4 Esdras 1

¹The second Book of Esdras the Prophet, the son of Sarei, the son of Azarei, the son of Helcias, the son of Sadanias, the son of Sadoch, the son of Achitob

²the son of Achias, the son of Phinees, the son of Heli, the son of Amerias, the son of Asiel, the son of Marimoth, the son of Arna, the son of Ozias, the son of Borith, the son of Abisei, the son of Phinees, the son of Eleazar,

³the son of Aaron of the tribe of Levi; who was captive in the country of the Medes, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of the Persians.

⁴And the word of our Lord came to me, saying:

⁵Go, and tell my people their wicked deeds, and their children the iniquities, that they have done against me, that they tell their children's children:

⁶because the sins of their parents are increased in them, for they being forgetful of me have sacrificed to strange gods.

⁷Did not I bring them out of the land of Ægypt from the house of bondage? But they have provoked me, and have despised my counsels.

⁸But do thou shake off the hair of thy head, & throw all evils upon them: because they have not obeyed my law. And it is a people without discipline.

⁹How long shall I bear with them, on whom I have bestowed so great benefits?

¹⁰I have overthrown many kings from them. I have struck Pharao with his servants, and all his host. Exod. 14.

¹¹All nations did I destroy before their face, & in the East I dissipated the peoples of two provinces Tyre and Sidon, and I slew all their adversaries.

¹²But speak thou to them, saying: Thus saith our Lord:

¹³I made you pass through the sea, and gave you fenced streets from the beginning. I gave you Moyses for your governor, and Aaron for the Priest:

¹⁴I gave you light by the pillar of fire, and did many marvelous things among you: but you have forgotten me, saith our Lord. Exod. 13.

¹⁵Thus saith our Lord omnipotent: The quail was a sign to you, I gave you a camp for defence, & there you murmured: Exod. 16.

¹⁶And you triumphed not in my name for the destruction of your enemies, but yet until now you have murmured.

¹⁷Where are the benefits that I have given you? Did you not cry out to me when you were hungry in the desert, .

¹⁸saying: Why hast thou brought us into this desert to kill us, it had been better for us to serve the Ægyptians, than to die in this desert.

¹⁹I was sorry for your mournings, & gave you manna to eat. You did eat bread of Angels. Exod. 16. . . v.

²⁰When you thirsted did not I cleave the rock, & waters flowed in aboundance? For the heats I covered you with the leaves of trees.

²¹I delivered unto you fat lands: The Chananeites, and Pherezeites, & Philistheans I threw out from your face: what shall I

²²Thus saith our Lord omnipotent: In the desert when you were thirsty in the river of the Amorrheites, and blaspheming my name

²³I gave you not fire for blasphemies, but casting wood into the water, I made the river sweet. .

²⁴What shall I do to thee Jacob? Thou wouldest not obey o Juda. I will transfer myself to other nations, & will give them my name, that they may keep my ordinances.

²⁵Because you have forsaken me, I also forsake you: when you ask mercy of me, I will not have mercy.

²⁶When you shall invocate me, I will not hear you. For you have defiled your hands with blood, & your feet are quick to commit murders.

²⁷Not as though you have forsaken me, but yourselves, saith our Lord.

²⁸Thus saith our Lord omnipotent, have not I desired you, as a father his sons, & a mother her daughters, & as a nurse her little ones,

²⁹that you would be my people, and I your God, and to me for children, and I to you for a father?

³⁰So have I gathered you, as the hen her chickens under her wings. But now what shall I do to you? I will throw you from my face. . v.

³¹When you shall bring me oblation, I will turn away my face from you. For I have refused your festival days, & new moons & circumcisions.

³²I sent my servants the Prophets to you, whom being taken you slew, & mangled their bodies, whose blood I will require, saith our Lord.

³³Thus saith our Lord omnipotent, your house is made desolate, I will throw you away, as the wind doth stubble,

³⁴& your children shall not have issue: because they have neglected my commandment, & have done that which is evil before me.

³⁵I will deliver your houses to a people coming, who not hearing me do believe: to whom I have not shewed signs, they will do the things that I have commanded.

³⁶The Prophets they have not seen, & they will be mindful of their iniquities.

³⁷I call to witness the grace of the people coming, whose little ones rejoice with joy, not seeing me with their carnal eyes, but in spirit believing the things that I have said.

³⁸And now brother behold what glory: and see people coming from the east,

³⁹to whom I will give the conduction of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of Osee, & Amos, and of Joel, & Abdias, & Jonas, & Michæas,

⁴⁰& Naum & Habacuc, of Sophonias, Aggæus, Zacharias, & Malachias. Who also is called the Angel of our Lord.