2 Esdras 13

Seven days later, I had a dream at night.

1And it came to pass after seven days, I dreamed a dream by night:

NoteThe seven days tie this vision to the one before it. Through the middle of the book Ezra keeps a fixed pattern: a stretch of fasting or waiting, then a vision at night, then its explanation. This is the sixth of seven such episodes.

2And there it was: a wind rose up from the sea and stirred all the waves of the sea.

2And, lo, there arose a wind from the sea, that it moved all the waves thereof.

3I looked, and there was that man, flying with the clouds of heaven. When he turned his face to look, everything under him that could be seen shook.

3And I beheld, and, lo, that man waxed strong with the thousands of heaven: and when he turned his countenance to look, all the things trembled that were seen under him.

NoteTwo things are happening in the King James here. First, it is shorter than the Latin manuscripts, which begin the verse by describing the wind bringing up out of the sea something in the shape of a man; without that sentence, "that man" arrives with nothing to refer back to. Second, "waxed strong with the thousands of heaven" means "grew strong," and comes from a different reading of the Latin than "flew with the clouds of heaven," which most manuscripts have and which the rendering follows. The picture echoes Daniel 7, where beasts come up out of the sea and "one like the Son of man" comes "with the clouds of heaven."

4Whenever his voice came out of his mouth, everyone who heard his voice melted, the way wax melts when it feels the fire.

4And whensoever the voice went out of his mouth, all they burned that heard his voice, like as the earth faileth when it feeleth the fire.

Note"Like as the earth faileth when it feeleth the fire" comes from a damaged reading of the Latin; the manuscripts compare the hearers to wax melting when fire touches it. "Faileth" in 1611 English meant gave way or lost strength.

5After this I looked, and there was a crowd of men too many to count, gathered from the four winds of heaven to overpower the man who had come out of the sea.

5And after this I beheld, and, lo, there was gathered together a multitude of men, out of number, from the four winds of the heaven, to subdue the man that came out of the sea

Note"The four winds of the heaven" is a standard Hebrew way of naming the four directions, so it means from everywhere on earth.

6But I looked, and he had carved out a great mountain for himself, and he flew up onto it.

6But I beheld, and, lo, he had graved himself a great mountain, and flew up upon it.

Note"Graved" is the old past tense of "grave," to carve or cut. A mountain carved out rather than built recalls Daniel 2, where a stone is cut out of a mountain "without hands" and grows until it fills the earth.

7I tried to see the region or the place the mountain had been carved out of, and I could not.

7But I would have seen the region or place whereout the hill was graven, and I could not.

8After this I looked, and all those who had gathered to overpower him were very afraid, and yet they dared to fight.

8And after this I beheld, and, lo, all they which were gathered together to subdue him were sore afraid, and yet durst fight.

Note"Sore" means greatly or severely, and "durst" is the old past tense of "dare." The sense is that they were terrified and attacked anyway.

9And as he saw the force of the crowd coming at him, he did not lift up his hand, or hold a spear, or any weapon of war.

9And, lo, as he saw the violence of the multitude that came, he neither lifted up his hand, nor held sword, nor any instrument of war:

Note"Instrument of war" means a weapon of any kind. Where the King James has "sword," most Latin manuscripts read "spear."

10All I saw was this: he sent out of his mouth something like a rush of fire, and out of his lips a burning breath, and out of his tongue he threw sparks and storms.

10But only I saw that he sent out of his mouth as it had been a blast of fire, and out of his lips a flaming breath, and out of his tongue he cast out sparks and tempests.

11These were all mixed together: the rush of fire, the burning breath, and the great storm. They fell with force on the crowd that was ready to fight, and burned up every one of them. All at once, of that crowd too many to count, nothing could be seen but dust and the smell of smoke. When I saw this, I was afraid.

11And they were all mixed together; the blast of fire, the flaming breath, and the great tempest; and fell with violence upon the multitude 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 dust and smell of smoke: when I saw this I was afraid.

12After that I saw the same man come down from the mountain and call to himself another crowd, a peaceful one.

