uncovered. 32They howl and shout before their gods as some do at a funeral banquet. 33The priests take some of the clothing of their gods to clothe their wives and children. 34Whether one does evil to them or good, they will not be able to repay it. They cannot set up a king or depose one. 35Likewise they are not able to give either wealth or money; if one makes a vow to them and does not keep it, they will not require it. 36They cannot save anyone from death or rescue the weak from the strong. 37They cannot restore sight to the blind; they cannot rescue one who is in distress. 38They cannot take pity on a widow or do good to an orphan. 39These things that are made of wood and overlaid with gold and silver are like stones from the mountain, and those who serve them will be put to shame. 40aWhy then must anyone think that they are gods, or call them gods?<\/p>\n
The Foolishness of Worshiping Idols<\/p>\n
40bBesides, even the Chaldeans themselves dishonor them; for when they see someone who cannot speak, they bring Bel and pray that the mute may speak, as though Bel were able to understand! 41Yet they themselves cannot perceive this and abandon them, for they have no sense. 42And the women, with cords around them, sit along the passageways, burning bran for incense. 43When one of them is led off by one of the passers-by and is taken to bed by him, she derides the woman next to her, because she was not as attractive as herself and her cord was not broken. 44Whatever is done for these idols is false. Why then must anyone think that they are gods, or call them gods?
\n45They are made by carpenters and goldsmiths; they can be nothing but what the artisans wish them to be. 46Those who make them will certainly not live very long themselves; 47how then can the things that are made by them be gods? They have left only lies and reproach for those who come after. 48For when war or calamity comes upon them, the priests consult together as to where they can hide themselves and their gods. 49How then can one fail to see that these are not gods, for they cannot save themselves from war or calamity? 50Since they are made of wood and overlaid with gold and silver, it will afterward be known that they are false. 51It will be manifest to all the nations and kings that they are not gods but the work of human hands, and that there is no work of God in them. 52Who then can fail to know that they are not gods?
\n53For they cannot set up a king over a country or give rain to people. 54They cannot judge their own cause or deliver one who is wronged, for they have no power; 55they are like crows between heaven and earth. When fire breaks out in a temple of wooden gods overlaid with gold or silver, their priests will flee and escape, but the gods will be burned up like timbers. 56Besides, they can offer no resistance to king or enemy. Why then must anyone admit or think that they are gods?
\n57Gods made of wood and overlaid with silver and gold are unable to save themselves from thieves or robbers. 58Anyone who can will strip them of their gold and silver and of the robes they wear, and go off with this booty, and they will not be able to help themselves. 59So it is better to be a king who shows his courage, or a household utensil that serves its owner\u2019s need, than to be these false gods; better even the door of a house that protects its contents, than these false gods; better also a wooden pillar in a palace, than these false gods. 60For sun and moon and stars are bright, and when sent to do a service, they are obedient. 61So also the lightning, when it flashes, is widely seen; and the wind likewise blows in every land. 62When God commands the clouds to go over the whole world, they carry out his command. 63And the fire sent from above to consume mountains and woods does what it is ordered. But these idols are not to be compared with them in appearance or power. 64Therefore one must not think that they are gods, nor call them gods, for they are not able either to decide a case or to do good to anyone. 65Since you know then that they are not gods, do not fear them.
\n66They can neither curse nor bless kings; 67they cannot show signs in the heavens for the nations, or shine like the sun or give light like the moon. 68The wild animals are better than they are, for they can flee to shelter and help themselves. 69So we have no evidence whatever that they are gods; therefore do not fear them.
