2 Esdras 2

This is what the Lord says: I brought this people out of slavery, and I gave them my commandments through my servants the prophets. They would not listen to those prophets, and they treated my advice as worthless.

1Thus saith the Lord, I brought this people out of bondage, and I gave them my commandments by menservants the prophets; whom they would not hear, but despised my counsels.

NoteChapters 1 and 2 of this book survive only in Latin and are missing from the other ancient versions, so they are generally treated as a later preface attached to the older apocalypse that begins at chapter 3. "Menservants" in the King James simply means male servants, and "my servants the prophets" is a stock phrase from the Hebrew prophetic books for the long line of messengers sent to Israel.

2The mother who gave birth to them says to them, "Go on your way, my children, for I am a widow and I have been left alone.

2The mother that bare them saith unto them, Go your way, ye children; for I am a widow and forsaken.

NoteSpeaking of a city and its population as a mother and her children is standard prophetic language; Jerusalem, or Zion, is the mother here and the people are her children. A widow in this world had lost the man who gave her legal standing and protection, so "a widow and forsaken" pictures a city stripped of its defender and left with nothing to give her children.

3I raised you with joy, but I have lost you with grief and sadness, because you have sinned in front of the Lord your God and done what is evil in his sight.

3I brought you up with gladness; but with sorrow and heaviness have I lost you: for ye have sinned before the Lord your God, and done that thing that is evil before him.

4But what am I to do for you now? I am a widow and I have been left alone. Go on your way, my children, and ask the Lord for mercy."

4But what shall I now do unto you? I am a widow and forsaken: go your way, O my children, and ask mercy of the Lord.

5As for me, O father, I call on you to be a witness concerning the mother of these children, who would not keep my covenant,

5As for me, O father, I call upon thee for a witness over the mother of these children, which would not keep my covenant,

NoteThe voice changes here without warning, and the Latin is ambiguous about who is speaking: it can be read as the mother appealing to God as "father," or as a second speaker calling God to witness against her. The King James "for a witness over the mother" can also mean a witness in addition to the mother, and translators divide on which is meant.

6so that you may bring them to shame, and their mother to ruin, so that they have no children after them.

6That thou bring them to confusion, and their mother to a spoil, that there may be no offspring of them.

Note"A spoil" means plunder, the goods an army carries off from a captured town. To be made a spoil is to be stripped and looted.

7Let them be scattered among the nations. Let their names be wiped off the earth, because they have despised my covenant.

7Let them be scattered abroad among the heathen, let their names be put out of the earth: for they have despised my covenant.

Note"Heathen" is the King James word for the non-Israelite nations in general; it describes nationality rather than personal belief. Being "scattered abroad" among them means deportation and exile, the standard punishment threatened against Israel in the prophetic books.

8How terrible for you, Assur, you who hide the guilty inside you! You wicked people, remember what I did to Sodom and Gomorrah,

8Woe be unto thee, Assur, thou that hidest the unrighteous in thee! O thou wicked people, remember what I did unto Sodom and Gomorrha;

Note"Assur" is Assyria, the empire that destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel; in later writing its name is also used as a coded stand-in for whatever great power is currently oppressing the people. Sodom and Gomorrha are the two cities burned in the Genesis story, and by this period their names functioned as shorthand for total destruction.

9whose land lies in lumps of tar and heaps of ashes. That is exactly what I will do to those who do not listen to me, says the Lord Almighty.

9Whose land lieth in clods of pitch and heaps of ashes: even so also will I do unto them that hear me not, saith the Almighty Lord.

Note"Pitch" is bitumen, a natural black tar. Lumps of it wash up around the Dead Sea, in the region where the ruined cities were traditionally located, which is why the land is described this way.

10This is what the Lord says to Esdras: Tell my people that I will give them the kingdom of Jerusalem, which I would have given to Israel.

10Thus saith the Lord unto Esdras, Tell my people that I will give them the kingdom of Jerusalem, which I would have given unto Israel.

NoteEsdras is the Greek and Latin form of the name Ezra, the priest and scribe of the Hebrew Bible. The book presents him as the one receiving these words.

