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3 How God appeared to Moses in the bush. 10 All things de cline to age. 15 The latter armes worse then the former. 29 The ingratitude of Israél. 35 The resurrection and iud∣gement.
1 VPon the thirde day I sate vnder anoke and beholde there came forthe a voy∣ce vnto me out of the bush, and said, Esdras Esdras,
2 And I said, Here am I, Lord, and stode vp
vpon my fete.
3 Then said he vnto me, * In the bush I reuei* 1.1 led my self, and spake vnto Moyses, when my people serued in Egypt:
4 And I sent him, and led my people out of Egypt, and broght him vpon the mount Sinái, & I helde him with me a long season,
5 And I tolde him many wonders, & shewed him the secrets of the times and the end, & commanded him, saying,
6 These wordes shalt thou declare, & these shalt thou hide.
7 And now I say vnto thee, that thou lay vp in thyne hearte the signes that I haue shewed, and the dreames that thou hast se∣ne, and the interpretacions whiche thou hast heard.
8 Forthou shalt be takē away from all, and thou shalt remayne hence forthe with my counsel, and with such as belike thee, vn∣til the times be ended.
9 For the worlde hathe lost his youth, & the times beginne to waxe olde.
10 For the world is deuided into twelue par∣tes, and ten partes of it are gone alreadye and halfe of the tenth parte.
11 And there remayneth that whiche is after the halfe of the tenth parte.
12 Therefore set thine house in order, and re∣forme thy people, and comfort such of thē as bein trouble, and now renounce the cor ruption.
13 Let go frō thee mortal thoghts: cast away from thee the burdens of men, and put of now the weake nature,
14 And set aside thy moste grieuous thoghts, and hast thee to departe from these times.
15 For greater euils then those, whiche thou hast sene now, shal thei commit.
16 For the weaker that the worlde is by rea∣sō of age, the more shal the euils be increa∣sed vpon them that dwell therein.
17 For the trueth is fled farre awaye, and lies are at hand: for now hasteth the vision to come, that thou hast sene.
18 ¶ Then answered I, and said before thee,
19 Beholde, ô Lord, I wil go as thou hast com∣manded me, and reforme the people, which are presēt but they that shal be borne after∣warde, who shal admonish them?
20 Thus the worlde is set in darkenes, and they that dwell therein, are without light.
21 For thy Lawe is burnt, therefore no man knoweth the things that are done of thee, or the workes that shalbe done.
22 But if I haue founde grace before thee, send the holie Gost into me, and I wil write all that hathe bene done in the world since the beginning, which was writē in thy law, that men may finde the path, and that thei which wil liue in the latter daies, may liue.
23 And he answered me, saying, Go, & gather the people, and say vnto them, that they seke thee not for fortie daies,
24 But prepare thee many boxe tables, and take with thee these fiue, Sarea, Dabria, Selemia, Ecanus, & Asiel, which are readye to write swiftly,
25 And come hether, and I wil light a candle of vnderstanding in thine heart, which shal not be put out til the things be performed which thou shalt beginne to write.
26 And then shalt thou declare some things openly vnto the perfite men, & some things shalt thou shewe secretly vnto the wise: to morowe this houre shalt thou beginne to write.
27 Then went I for the, as he commāded me, and gathered all the people together, and said,
28 Heare these wordes, ô Israel,
29 * Our fathers at the beginning were strā∣gers* 1.2 in Egypt, from whence they were deli∣uered,
30 And receiued the Law of life, * which they* 1.3 kept not, which ye also haue transgressed after them.
31 Then was the land, euen the lande of Sion parted among you by lot: but your fathers and ye also haue done vnrighteously, and haue not kept the wayes, which the moste High commanded you.
32 And for so muche as he is a righteous Iud∣ge, he toke from you in time the thing that he had giuen you.
33 And now are ye here, and your brethren a∣mong you.
34 Therefore if so be that ye wil subdue your owne vnderstanding, and reforme your heart, ye shal be kept aliue, and after death shal ye obteine mercie.
35 For after death shal the iudgement come, when we shal liue againe: and then shal the names of the righteous be manifest, & the workes of the vngodlie shalbe declared.
36 Let no man therefore come now vnto me, nor seke me these fortie daies.
37 So I toke the fiue men, as he commanded me, and we went into the fielde, and remay∣ned there.
38 The next daye beholde, a voice called me,* 1.4 saying, Esdras, * opē thy mouth, & drinke that I giue thee to drinke.
39 Then opened I my mouth, and behold, he reached me a full cuppe, which was full as it were with water: but the colour of it was like fyre.
40 And I toke it and dranke, and when I had dronke it, mine hearte had vnderstanding and wisdome grewe in my brest: for my spi∣rit was strengthened in memorie.
41 And my mouth was opened, and shut no more.
42 The moste High gaue vnderstanding vn∣to the fiue men, that they wrote the hie things of the night, which they vnderstode not.
43 But in the night they did eat bread, but 〈◊〉〈◊〉 spake by day, and helde not my tongue by night.
44 In fortie daies, they wrote two hundreth and foure bokes.
45 And when the fortie dayes were fulfilled, the moste High spake, saying, The first that thou hast writen, publish openlye, that the worthie and vnworthie may read it.
46 But kepe the seuentie last, that thou maiest gyue them to the wise amonge thy people.
47 Forin them is the veine of vnderstanding, and the fountaine of wisdome, and the ri∣uer of knowledge and I did so.
Exo 3. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
Gen. 47. 4.
Act. 7. 53.
Ezech. 3. 20