\n70Like a scarecrow in a cucumber bed, which guards nothing, so are their gods of wood, overlaid with gold and silver. 71In the same way, their gods of wood, overlaid with gold and silver, are like a thorn-bush in a garden on which every bird perches; or like a corpse thrown out in the darkness. 72From the purple and linen that rot upon them you will know that they are not gods; and they will finally be consumed themselves, and be a reproach in the land. 73Better, therefore, is someone upright who has no idols; such a person will be far above reproach.<\/p>\n
1 Baruch<\/p>\n
Steven D. Fraade<\/p>\n
1 Baruch (also known as the book of Baruch) is classified in the \u201cOld Testament Apocrypha,\u201d meaning it is one of the books of the Septuagint (LXX) not included in the canon of the Hebrew Bible but included in various Christian Bibles. It is named for the scriptural figure Baruch (son of Neriah son of Mahseiah), who was the prophet Jeremiah\u2019s scribe and confidant (Jer. 32:9\u201315; 36:1\u201332; 43:1\u20137; 45:1\u20135) and who accompanied Jeremiah into exile following the conquest of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. In 1 Baruch, and in other works ascribed to him, he becomes a prophetic figure in his own right. In the LXX (and in subsequent Christian Bibles) 1 Baruch follows the book of Jeremiah as an appendix. Scholars universally are of the view that the books that bear Baruch\u2019s name are pseudepigraphs, that is, fictitiously and retroactively ascribed to him.
\n1 Baruch is a composite literary work, made up of three to five distinct compositions, depending on how they are divided or combined, which differ from one another in theme, mood, language, divine appellation, literary form, scriptural dependency, and perspective, but which have been editorially combined at some point after their individual compositions. Their common theme is seeking to convey the meaning of the Babylonian exile, perhaps as a paradigm for subsequent periods of exile and foreign rule. The parts of the book may be summarized as follows:<\/p>\n
1. Historical introduction (1:1\u201314). Presents the book as a letter sent by Baruch from exile in Babylonia to the priests and people in Jerusalem, in the fifth year of the exile (582 BCE), instructing them to read it as a confessional liturgy during the festivals.
\n2. Confession of sins (1:15\u20132:5 [or 1:15\u20132:10]). A preliminary confession and prayer emphasizing that the sins committed by the people and their received punishments are in accord with Moses\u2019 predictions. This section and the next are especially dependent upon Dan. 9:4\u201319, with many elements from Deut. 28\u201332 and Jer. 29\u201352.
\n3. Petitionary prayer (2:6\u20133:8 [or 2:11\u20133:8]). Written from the perspective of the Diaspora Jews, a petition to rescue the repentant remnant from exile, where they suffer, returning them to the Promised Land and renewing the covenant.
\n4. Poem in praise of Wisdom (3:9\u20134:4). The powerful and the rich are unable to find Wisdom (here personified), for Wisdom is identical with Torah, which has been given to Israel alone. Thus, the praise of Wisdom ends as a praise of Israel. Close affinities to, and perhaps incorporation of, wisdom texts such as Job, Proverbs, Wisdom of Solomon, and Wisdom of Ben Sira.
\n5. Psalm of consolation (4:5\u20135:9). The final section of 1 Baruch offers words of en couragement to the remnant of Israel in exile, featuring personified \u201cmother\u201dJerusalem as both the source and recipient of consolation. Following the biblical, especially Deuteronomic, pattern of sin-exile-return, Israel is assured that its exile is not permanent, but will be followed by return to the Promised Land, accompanied by the punishment of Israel\u2019s enemies in the very ways that they were the agents of Israel\u2019s punishment. In effect, Israel\u2019s confessional and petitionary prayers have been answered, its sorrow has turned to joy. This section is particularly dependent on Isa. 40\u201355 (Deutero-Isaiah), with Bar. 4:36\u20135:9 displaying similarities to Pss. Sol. 11:1\u20137.<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
The dating and provenance of 1 Baruch are clouded by its anonymous, pseudepigraphic authorship and its composite contents. That is, it is likely that its component parts were authored separately and only later combined to form the book as we have it. It is generally held that the major parts were originally authored in Hebrew (at least 1:1\u20133:8), but since no part of the book survives in Hebrew even this has been questioned. Arguments for a Hebrew original for 3:9\u20135:9 rest on weaker grounds. The earliest surviving text is in Greek, from which other versions (Syriac, Latin, Arabic, Armenian, Bohairic, Ethiopic) are thought to be translations. Since it is difficult to date the text, either as a whole or in its parts, because it lacks specific internal historical references, scholars have sought to date it with respect to earlier texts upon which it might be dependent and according to its attitude toward continuing exile and the rule and fate of foreign rulers. Neither of these criteria allows for precise dating. The predominant view arrives at a chronological span from the first half of the 2nd century through the 1st century BCE, with some extending into the 1st century CE. Based on the Greek, the relation of the translation to that of Jeremiah, and the possible meaning for a later time of the fictional historical setting of the Babylonian exile, an early to mid-2nd century BCE date, at least for the bulk of the book, seems the most likely.
