The Bible and Holy Scriptures conteyned in the Olde and Newe Testament. Translated according to the Ebrue and Greke, and conferred with the best translations in diuers languges. VVith moste profitable annotations vpon all the hard places, and other things of great importance as may appeare in the epistle to the reader

CHAP. VI.

God hathe foresene all things in his secret counsel, and is autor thereof, and hathe created them for his children. 25 The 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the age to come.

1 ANd he said vnto me, In the beginning when the rounde worlde was made, and before the borders of the worlde were set, and before the windes blewe one against an other:

2 Before the noyce of thundres sounded, be∣fore the bright lightening did shine forthe, before the fundacions of Paradise were laide:

3 Before the floures did appeare, before the moueable powers were stablished, before the innumerable armie of Angels were ga∣thered:

4 Before the heights of the aire were lifted vp before the measures of the heauens were na med, before the chimneis in Sion were hote

5 Before the present yeres were soght out, and before the affectiōs of them that now sinne, were turned away, & they that haue laid vp the treasure of faith, were sealed.

6 Then did I purpose these things, and they were made by me alone, and by none other: by me also they shalbe ended, and by none other.

7 Then answered I, and said, What shalbe the diuision of times? or when shalbe the end of the first, and the beginning of it that follow∣eth?

8 And he said vnto me, From Abraham vnto Isaac, when Iacob and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 were borne of him, * lacobs hand helde first the hele of Esau.

9 For Esau is the end of this worlde, and Iacob is the beginning of it that followeth.

10 The hand of man is bet wixt the hele and the hand. Other thing, Esdras, aske thou not.

11 ¶ I answered them, and said, O Lord, Lord, if I haue founde fauour in thy sight,

12 I beseche thee, make an end to shewe thy seruant thy tokens, whereof thou shewest me parte the last night.

13 So he answered me, and said, Stand vp vp∣pon thy fete, and heare a mightie sounding voyce.

14 There shal come as an earth quake, but the place where thou stādest, shal not be moued

15 And therefore when he speaketh, be not a∣frayed: for of the end shal be the worde, and of the fundacion of the earth shal it be vnder stand.

16 Therefore while one speaketh of them, it trembleth and is moued: for it knoweth, that it must be changed at the end.

17 And when I had heard it, I stode vp vpō my fete, and hearkened, and beholde, there was a voyce that spake, and the sounde of it was like the sounde of many waters:

18 And it said, Beholde, the dayes come, that I wil come and in quire of them that dwel vpō the earth,

19 And when I beginne to inquire of theē who by their vnrighteousnes haue hurt others, and when the affliction of Sion shal be ful∣filled,

20 And the worlde, that shal vanish away, shal∣be sealed, then wil I shewe these signes: the bokes shalbe opened before the heauen, & they shal se all it together.

21 And the children of a yere olde shal speake with their voices: the women with child shal bring forthe vntimelie childrē of thre or fou re moneths olde, and they shal liue that are raised vp.

22 Then suddenly shal the sowen places appea re as the vnsowne, and the sul store houses shal suddenly be founde emptie.

23 And the trumpet shal sounde, and all they that heare it, shalbe suddenly afrayed.

24 At that time shal friends fight with friends, as with enemies, and the earth shal feare with them: the springs of the welles shal stand stil, and in thre houres they shal not renne.

25 Whosoeuer remaineth from all these things that I haue tolde thee, shal be saued and se

my saluacion, & the end of your worlde.

26 And the men that are receiued, shalse it: thei that haue not tasted death from their birth, and the heart of the inhabitants shal be chā∣ged, and turned to another meaning.

27 For euil shalbe put out, and disceate shal be quenched,

28 But faith shal flourish: corruption shalbe o∣uercome, and the trueth which hathe bene so long without frute, shal come forthe.

29 ¶ And when he talked with me, beholde, I loked alitle vpō him before whome I stode

30 And these wordes said he vnto me, I am co∣me to she we thee the time of the night to come.

31 If thou wilt pray againe, and fast seuen daies more, I wil tel thee more things, and greater then these, which I haue heard in the day.