11I will also take their glory to myself, and give these the everlasting tents that I had prepared for them.

11Their glory also will I take unto me, and give these the everlasting tabernacles, which I had prepared for them.

Note"Tabernacles" means tents or dwellings; the word carries no sense of a church building. The pronouns are doing the work in this sentence: "their glory" is the honor that had belonged to Israel, and "these" are the new people spoken of in the previous verse.

12They will have the tree of life as a sweet-smelling perfume. They will not have to work hard, and they will not grow tired.

12They shall have the tree of life for an ointment of sweet savour; they shall neither labour, nor be weary.

NoteThe tree of life is the tree in the garden story of Genesis, whose fruit kept death away; in later Jewish writing it stands in paradise as a fixture of the world to come. "An ointment of sweet savour" means a sweet-smelling perfumed oil, so the tree is pictured as giving off fragrance rather than fruit here.

13Go, and you will receive. Pray that your days may be few, so that they are cut short. The kingdom is already prepared for you. Stay watchful.

13Go, and ye shall receive: pray for few days unto you, that they may be shortened: the kingdom is already prepared for you: watch.

NoteThe request is that the time still to be waited through be cut short, not that the person praying die soon. The King James "pray for few days unto you" is a stiff rendering of the Latin, which asks that the remaining days be made few.

14Call the sky and the earth to be witnesses, because I have smashed evil to pieces and made what is good. I am alive, says the Lord.

14Take heaven and earth to witness; for I have broken the evil in pieces, and created the good: for I live, saith the Lord.

NoteCalling the sky and the earth as witnesses is a legal formula from Israelite covenant language: the two oldest and most permanent things in existence are summoned to testify that an agreement was made. The Latin behind "I have broken the evil in pieces" is uncertain, and other readings give something like "I have left evil out," so the exact claim is disputed.

15Mother, put your arms around your children and raise them with joy. Make their feet as steady as a pillar, for I have chosen you, says the Lord.

15Mother, embrace thy children, and bring them up with gladness, make their feet as fast as a pillar: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord.

Note"Fast" here means firmly fixed in place, the sense still heard in "hold fast"; it has nothing to do with speed. The Latin of this line is corrupt, and where the King James saw a pillar, other readings have a dove, which is why modern translations differ so widely.

16And I will raise up those who are dead from the places where they lie, and bring them out of their graves, for I have recognized my name in Israel.

16And those that be dead will I raise up again from their places, and bring them out of the graves: for I have known my name in Israel.

Note"I have known my name in Israel" is obscure in the Latin as well as in English. It seems to mean that God recognizes his own name as belonging to, or stamped upon, this people, but the wording is not clear enough to settle.

17Do not be afraid, mother of these children, for I have chosen you, says the Lord.

17Fear not, thou mother of the children: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord.

18To help you, I will send my servants Esaias and Jeremy. Following their advice, I have set apart and prepared for you twelve trees loaded with different kinds of fruit,

18For thy help will I send my servants Esau and Jeremy, after whose counsel I have sanctified and prepared for thee twelve trees laden with divers fruits,

NoteMost King James printings read "Esau" here, which is a long-standing misprint; the name in the Latin is Esaias, the Greek form of Isaiah. "Jeremy" is the older English form of Jeremiah. Both were prophets, which is why they can be sent as helpers.

19and just as many springs flowing with milk and honey, and seven great mountains where roses and lilies grow. With these I will fill your children with joy.

19And as many fountains flowing with milk and honey, and seven mighty mountains, whereupon there grow roses and lilies, whereby I will fill thy children with joy.

Note"Milk and honey" is the standard biblical description of land rich enough to support herds and wild bees, used throughout the Hebrew Bible for the promised land. The twelve trees and twelve springs echo the oasis at Elim in Exodus, where the escaping Israelites found twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees.

20Do right by the widow. Give the fatherless a fair judgment. Give to the poor. Defend the orphan. Give clothes to those who have none.