12Afterward saw I the same man come down from the mountain, and call unto him another peaceable Multitude.

13And many people came to him. Some of them were glad, some were sorry, some of them were tied up, and some others brought some of those who were offered. Then I became sick with great fear, and I woke up, and said:

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,

Note"Bound" means tied up as prisoners. "Brought of them that were offered" is obscure in the Latin itself, and translators split over it: either people bringing others forward as an offering, or people bringing offerings along with them. The rendering keeps the ambiguity rather than deciding it.

14You have shown me, your servant, these wonders from the beginning, and you have counted me worthy to have my prayer heard by you.

14Thou hast shewed thy servant these wonders from the beginning, and hast counted me worthy that thou shouldest receive my prayer:

15Now show me also what this dream means.

15Shew me now yet the interpretation of this dream.

16For as I understand it in my mind, how terrible for those who will be left in those days, and much more terrible for those who are not left!

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!

Note"Woe unto" is not a curse laid on anyone. It is a cry of grief, the way a mourner says "how terrible for them."

17For those who were not left were in sorrow.

17For they that were not left were in heaviness.

18Now I understand the things that are stored up for the last days, which will happen to them and to those who are left behind.

18Now understand I the things that are laid up in the latter days, which shall happen unto them, and to those that are left behind.

NoteVerses 17 and 18 are tangled in the King James, which makes Ezra himself the one who now understands. In the Latin manuscripts the understanding belongs to the dead: those not left alive grieve because they know what is stored up for the last days and will not live to reach it. Modern translations diverge from the King James here for that reason.

19That is why they have come into great dangers and many hardships, just as these dreams show.

19Therefore are they come into great perils and many necessities, like as these dreams declare.

Note"Necessities" in 1611 English meant hardships or distresses, states of being hard pressed, not things a person needs.

20Yet it is easier for the one who is in danger to come into these things than to pass out of the world like a cloud and not see the things that happen in the last days. And he answered me and said:

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 in the last days. And he answered unto me, and said,

Note"To pass away as a cloud out of the world" means simply to die, and so to be gone before any of this happens.

21I will show you what the vision means, and I will make clear to you the thing you have asked about.

21The interpretation of the vision shall I shew thee, and I will open unto thee the thing that thou hast required.

Note"Required" here means asked for, with no sense of demanding.

22You have spoken about those who are left behind. This is what it means:

22Whereas thou hast spoken of them that are left behind, this is the interpretation:

23The one who endures the danger at that time has kept himself. Those who have fallen into danger are the ones who have works, and faith toward the Almighty.

23He that shall endure the peril in that time hath kept himself: they that be fallen into danger are such as have works, and faith toward the Almighty.

NoteThe King James "hath kept himself" and the reading found in modern versions, "will protect those who fall into danger," come from two ways of construing the same Latin sentence. The grammar allows both, and who is being kept safe changes depending on which is taken.

24So know this: those who are left behind are more blessed than those who are dead.

24Know this therefore, that they which be left behind are more blessed than they that be dead.

25This is the meaning of the vision. You saw a man coming up out of the middle of the sea.

25This is the meaning of the vision: Whereas thou sawest a man coming up from the midst of the sea:

26That is the one whom God the Most High has kept for a long time, who by his own self will rescue what he made. And he will set in order those who are left behind.

26The same is he whom God the Highest hath kept a great season, which by his own self shall deliver his creature: and he shall order them that are left behind.

Note"Creature" in 1611 English meant anything created, so "his creature" is his creation, what he has made, not an animal. "A great season" means a long stretch of time.

27And you saw that out of his mouth came something like a rush of wind, and fire, and storm,

27And whereas thou sawest, that out of his mouth there came as a blast of wind, and fire, and storm;

28and that he held no spear and no weapon of war, but that his rush against them destroyed the whole crowd that came to overpower him. This is what it means:

28And that he held neither sword, nor any instrument of war, but that the rushing in of him destroyed the whole multitude that came to subdue him; this is the interpretation:

29Look, the days are coming when the Most High will begin to rescue those who are on the earth.