\n1 Baruch was authored neither by Baruch nor by any single person. Some think that the compiler of 1:15\u20135:4 added the historical introduction (1:1\u201314) so as to establish the pseude-pigraphic historical setting, while someone later added the final stanza (5:5\u20139) so as to conclude with the fulfillment of God\u2019s reassuring promises having been accomplished. Yet some see the poem in praise of Wisdom (3:9\u20134:4) as a later interpolation. Thus, notwithstanding its composite nature, it is uncertain whether a single compiler produced the text as it now stands. Those who favor a Hebrew original tend to assume that the work was authored in Palestine, notwithstanding its exilic setting. While it is generally presumed that the author\/compiler was Jewish (the term itself being somewhat anachronistic), some have thought that 3:37 reveals a Christian hand (or at least interpolation), but this need not be the case (see commentary).<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
Once excluded from the canon of the Hebrew Bible, 1 Baruch, even if based, and if only in part, on a Hebrew original, appears to have eventually disappeared from Jewish study and communal liturgical life. The church fathers Origen and Jerome (3rd and 4th centuries, respectively) are both unaware of any Hebrew versions of the text in their time, and the latter claims the book was not read any longer among the \u201cHebrews.\u201d How much earlier it fell from Jewish use, in whatever language, is impossible to know. We have no record of its being cited or referenced by any Jewish author in a religious context. Nor is there any evidence for its having been translated into any Jewish dialect of Aramaic. No remnant of it has been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (unlike other apocryphal and pseudepigraphic works), nor is there any allusion to it in early Rabbinic literature. Even among Christians, in whose biblical canons it was included, reference to 1 Baruch (aside from 3:36\u201337) is extremely rare.
\nTherefore, consideration of the significance of 1 Baruch as a Jewish writing must be limited to its supposed time of composition and original reception in the early to mid-2nd century BCE, a period of Seleucid domination and Maccabean resistance. Its fictive setting in the time of Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s conquest of Jerusalem and exile of its inhabitants would provide a powerful template for a later time, in which the book\u2019s call for confession, contrition, devotion to Torah, and hope in Israel\u2019s imminent restoration would no less ring true. The significance of 1 Baruch, then, is in the artful way that it has reworked and combined its scriptural (from our perspective, both canonical and noncanonical) sources and composite parts to offer an urgent call that deeply reverberated and resonated both with received traditional memories and with pressing historical circumstances.<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
The reader of 1 Baruch would benefit from consulting the frequent scriptural parallels to, and possibly sources of, the text in Wisdom of Ben Sira, Wisdom of Solomon, and Psalms of Solomon indicated in the commentary.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READINGS<\/p>\n
Burke, David G. The Poetry of Baruch: A Reconstruction and Analysis of the Original Hebrew Text of Baruch 3:9\u20135:9. SBL Septuagint and Cognate Studies 10. Chico CA: Scholars Press, 1982.
\nDavila, James R. \u201c(How) Can We Tell If a Greek Apocryphon or Pseudepigraphon Was Translated from Hebrew or Aramaic?\u201d Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 15.1 (2005): 3\u201361.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. The Provenance of the Pseudepigrapha: Jewish, Christian, or Other? Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism 105. Leiden: Brill, 2005.
