2 Esdras 12

While the lion was speaking these words to the eagle, I watched.

1And it came to pass, whiles the lion spake these words unto the eagle, I saw,

NoteThis chapter is the angel's explanation of the dream Ezra saw in chapter 11: an eagle with twelve large wings, eight small ones and three heads rose out of the sea and ruled the earth, and a lion came out of the forest and denounced it. Everything here refers back to parts of that dream.

2And look, the head that was left and the four wings were seen no more, and the two went over to it and set themselves up to rule. Their kingdom was short and full of uproar.

2And, behold, the head that remained and the four wings appeared no more, and the two went unto it and set themselves up to reign, and their kingdom was small, and fill of uproar.

Note"The two" are the last two of the small wings, which in the dream went over to the surviving head and then set themselves up to rule.

3I watched, and look, they too were seen no more, and the whole body of the eagle was burned up, so that the earth was in great fear. Then I woke out of the confusion and daze of my mind, and out of great fear, and said to my spirit,

3And I saw, and, behold, they appeared no more, and the whole body of the eagle was burnt so that the earth was in great fear: then awaked I out of the trouble and trance of my mind, and from great fear, and said unto my spirit,

Note"Trance" in 1611 English means a daze or stupor, the state of someone stunned and not fully in possession of himself. It does not mean a mystical state entered on purpose.

4"Look what you have done to me, in that you search out the ways of the Most High.

4Lo, this hast thou done unto me, in that thou searchest out the ways of the Highest.

NoteEzra is still addressing his own spirit, which he turned to at the end of the previous verse. The "thou" who has done this to him is his own mind, for pressing so hard into hidden things.

5Look, my mind is still worn out and my spirit is very weak. There is hardly any strength left in me, because of the great fear that shook me this night.

5Lo, yet am I weary in my mind, and very weak in my spirit; and little strength is there in me, for the great fear wherewith I was afflicted this night.

6So now I will beg the Most High to give me strength until the end."

6Therefore will I now beseech the Highest, that he will comfort me unto the end.

7And I said, "Lord who rules over all, if I have found favor in your sight, and if I am counted right with you more than many others, and if my prayer has truly come up before your face,

7And I said, Lord that bearest rule, if I have found grace before thy sight, and if I am justified with thee before many others, and if my prayer indeed be come up before thy face;

Note"Lord that bearest rule" means sovereign Lord, the one who holds all authority. "Justified with thee" is courtroom language: to be reckoned as in the right when your case is weighed.

8then give me strength, and show me, your servant, the meaning and the plain sense of this frightening vision, so that you may fully comfort my soul.

8Comfort me then, and shew me thy servant the interpretation and plain difference of this fearful vision, that thou mayest perfectly comfort my soul.

Note"Plain difference" means the plain distinguishing of one part from another, that is, what each separate piece of the vision stands for.

9For you have judged me worthy to be shown the last times."

9For thou hast judged me worthy to shew me the last times.

Note"The last times" means the closing period of history, the events leading up to the final judgment.

10And he said to me, "This is the meaning of the vision:

10And he said unto me, This is the interpretation of the vision:

11The eagle you saw coming up out of the sea is the kingdom that was seen in the vision of your brother Daniel.

11The eagle, whom thou sawest come up from the sea, is the kingdom which was seen in the vision of thy brother Daniel.

NoteThe reference is to the book of Daniel, set in the same Babylonian exile, where four beasts come up out of the sea and the fourth is a terrifying kingdom that devours the earth. "Brother" here means a fellow Israelite and fellow visionary, not a blood relation. The angel is saying the eagle is that fourth kingdom.

12But it was not explained to him, so I am declaring it to you now.

12But it was not expounded unto him, therefore now I declare it unto thee.

13Look, the days are coming when a kingdom will rise up on the earth, and it will be feared more than all the kingdoms that came before it.

13Behold, the days will come, that there shall rise up a kingdom upon earth, and it shall be feared above all the kingdoms that were before it.

NoteThe eagle was the standard carried by the Roman legions, and the book's first readers would have taken the eagle for Rome. The vision reworks Daniel's fourth kingdom to fit an empire of their own day.

14In that kingdom twelve kings will rule, one after another.

14In the same shall twelve kings reign, one after another:

15The second of them will begin to rule, and he will hold power longer than any of the twelve.

15Whereof the second shall begin to reign, and shall have more time than any of the twelve.

16This is what the twelve wings you saw stand for.

16And this do the twelve wings signify, which thou sawest.

17As for the voice you heard speaking, which you saw did not come out from the heads but from the middle of the body, this is the meaning:

17As for the voice which thou heardest speak, and that thou sawest not to go out from the heads but from the midst of the body thereof, this is the interpretation:

NoteIn the dream, a voice spoke not from any of the heads but from the middle of the eagle's body, telling the wings to stop sleeping and take their turns to rule.

18After the time of that kingdom there will be great conflicts, and it will be in danger of falling. Even so, it will not fall then, but will be restored again to what it was at the start.