32 For thy voyce is heard before the Highest: surely the mightie hathe sene thy righteous dealing: he hathe sene also thy chastitie, whi che thou hast kept since thy youth.

33 Therefore hathe he sent me to shewe thee all these things, and to say vnto thee, Be of good comfort, and feare not,

34 And haste not in the vaine consideration of the first times, nor make haste to the latter times.

35 And after this I wepte againe and fasted se∣uen dayes in like maner, that I might fulfil the thre wekes, which he had appointed me.

36 And in the eight night was mine heart ve∣xed within me againe, and I began to speake before the moste High.

37 For my spirit was greatly set on fyer, & my soule was in distresse,

38 And I said, ô Lord, thou speakest expresly in the first creation [euen the first day] and cōman dedst * that the heauen and the earth shulde be made, and the worke followed thy worde.

39 And thē was there the spirit, and the dark∣nes was on euerie side with silence: there was no mans voyce as yet created of thee.

40 Then commandedst thou a bright light to come forthe out of thy treasures, that it might giue light to thy worke.

41 Vpō the second day thou createdst the hea uenlie ayre, and commandedst it, that, going betwene, it shulde make a diuision betwene the waters, that the one parte might remai∣ne aboue, and the other beneth.

42 Vpon the third day thou cōmandedst, that the waters shulde be gathered together in the seuenth parte of the earth: six partes di∣dest thou drye, and kept them to the intent that of these there shuld be that shulde serue thee, being sowen of God and tilled.

43 Assone as thy worde went forthe, the wor ke was in continently made.

44 For immediatly great and innumerable fau te did spring vp, and manie diuerse pleasures for the taste, and floures of vnchangeable co lour, and odours of a moste wondersul smel and these things were created the third day

45 * Vpon the fourth daythou createdst the light of the sunne, and of the moone, and the order of the startes,

46 And gauest them a charge, to do * seruice euen vnto man that was for to be made.

47 And vpon the fift day thou saidest vnto the seuenth parte * where the waters were gathe red, that it shulde bring forthe beasts, (as) foules and fishes: and it was so.

48 For the domme waters, and without life broght forthe liuing things at the comman∣demēt of God that the nations might praise thy wonderous workes.

49 Thē didest thou prepare two liuing things the one thou calledst“ Behemoth, & the other thou calledst Leuiathan,

50 And didest separate the one from the other for the seuenth parte, where the water was gathered, colde not holde them.

51 Vnto Behemoth thou gauest one parte, whi che was dryed vp the third day, that he shuld dwell in the same parte, wherein are a thou∣sand hilles.

52 But vnto Leuiathan thou gauest the seuenth parte, that is wett, and hast prepared him to deuoure what thou wilt, and when thou wilt

53 Vpon the sixt day thou gauest commande∣mēt vnto the earth, that before thee it shulde bring forthe beasts, catel and creping things.

54 And besides this Adam, whome thou ma∣dest lord ouer all the workes which thou hast created, of him come we all, and the people also, whome thou hast chosen.

55 All this haue I spoken before thee, ô Lord, because thou hast created the world for our sakes.

56 As for the other people, which also come of Adam, thou hast declared them that they are nothing before thee, but be like vnto spitle, and hast compared their riches vnto a drop that falleth from a vessel.

57 And now, ô Lord, beholde these heathen which haue bene reputed as nothing, haue begonne to be lords ouer vs, and to deuoure vs.

58 And we thy people [whome thou hast called the first borne, the onely begotten, and thy feruent louer] are giuen into their hands,

59 If the worlde then be created for our sakes why haue we not the inheritance thereof in possession? or how long shal we suffer these things?

Notes

• Gen. 25. 26.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 1, 1.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 1. 〈◊〉〈◊〉,
• Gen. 1, 14. & 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• deut. 4, 19.
• Gen. 1, 20.
• “

  Or, 〈◊〉〈◊〉;