\nMendels, Doron. \u201cBaruch, Book of.\u201d Anchor Bible Dictionary 1:618\u201320. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
\nMoore, Carey A. Daniel, Esther, and Jeremiah: The Additions. Anchor Bible 44. Garden City NY: Doubleday, 1977.
\nNickelsburg, George W. E. Jewish Literature between the Bible and the Mishnah: A Historical and Literary Introduction. 2nd edition, with CD-ROM. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005.
\nTov, Emanuel, ed. and trans. The Book of Baruch Also Called 1 Baruch (Greek and Hebrew): Edited, Reconstructed, and Translated. Society of Biblical Literature Texts and Translations 8\/Pseudepigrapha Series 6. Missoula MT: Scholars Press, 1975.
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014. The Septuagint Translation of Jeremiah and Baruch: A Discussion of an Early Revision of the LXX of Jeremiah 29\u201352 and Baruch 1:1\u20133:8. Harvard Semitic Museum, Harvard Semitic Monographs 8. Missoula MT: Scholars Press, 1976.
\nWright, J. Edward. Baruch ben Neriah: From Biblical Scribe to Apocalyptic Seer. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2003.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
Baruch and the Jews in Babylon<\/p>\n
1:1These are the words of the book that Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah son of Zedekiah son of Hasadiah son of Hilkiah wrote in Babylon, 2in the fifth year, on the seventh day of the month, at the time when the Chaldeans took Jerusalem and burned it with fire.
\n3Baruch read the words of this book to Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and to all the people who came to hear the book, 4and to the nobles and the princes, and to the elders, and to all the people, small and great, all who lived in Babylon by the river Sud.
\n5Then they wept, and fasted, and prayed before the LORD; 6they collected as much money as each could give, 7and sent it to Jerusalem to the high priest Jehoiakim son of Hilkiah son of Shallum, and to the priests, and to all the people who were present with him in Jerusalem. 8At the same time, on the tenth day of Sivan, Baruch took the vessels of the house of the LORD, which had been carried away from the Temple, to return them to the land of Judah\u2014the silver vessels that Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, had made, 9after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away from Jerusalem Jeconiah and the princes and the prisoners and the nobles and the people of the land, and brought them to Babylon.<\/p>\n
A Letter to Jerusalem<\/p>\n
1:10They said: Here we send you money; so buy with the money burnt offerings and sin offerings and incense, and prepare a grain offering, and offer them on the altar of the LORD our God; 11and pray for the life of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and for the life of his son Belshazzar, so that their days on earth may be like the days of heaven. 12The LORD will give us strength, and light to our eyes; we shall live under the protection of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and under the protection of his son Belshazzar, and we shall serve them many days and find favor in their sight. 13Pray also for us to the LORD our God, for we have sinned against the LORD our God, and to this day the anger of the LORD and his wrath have not turned away from us. 14And you shall read aloud this scroll that we are sending you, to make your confession in the house of the LORD on the days of the festivals and at appointed seasons.<\/p>\n
Confession of Sins<\/p>\n
1:15And you shall say: The LORD our God is in the right, but there is open shame on us today, on the people of Judah, on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 16and on our kings, our rulers, our priests, our prophets, and our ancestors, 17because we have sinned before the LORD. 18We have disobeyed him, and have not heeded the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in the statutes of the LORD that he set before us. 19From the time when the LORD brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until today, we have been disobedient to the LORD our God, and we have been negligent, in not heeding his voice. 20So to this day there have clung to us the calamities and the curse that the LORD declared through his servant Moses at the time when he brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt to give to us a land flowing with milk and honey. 21We did not listen to the voice of the LORD our God in all the words of the prophets whom he sent to us, 22but all of us followed the intent of our own wicked hearts by serving other gods and doing what is evil in the sight of the LORD our God.