18That after the time of that kingdom there shall arise great strivings, and it shall stand in peril of failing: nevertheless it shall not then fall, but shall be restored again to his beginning.

Note"Restored again to his beginning" uses "his" in its old sense of "its." The kingdom, not a person, is what gets restored to the condition it was in at the start. KJV uses "his" and "her" this way for the eagle and its kingdom throughout the chapter.

19And as for the eight small feathers you saw under her wings, joined to them, this is the meaning:

19And whereas thou sawest the eight small under feathers sticking to her wings, this is the interpretation:

Note"Under feathers" are the smaller feathers growing beneath the great wings. In the dream they were eight little wings that sprouted and reigned very briefly.

20In that kingdom eight kings will arise, whose times will be short and whose years will pass quickly.

20That in him there shall arise eight kings, whose times shall be but small, and their years swift.

21Two of them will die as the middle of the time draws near. Four will be kept until their end begins to draw near. But two will be kept until the end.

21And two of them shall perish, the middle time approaching: four shall be kept until their end begin to approach: but two shall be kept unto the end.

Note"The middle time" means the midpoint of the span allotted to that kingdom, the halfway mark of its history rather than a particular date.

22And as for the three heads you saw resting, this is the meaning:

22And whereas thou sawest three heads resting, this is the interpretation:

23In the last days of that kingdom the Most High will raise up three kingdoms, and will renew many things in them, and they will have rule over the earth,

23In his last days shall the most High raise up three kingdoms, and renew many things therein, and they shall have the dominion of the earth,

NoteThe text moves freely between calling these three "heads," "kings" and "kingdoms." In this kind of vision a ruler and the reign he represents are spoken of interchangeably.

24and over those who live on it, with much oppression, more than all who came before them. That is why they are called the heads of the eagle.

24And of those that dwell therein, with much oppression, above all those that were before them: therefore are they called the heads of the eagle.

25For these are the ones who will carry its wickedness through to the full, and who will finish its last acts.

25For these are they that shall accomplish his wickedness, and that shall finish his last end.

Note"Accomplish his wickedness" means bring that wickedness to completion, fill up its full measure. Accomplish here carries no sense of achievement or credit.

26And as for your seeing that the great head was seen no more, it means that one of them will die on his bed, and yet in pain.

26And whereas thou sawest that the great head appeared no more, it signifieth that one of them shall die upon his bed, and yet with pain.

NoteTo die "upon his bed" was the ordinary way of saying a man died of illness or old age rather than being killed in battle or murdered. The phrase "and yet with pain" qualifies that: an unviolent death, but not an easy one.

27As for the two that are left, they will be killed by the sword.

27For the two that remain shall be slain with the sword.

28The sword of the one will devour the other, but at the last he too will fall by the sword.

28For the sword of the one shall devour the other: but at the last shall he fall through the sword himself.

29And as for your seeing two feathers from under the wings passing over to the head on the right side,

29And whereas thou sawest two feathers under the wings passing over the head that is on the right side;

NoteIn the dream, two of the small wings moved from under the wings and placed themselves beside the head on the right, which then swallowed them up.

30it means that these are the ones whom the Most High has kept until their end. This is the short kingdom, full of trouble, as you saw.

30It signifieth that these are they, whom the Highest hath kept unto their end: this is the small kingdom and full of trouble, as thou sawest.

31And the lion you saw rising up out of the woods, roaring, speaking to the eagle, and rebuking her for her wrongdoing with all the words you have heard: this is who he is:

31And the lion, whom thou sawest rising up out of the wood, and roaring, and speaking to the eagle, and rebuking her for her unrighteousness with all the words which thou hast heard;

NoteThe lion is a traditional emblem of the tribe of Judah and of the royal line of David, which is why the next verse identifies it as the anointed one.

32This is the anointed one, whom the Most High has kept until the end for them and for their wickedness. He will rebuke them, and will accuse them of their cruelty.

32This is the anointed, which the Highest hath kept for them and for their wickedness unto the end: he shall reprove them, and shall upbraid them with their cruelty.

Note"The anointed" translates the word behind both Messiah in Hebrew and Christ in Greek. It means literally one smeared with oil, the ceremony by which kings and priests were installed in office. The surviving Latin text of this verse adds that he will spring from the seed of David; KJV follows a shorter form of the verse without that clause.

33For he will set them alive before him in judgment, and will rebuke them, and punish them.

33For he shall set them before him alive in judgment, and shall rebuke them, and correct them.

NoteThe Latin text here says that after rebuking them he destroys them. KJV's "correct them" follows a milder reading, so the verse can be taken either way.

34But the rest of my people he will rescue with mercy, those who have been kept safe within my borders, and he will make them glad until the coming of the day of judgment, which I have spoken to you about from the beginning.

34For the rest of my people shall he deliver with mercy, those that have been pressed upon my borders, and he shall make them joyful until the coming of the day of judgment, whereof I have spoken unto thee from the beginning.