20Do right to the widow, judge for the fatherless, give to the poor, defend the orphan, clothe the naked,

NoteThe widow, the fatherless and the poor are a fixed trio in Israelite law: people with no man to represent them in court and no land of their own, and therefore the test case for whether a society's justice actually works. This list is written in the language of that legal duty, not of private charity.

21Heal those who are broken and those who are weak. Do not laugh at a lame man. Defend the crippled. Let the blind man come to see my brightness.

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 the young safe inside your walls.

22Keep the old and young within thy walls.

23Wherever you find the dead, take them and bury them, and I will give you the first place in my resurrection.

23Wheresoever thou findest the dead, take them and bury them, and I will give thee the first place in my resurrection.

NoteLeaving a body unburied was the deepest disgrace that could be done to a person in this culture, and burying the unclaimed dead, even at personal risk, was treated as a high act of piety in Jewish writing of this period. That is the practice being urged here.

24Stay where you are, my people, and take your rest, for your time of quiet will still come.

24Abide still, O my people, and take thy rest, for thy quietness still come.

NoteThe King James "for thy quietness still come" is awkward English for a Latin phrase meaning that your rest will yet come, that is, it is still on its way. "Quietness" here means peace and freedom from harassment, not silence.

25Feed your children, good nurse, and make their feet steady.

25Nourish thy children, O thou good nurse; stablish their feet.

26As for the servants I have given you, not one of them will be lost, for I will ask for them back from among your number.

26As for the servants whom I have given thee, there shall not one of them perish; for I will require them from among thy number.

Note"Require them from among thy number" uses the language of a head count: the one in charge will demand the full tally back and expects none to be missing. It is the image of a shepherd or steward answerable for every head entrusted to him.

27Do not grow tired, because when the day of trouble and sadness comes, others will weep and be sad, but you will be glad and have plenty.

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 nations will envy you, but they will not be able to do anything against you, says the Lord.

28The heathen shall envy thee, but they shall be able to do nothing against thee, saith the Lord.

29My hands will cover you, so that your children do not see hell.

29My hands shall cover thee, so that thy children shall not see hell.

NoteThe Latin word here is gehenna, from the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, a place associated with burning that had become by this period a standard name for the place of punishment after death. The King James translates it "hell."

30Be joyful, mother, together with your children, for I will rescue you, says the Lord.

30Be joyful, O thou mother, with thy children; for I will deliver thee, saith the Lord.

31Remember your children who are sleeping, for I will bring them out of the hidden parts of the earth and show them mercy, because I am merciful, says the Lord Almighty.

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 the Lord Almighty.

Note"Sleep" is a common ancient euphemism for being dead, and the children who sleep are the dead of the community. "The sides of the earth" renders a phrase meaning its innermost or hidden parts, the underground chambers where the dead were pictured as waiting.

32Hold your children close until I come and show them mercy, for my wells overflow, and my kindness will not run out.

32Embrace thy children until I come and shew mercy unto them: for my wells run over, and my grace shall not fail.

33I, Esdras, was given a charge by the Lord on Mount Horeb, that I should go to Israel. But when I came to them, they treated me as nothing and despised the Lord's command.

33I Esdras received a charge of the Lord upon the mount Oreb, that I should go unto Israel; but when I came unto them, they set me at nought, and despised the commandment of the Lord.

Note"Oreb" is Horeb, the mountain where Moses received the law, called Sinai elsewhere in the Bible. Ezra lived centuries after Moses, so placing him there is the book's way of casting him as a second lawgiver rather than a point of chronology.

34And so I say to you, you nations who hear and understand: look for your Shepherd. He will give you rest that lasts forever, for the one who will come at the end of the age is near.

34And therefore I say unto you, O ye heathen, that hear and understand, look for your Shepherd, he shall give you everlasting rest; for he is nigh at hand, that shall come in the end of the world.

NoteCalling a ruler the shepherd of his people was ordinary political language across the ancient Near East, describing someone responsible for feeding, guiding and defending those under him. "The end of the world" translates a word meaning age or era, so the phrase points to the close of the present period of history rather than the destruction of the planet.

35Be ready for the reward of the kingdom, for the everlasting light will shine on you forever.