\n2:1So the LORD carried out the threat he spoke against us: against our judges who ruled Israel, and against our kings and our rulers and the people of Israel and Judah. 2Under the whole heaven there has not been done the like of what he has done in Jerusalem, in accordance with the threats that were written in the law of Moses. 3Some of us ate the flesh of their sons and others the flesh of their daughters. 4He made them subject to all the kingdoms around us, to be an object of scorn and a desolation among all the surrounding peoples, where the LORD has scattered them. 5They were brought down and not raised up, because our nation sinned against the LORD our God, in not heeding his voice.
\n6The LORD our God is in the right, but there is open shame on us and our ancestors this very day. 7All those calamities with which the LORD threatened us have come upon us. 8Yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD by turning away, each of us, from the thoughts of our wicked hearts. 9And the LORD has kept the calamities ready, and the LORD has brought them upon us, for the LORD is just in all the works that he has commanded us to do. 10Yet we have not obeyed his voice, to walk in the statutes of the LORD that he set before us.<\/p>\n
Prayer for Deliverance<\/p>\n
2:11And now, O LORD God of Israel, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and with signs and wonders and with great power and outstretched arm, and made yourself a name that continues to this day, 12we have sinned, we have been ungodly, we have done wrong, O LORD our God, against all your ordinances. 13Let your anger turn away from us, for we are left, few in number, among the nations where you have scattered us. 14Hear, O LORD, our prayer and our supplication, and for your own sake deliver us, and grant us favor in the sight of those who have carried us into exile; 15so that all the earth may know that you are the LORD our God, for Israel and his descendants are called by your name.
\n16O LORD, look down from your holy dwelling, and consider us. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; 17open your eyes, O LORD, and see, for the dead who are in Hades, whose spirit has been taken from their bodies, will not ascribe glory or justice to the LORD; 18but the person who is deeply grieved, who walks bowed and feeble, with failing eyes and famished soul, will declare your glory and righteousness, O LORD.
\n19For it is not because of any righteous deeds of our ancestors or our kings that we bring before you our prayer for mercy, O LORD our God. 20For you have sent your anger and your wrath upon us, as you declared by your servants the prophets, saying: 21Thus says the LORD: Bend your shoulders and serve the king of Babylon, and you will remain in the land that I gave to your ancestors. 22But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD and will not serve the king of Babylon, 23I will make to cease from the towns of Judah and from the region around Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, and the whole land will be a desolation without inhabitants.
\n24But we did not obey your voice, to serve the king of Babylon; and you have carried out your threats, which you spoke by your servants the prophets, that the bones of our kings and the bones of our ancestors would be brought out of their resting place; 25and indeed they have been thrown out to the heat of day and the frost of night. They perished in great misery, by famine and sword and pestilence. 26And the house that is called by your name you have made as it is today, because of the wickedness of the house of Israel and the house of Judah.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s Promise Recalled<\/p>\n
2:27Yet you have dealt with us, O LORD our God, in all your kindness and in all your great compassion, 28as you spoke by your servant Moses on the day when you commanded him to write your law in the presence of the people of Israel, saying, 29\u201cIf you will not obey my voice, this very great multitude will surely turn into a small number among the nations, where I will scatter them. 30For I know that they will not obey me, for they are a stiff-necked people. But in the land of their exile they will come to themselves 31and know that I am the LORD their God. I will give them a heart that obeys and ears that hear; 32they will praise me in the land of their exile, and will remember my name 33and turn from their stubbornness and their wicked deeds; for they will remember the ways of their ancestors, who sinned before the LORD. 34I will bring them again into the land that I swore to give to their ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they will rule over it; and I will increase them, and they will not be diminished. 35I will make an everlasting covenant with them to be their God and they shall be my people; and I will never again remove my people Israel from the land that I have given them.\u201d
\n3:1O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, the soul in anguish and the wearied spirit cry out to you. 2Hear, O LORD, and have mercy, for we have sinned before you. 3For you are enthroned forever, and we are perishing forever. 4O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the people of Israel, the children of those who sinned before you, who did not heed the voice of the LORD their God, so that calamities have clung to us. 5Do not remember the iniquities of our ancestors, but in this crisis remember your power and your name. 6For you are the LORD our God, and it is you, O LORD, whom we will praise. 7For you have put the fear of you in our hearts so that we would call upon your name; and we will praise you in our exile, for we have put away from our hearts all the iniquity of our ancestors who sinned against you. 8See, we are today in our exile where you have scattered us, to be reproached and cursed and punished for all the iniquities of our ancestors, who forsook the LORD our God.<\/p>\n
In Praise of Wisdom<\/p>\n
3:9Hear the commandments of life, O Israel;
\ngive ear, and learn wisdom!