NoteKJV's "pressed upon my borders" sounds like people crowded or oppressed at the frontier. The Latin more likely means those preserved safe within the territory. The two readings differ by very little in the manuscripts.

35This is the dream you saw, and these are its meanings.

35This is the dream that thou sawest, and these are the interpretations.

36You alone have been found fit to know this secret of the Most High.

36Thou only hast been meet to know this secret of the Highest.

Note"Meet" in 1611 English means fitting or suitable, so "thou only hast been meet" means you alone have been the right person, the one worthy of it.

37So write down in a book all these things you have seen, and hide the book away.

37Therefore write all these things that thou hast seen in a book, and hide them:

NoteWriting a revelation down and then hiding it is a standard move in books of this kind. It explains why a work supposedly written centuries earlier was unknown until now: the book was sealed up and kept for the last generation. Daniel is told to do the same thing.

38And teach them to the wise among the people, those whose hearts you know are able to understand and keep these secrets.

38And teach them to the wise of the people, whose hearts thou knowest may comprehend and keep these secrets.

39But you yourself wait here seven more days, so that you may be shown whatever it pleases the Most High to tell you." And with that he went away.

39But wait thou here thyself yet seven days more, that it may be shewed thee, whatsoever it pleaseth the Highest to declare unto thee. And with that he went his way.

NoteEach vision in this book is separated from the next by a fixed span, usually seven days, spent apart from the city in fasting and waiting.

40When all the people saw that the seven days had passed and I had not come back into the city, they all gathered together, from the least to the greatest, and came to me and said,

40And it came to pass, when all the people saw that the seven days were past, and I not come again into the city, they gathered them all together, from the least unto the greatest, and came unto me, and said,

Note"From the least unto the greatest" is a standing idiom for everybody, high and low alike, with nobody left out.

41"How have we offended you? What wrong have we done to you, that you leave us and sit here in this place?

41What have we offended thee? and what evil have we done against thee, that thou forsakest us, and sittest here in this place?

42For out of all the prophets, you alone are left to us, like one cluster left from the grape harvest, like a lamp in a dark place, and like a harbor for a ship brought safely through the storm.

42For of all the prophets thou only art left us, as a cluster of the vintage, and as a candle in a dark place, and as a haven or ship preserved from the tempest.

NoteAfter a vineyard has been picked over, one cluster occasionally remains on the vine; that leftover bunch was a proverbial image for a single survivor of something that is otherwise gone. KJV's "as a haven or ship preserved from the tempest" is compressed; the sense is a harbor sheltering a ship that has come through a storm.

43Are the troubles that have come on us not enough?

43Are not the evils which are come to us sufficient?

44If you leave us, how much better it would have been for us if we too had been burned up in the middle of Zion.

44If thou shalt forsake us, how much better had it been for us, if we also had been burned in the midst of Sion?

NoteZion is the hill in Jerusalem, and by extension the city and its temple. The book presents Ezra as speaking thirty years after the Babylonians burned Jerusalem, so the people are asking why they were not simply killed in that fire along with everyone else.

45For we are no better than those who died there." And they wept out loud. Then I answered them and said,

45For we are not better than they that died there. And they wept with a loud voice. Then answered I them, and said,

46"Take heart, Israel, and do not be weighed down, house of Jacob.

46Be of good comfort, O Israel; and be not heavy, thou house of Jacob:

Note"House of Jacob" means the nation descended from Jacob, a standard way of addressing the people of Israel as a family.

47For the Most High keeps you in mind, and the Mighty One has not forgotten you in your testing.

47For the Highest hath you in remembrance, and the Mighty hath not forgotten you in temptation.

Note"Temptation" in 1611 English means a trial or testing, an ordeal that puts someone to the proof. It does not mean being enticed to do wrong.

48As for me, I have not abandoned you, and I have not gone away from you. I have come to this place to pray about the ruin of Zion, and to seek mercy for the low state of your holy house.

48As for me, I have not forsaken you, neither am I departed from you: but am come into this place, to pray for the desolation of Sion, and that I might seek mercy for the low estate of your sanctuary.

NoteThe sanctuary is the temple in Jerusalem, which in the book's setting is a burned ruin. "Low estate" means its humiliated, brought-down condition.

49Now go home, every one of you, and after these days I will come to you."

49And now go your way home every man, and after these days will I come unto you.

50So the people went their way into the city, just as I had told them.

50So the people went their way into the city, like as I commanded them:

51But I stayed on in the field seven days, as the angel had commanded me. In those days I ate only the flowers of the field, and plants were my food.

51But I remained still in the field seven days, as the angel commanded me; and did eat only in those days of the flowers of the field, and had my meat of the herbs

Note"Meat" in 1611 English means food of any kind, not flesh. The verse says the opposite of what a modern reader might assume: Ezra ate nothing but wild plants and blossoms, the sparse diet the angel had set for these days of waiting.