35Be ready to the reward of the kingdom, for the everlasting light shall shine upon you for evermore.

36Run from the shadow of this world, and receive the joy of your glory. I call my Savior to witness openly.

36Flee the shadow of this world, receive the joyfulness of your glory: I testify my Saviour openly.

Note"I testify my Saviour openly" is compressed King James English meaning "I publicly call my Savior as my witness," the same courtroom image used in verse 14.

37Receive the gift that is given to you, and be glad, giving thanks to the one who has led you to the heavenly kingdom.

37O receive the gift that is given you, and be glad, giving thanks unto him that hath led you to the heavenly kingdom.

38Get up and stand, and look at the number of those who have been sealed at the Lord's feast,

38Arise up and stand, behold the number of those that be sealed in the feast of the Lord;

NoteA seal was a personal mark pressed into wax or clay to show ownership and to guarantee that something had not been tampered with. People described as sealed are marked as belonging to God and counted as his.

39those who have left the shadow of the world behind and have received glorious clothing from the Lord.

39Which are departed from the shadow of the world, and have received glorious garments of the Lord.

Note"The shadow of the world" contrasts the present age, insubstantial and passing, with the solid reality to come. Clean white clothing was festival dress and a sign of purity, and a change of garments given by a superior was a public honor.

40Take your full number, O Zion, and complete the count of those of yours who are dressed in white, who have obeyed the law of the Lord.

40Take thy number, O Sion, and shut up those of thine that are clothed in white, which have fulfilled the law of the Lord.

NoteSion is Zion, the hill in Jerusalem, used as a name for the city and for its people; it is the mother addressed throughout this chapter. "Shut up those of thine" means close the reckoning and finish the tally, not shut anyone in.

41The number of your children, the ones you longed for, is now complete. Beg the power of the Lord that your people, who were called from the beginning, may be made holy.

41The number of thy children, whom thou longedst for, is fulfilled: beseech the power of the Lord, that thy people, which have been called from the beginning, may be hallowed.

42I, Esdras, saw on Mount Zion a great crowd of people that I could not count, and they all praised the Lord with songs.

42I Esdras saw upon the mount Sion a great people, whom I could not number, and they all praised the Lord with songs.

43In the middle of them was a young man of great height, taller than all the rest, and he set crowns on the head of every one of them, and he was higher still. I was greatly amazed at this.

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 crowns, and was more exalted; which I marvelled at greatly.

NoteThe crowns here are wreaths of the kind given to winners of athletic contests and to honored guests at banquets, a mark of victory and celebration rather than royal rank.

44So I asked the angel, "Sir, who are these?"

44So I asked the angel, and said, Sir, what are these?

45He answered me, "These are the ones who have taken off the clothing that dies and put on the clothing that never dies, and who have confessed the name of God. Now they are crowned and receive palm branches."

45He answered and said unto me, These be they that have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal, and have confessed the name of God: now are they crowned, and receive palms.

NoteSpeaking of the body as clothing that can be taken off and exchanged is a common image in Greek-influenced Jewish and early Christian writing: what dies is put off, what does not die is put on. Palm branches were carried in processions celebrating a victory, the same gesture used to greet a triumphant general.

46Then I said to the angel, "Who is the young man who crowns them and puts palm branches in their hands?"

46Then said I unto the angel, What young person is it that crowneth them, and giveth them palms in their hands?

47He answered me, "He is the Son of God, whom they confessed in the world." Then I began to praise those who had stood so firmly for the name of the Lord.

47So he answered and said unto me, It is the Son of God, whom they have confessed in the world. Then began I greatly to commend them that stood so stiffly for the name of the Lord.

Note"Stood so stiffly" is high praise in 1611 English, meaning stood firm and refused to give way; the modern sense of stiff as awkward or cold is not present. "Commend" here means to praise aloud.

48Then the angel said to me, "Go on your way, and tell my people what kind of things you have seen, and how great the wonders of the Lord your God are that you have seen."

48Then the angel said unto me, Go thy way, and tell my people what manner of things, and how great wonders of the Lord thy God, thou hast seen.