\n10Why is it, O Israel, why is it that you are in the land of your enemies,
\nthat you are growing old in a foreign country,
\nthat you are defiled with the dead,
\n11that you are counted among those in Hades?
\n12You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.
\n13If you had walked in the way of God,
\nyou would be living in peace forever.
\n14Learn where there is wisdom,
\nwhere there is strength,
\nwhere there is understanding,
\nso that you may at the same time discern
\nwhere there is length of days, and life,
\nwhere there is light for the eyes, and peace.<\/p>\n
15Who has found her place?
\nAnd who has entered her storehouses?
\n16Where are the rulers of the nations,
\nand those who lorded it over the animals on earth;
\n17those who made sport of the birds of the air,
\nand who hoarded up silver and gold
\nin which people trust,
\nand there is no end to their getting;
\n18those who schemed to get silver, and were anxious,
\nbut there is no trace of their works?
\n19They have vanished and gone down to Hades,
\nand others have arisen in their place.<\/p>\n
20Later generations have seen the light of day,
\nand have lived upon the earth;
\nbut they have not learned the way to knowledge,
\nnor understood her paths,
\nnor laid hold of her.
\n21Their descendants have strayed far from her way.
\n22She has not been heard of in Canaan,
\nor seen in Teman;
\n23the descendants of Hagar, who seek for understanding on the earth,
\nthe merchants of Merran and Teman,
\nthe story-tellers and the seekers for understanding,
\nhave not learned the way to wisdom,
\nor given thought to her paths.<\/p>\n
24O Israel, how great is the house of God,
\nhow vast the territory that he possesses!
\n25It is great and has no bounds;
\nit is high and immeasurable.
\n26The giants were born there, who were famous of old,
\ngreat in stature, expert in war.
\n27God did not choose them,
\nor give them the way to knowledge;
\n28so they perished because they had no wisdom,
\nthey perished through their folly.<\/p>\n
29Who has gone up into heaven, and taken her,
\nand brought her down from the clouds?
\n30Who has gone over the sea, and found her,
\nand will buy her for pure gold?
\n31No one knows the way to her,
\nor is concerned about the path to her.
\n32But the one who knows all things knows her,
\nhe found her by his understanding.
\nThe one who prepared the earth for all time
\nfilled it with four-footed creatures;
\n33the one who sends forth the light, and it goes;
\nhe called it, and it obeyed him, trembling;
\n34the stars shone in their watches, and were glad;
\nhe called them, and they said, \u201cHere we are!\u201d
\nThey shone with gladness for him who made them.
\n35This is our God;
\nno other can be compared to him.
\n36He found the whole way to knowledge,
\nand gave her to his servant Jacob
\nand to Israel, whom he loved.
\n37Afterward she appeared on earth
\nand lived with humankind.<\/p>\n
4:1She is the book of the commandments of God,
\nthe law that endures forever.
\nAll who hold her fast will live,
\nand those who forsake her will die.
\n2Turn, O Jacob, and take her;
\nwalk toward the shining of her light.