29Behold, the days come, when the most High will begin to deliver them that are upon the earth.

30And amazement of mind will come upon those who live on the earth.

30And he shall come to the astonishment of them that dwell on the earth.

NoteThe King James "come to the astonishment of them that dwell on the earth" is old word order for "astonishment will come upon those who live on the earth." It does not mean "to their surprise," which is what the phrase suggests in modern English.

31And one will set out to fight against another, one city against another, one place against another, one people against another, and one kingdom against another.

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 will come when these things happen, and the signs I showed you before take place, and then my Son will be revealed, the one you saw as a man going up.

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.

NoteThe Latin reads "my Son." Behind it lies a lost Greek text, and the Greek word usually reconstructed here, pais, means both "son" and "servant," so the title is less fixed in the original than the English looks. "Declared" means revealed, made publicly known.

33And when all the people hear his voice, each one in his own land will leave the battle they are fighting against one another.

33And when all the people hear his voice, every man shall in their own land leave the battle they have one against another.

NoteThe King James and the Latin part company slightly. The Latin can be read as "every man will leave his own land and the battle they have against one another," that is, they abandon both the fight and their homes; the King James reads it as each man leaving the fight while staying where he is.

34And a crowd too many to count will gather together, as you saw them, wanting to come and defeat him by fighting.

34And an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together, as thou sawest them, willing to come, and to overcome him by fighting.

35But he will stand on the top of Mount Zion.

35But he shall stand upon the top of the mount Sion.

NoteSion is the older English spelling of Zion, the hill in Jerusalem on which the temple stood, and by extension the city itself.

36And Zion will come and will be shown to everyone, made ready and built, like the mountain you saw that was carved without hands.

36And Sion shall come, and shall be shewed to all men, being prepared and builded, like as thou sawest the hill graven without hands.

NoteThe city is pictured as already made and kept ready, to be revealed rather than constructed on the spot. "Builded" is the old past participle of "build," and "graven without hands" points again to Daniel 2:34, the stone "cut out without hands."

37And this Son of mine will rebuke the wicked schemes of those nations, who because of their wicked lives have fallen into the storm.

37And this my Son shall rebuke the wicked inventions of those nations, which for their wicked life are fallen into the tempest;

Note"Inventions" in 1611 English meant devices, plans or schemes, not new machines.

38And he will set before them their evil thoughts, and the torments they will begin to be tormented with, which are like a flame. And he will destroy them without effort by the law, which is like fire.

38And shall lay before them their evil thoughts, and the torments wherewith they shall begin to be tormented, which are like unto a flame: and he shall destroy them without labour by the law which is like unto me.

Note"The law which is like unto me" is almost certainly a slip in the King James: the Latin compares the law to fire, not to the speaker. "Without labour" means without effort or struggle.

39And you saw that he gathered to himself another crowd, a peaceful one.

39And whereas thou sawest that he gathered another peaceable multitude unto him;

40Those are the ten tribes, who were carried away as prisoners out of their own land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanasar the king of Assyria led away captive. He carried them across the waters, and so they came into another land.

40Those are the ten tribes, which were carried away prisoners out of their own land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanasar the king of Assyria led away captive, and he carried them over the waters, and so came they into another land.

NoteThe ten tribes are the northern kingdom of Israel, which split from Judah after Solomon and was destroyed by Assyria. Osea is Hoshea, its last king, and Salmanasar is Shalmaneser V, the Assyrian king whose armies besieged the capital, Samaria; the city fell and the population was deported eastward around 722 BC. What became of them afterward was unknown, and legends grew up to fill the gap. This passage is one of them. "The waters" they were carried over is the Euphrates.

41But they made this plan among themselves: to leave the crowd of the nations and go out into a country farther away, where no people had ever lived,

41But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a further country, where never mankind dwelt,

Note"The heathen" is the King James word for the nations other than Israel, the gentiles. It is a term of identity, not of insult; it simply means people who are not Jewish.

42so that there they might keep their laws, which they had never kept in their own land.

