefore appear no more, thou eagle, nor thy horrible wings, nor thy wicked feathers nor thy malicious heads, nor thy hurtful claws, nor all thy vain body:

Note"Vain" in 1611 means empty or worthless, not conceited.

46so that all the earth may be refreshed and may come back, set free from your violence, and so that she may hope for the judgment and the mercy of the one who made her."

46That all the earth may be refreshed, and may return, being delivered from thy violence, and that she may hope for the judgment and mercy of him that made her.

Note"Return" here means be restored to what it was, not travel back somewhere. The earth is spoken of as "she" throughout the speech, as a wronged party who can now look for justice.