\n3Do not give your glory to another,
\nor your advantages to an alien people.
\n4Happy are we, O Israel,
\nfor we know what is pleasing to God.<\/p>\n
Encouragement for Israel<\/p>\n
4:5Take courage, my people,
\nwho perpetuate Israel\u2019s name!
\n6It was not for destruction
\nthat you were sold to the nations,
\nbut you were handed over to your enemies
\nbecause you angered God.
\n7For you provoked the one who made you
\nby sacrificing to demons and not to God.
\n8You forgot the everlasting God, who brought you up,
\nand you grieved Jerusalem, who reared you.
\n9For she saw the wrath that came upon you from God,
\nand she said:
\nListen, you neighbors of Zion,
\nGod has brought great sorrow upon me;
\n10for I have seen the exile of my sons and daughters,
\nwhich the Everlasting brought upon them.
\n11With joy I nurtured them,
\nbut I sent them away with weeping and sorrow.
\n12Let no one rejoice over me, a widow
\nand bereaved of many;
\nI was left desolate because of the sins of my children,
\nbecause they turned away from the law of God.
\n13They had no regard for his statutes;
\nthey did not walk in the ways of God\u2019s commandments,
\nor tread the paths his righteousness showed them.
\n14Let the neighbors of Zion come;
\nremember the capture of my sons and daughters,
\nwhich the Everlasting brought upon them.
\n15For he brought a distant nation against them,
\na nation ruthless and of a strange language,
\nwhich had no respect for the aged
\nand no pity for a child.
\n16They led away the widow\u2019s beloved sons,
\nand bereaved the lonely woman of her daughters.
\n17But I, how can I help you?
\n18For he who brought these calamities upon you
\nwill deliver you from the hand of your enemies.
\n19Go, my children, go;
\nfor I have been left desolate.
\n20I have taken off the robe of peace
\nand put on sackcloth for my supplication;
\nI will cry to the Everlasting all my days.<\/p>\n
21Take courage, my children, cry to God,
\nand he will deliver you from the power and hand of the enemy.
\n22For I have put my hope in the Everlasting to save you,
\nand joy has come to me from the Holy One,
\nbecause of the mercy that will soon come to you
\nfrom your everlasting savior.
\n23For I sent you out with sorrow and weeping,
\nbut God will give you back to me with joy and gladness forever.
\n24For as the neighbors of Zion have now seen your capture,
\nso they soon will see your salvation by God,
\nwhich will come to you with great glory
\nand with the splendor of the Everlasting.
\n25My children, endure with patience the wrath that has come upon you from God.
\nYour enemy has overtaken you,
\nbut you will soon see their destruction
\nand will tread upon their necks.
\n26My pampered children have traveled rough roads;
\nthey were taken away like a flock carried off by the enemy.<\/p>\n
27Take courage, my children, and cry to God,
\nfor you will be remembered by the one who brought this upon you.
\n28For just as you were disposed to go astray from God,
\nreturn with tenfold zeal to seek him.
\n29For the one who brought these calamities upon you
\nwill bring you everlasting joy with your salvation.<\/p>\n
Jerusalem Is Assured of Help<\/p>\n
4:30Take courage, O Jerusalem,
\nfor the one who named you will comfort you.
\n31Wretched will be those who mistreated you
\nand who rejoiced at your fall.
\n32Wretched will be the cities that your children served as slaves;
\nwretched will be the city that received your offspring.
\n33For just as she rejoiced at your fall
\nand was glad for your ruin,
\nso she will be grieved at her own desolation.
\n34I will take away her pride in her great population,
\nand her insolence will be turned to grief.
\n35For fire will come upon her from the Everlasting for many days,
\nand for a long time she will be inhabited by demons.<\/p>\n
36Look toward the east, O Jerusalem,
\nand see the joy that is coming to you from God.