42That they might there keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land.

Note"Statutes" are the laws given through Moses, the body of commandments Israel was held to as a people.

43And they went into the Euphrates by the narrow parts of the river.

43And they entered into Euphrates by the narrow places of the river.

NoteThe Euphrates is the great river of Mesopotamia, running from the mountains of modern Turkey through Syria and Iraq. "The narrow places" are its upper reaches, where the channel is tight and shallow enough to be crossed.

44For the Most High then did signs for them and held back the flowing water until they had crossed over.

44For the most High then shewed signs for them, and held still the flood, till they were passed over.

NoteWater held back so people can walk across repeats two older crossings: the Red Sea in Exodus and the Jordan in Joshua. The wording is meant to be recognized.

45For the way through that country was a long one, a journey of a year and a half. That same region is called Arsareth.

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.

NoteArsareth appears in no other text. It is usually explained as a Hebrew phrase carried over untranslated, erets achereth, "another land," which is the wording of Deuteronomy 29:28 about exiles being cast "into another land."

46So they lived there until the last time. And now, when they begin to come back,

46Then dwelt they there until the latter time; and now when they shall begin to come,

47the Most High will hold back the springs of the river again, so that they can go through. That is why you saw the crowd at peace.

47The Highest shall stay the springs of the stream again, that they may go through: therefore sawest thou the multitude with peace.

Note"Stay" means hold back or stop. "The stream" is the Euphrates again.

48But those of your people who are left behind are the ones who are found inside my borders.

48But those that be left behind of thy people are they that are found within my borders.

Note"Within my borders" means inside the land of Israel. Some manuscripts read "my holy border."

49So when he destroys the crowd of the nations that are gathered together, he will defend his people who remain.

49Now when he destroyeth the multitude of the nations that are gathered together, he shall defend his people that remain.

50And then he will show them great wonders.

50And then shall he shew them great wonders.

51Then I said: Lord who rules over all, explain this to me. Why did I see the man coming up out of the middle of the sea?

51Then said I, O Lord that bearest rule, shew me this: Wherefore have I seen the man coming up from the midst of the sea?

52And he said to me: Just as you can neither search out nor know the things that are in the depth of the sea, so no one on earth can see my Son, or those who are with him, except in the time of his day.

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.

Note"But in the day time" is misleading in modern English. The Latin says "in the time of his day," meaning the appointed day on which he is revealed, not daylight hours as opposed to night.

53This is the meaning of the dream you saw, and you alone have been given light about it.

53This is the interpretation of the dream which thou sawest, and whereby thou only art here lightened.

Note"Lightened" means enlightened, given light on the matter. It has nothing to do with weight.

54For you have left your own way and turned your effort to my law, and searched it out.

54For thou hast forsaken thine own way, and applied thy diligence unto my law, and sought it.

55You have ordered your life with wisdom, and you have called understanding your mother.

55Thy life hast thou ordered in wisdom, and hast called understanding thy mother.

NoteCalling understanding your mother is a proverbial way of claiming close kinship with wisdom. Compare Proverbs 7:4, "Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman."

56And that is why I have shown you the treasures of the Most High. After three more days I will speak other things to you, and tell you mighty and wonderful things.

56And therefore have I shewed thee the treasures of the Highest: after other three days I will speak other things unto thee, and declare unto thee mighty and wondrous things.

Note"Treasures" here means storehouses, the things held in reserve, rather than jewels or money. Most Latin manuscripts read instead that a reward is laid up with the Most High, which is why modern versions differ from the King James at this point.

57Then I went out into the field, giving great praise and thanks to the Most High because of the wonders he did from time to time,

57Then went I forth into the field, giving praise and thanks greatly unto the most High because of his wonders which he did in time;

58and because he governs the times, and the things that happen in their seasons. And I sat there for three days.

58And because he governeth the same, and such things as fall in their seasons: and there I sat three days.

Note"Such things as fall in their seasons" means the things that happen at their appointed times. The three days of sitting open the interval before the next vision, matching the seven days at the start of this one.