\n37Look, your children are coming, whom you sent away;
\nthey are coming, gathered from east and west,
\nat the word of the Holy One,
\nrejoicing in the glory of God.<\/p>\n
5:1Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem,
\nand put on forever the beauty of the glory from God.
\n2Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God;
\nput on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting;
\n3for God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven.
\n4For God will give you evermore the name,
\n\u201cRighteous Peace, Godly Glory.\u201d
\n5Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height;
\nlook toward the east,
\nand see your children gathered from west and east
\nat the word of the Holy One,
\nrejoicing that God has remembered them.
\n6For they went out from you on foot,
\nled away by their enemies;
\nbut God will bring them back to you,
\nCarried in glory, as on a royal throne.
\n7For God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low
\nand the valleys filled up, to make level ground,
\nso that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God.
\n8The woods and every fragrant tree
\nhave shaded Israel at God\u2019s command.
\n9For God will lead Israel with joy,
\nin the light of his glory,
\nwith the mercy and righteousness that come from him.<\/p>\n
2 Baruch<\/p>\n
Adam H. Becker<\/p>\n
Although it was composed after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, 2 Baruch, or the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, is an apocalyptic text that purports to be composed by Baruch, the scribe of the prophet Jeremiah, just after the destruction of the First Temple in 587 BCE. It therefore allows the destruction of the First Temple to serve as a model for understanding the destruction of the Second. The pseudepigraphic Baruch describes his experiences during and after the siege of the city, particularly the different visions he received as well as their interpretations during this cataclysmic time, while exhorting his audience to trust in God and maintain his law. This text deals with the existential question of the viability of the covenant and of the bitter fact that the Gentiles have destroyed the holy city and defeated the people of the covenant. The book begins with the destruction of Jerusalem foretold to Baruch (2 Bar. 1:1\u20134:1) as well as a description of a heavenly Jerusalem (4:2\u20137). After questioning God about the ethical and cosmological consequences of the destruction and receiving reassurance (5:1\u20137), he describes the Chaldean invasion of the city and how the Temple vessels were divinely hidden; further, how the city was actually destroyed by angels, not by human beings (6:1\u20138:5). Baruch and Jeremiah fast over the ruined city for seven days, Jeremiah leaves for Babylon, and Baruch begins an extended dirge over the city (9:1\u201312:4). After another fast of seven days Baruch questions God about the benefit of being righteous when such woes befall the righteous. He is told that they will receive their recompense (12:5\u201320:4). Another seven-day fast follows; then an account of the sequence of events of the end of the world, including the coming of the messiah, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment (21:1\u201334:1). Baruch receives a vision of a forest and a plain surrounded by mountains, which is then explained, after which he addresses the people about the coming judgment (35:1\u201346:7). After another seven-day fast Baruch prays to God and confirms that all is determined by him (47:1\u201348:50). Baruch inquires into the bodily form of the resurrected (49:1\u201352:7). He has a vision of a cloud that alternates between pouring forth bright and dark waters; this vision is then extensively interpreted as representing the course of human history (53:1\u201374:4). After thanking God, Baruch addresses the people again about how the righteous will be saved (75:1\u201377:26). The work ends with a letter to the nine and a half tribes who were taken to Mesopotamia after the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. They are encouraged to have faith in God and to follow his commandments (78:1\u201387:1).<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
The author is unknown, but some scholars have drawn connections between the text and the post-destruction Pharisaic movement, whose members are the possible predecessors of the Rabbis. Some have even attributed 2 Baruch to Rabbi Akiva himself. Baruch was a popular pseudepigraphic figure who appears in a number of Second Temple period and early Christian texts. That Baruch was Jeremiah\u2019s scribe (e.g., Jer. 36:26\u20137) may suggest that it was scribes who took an interest in him in this later period. This points to a possible connection between the author of this text and the scribes of Jerusalem. Although the text was later preserved only by Christians and despite its numerous parallels to formative Christian texts, its author does not seem to have been a follower of Jesus. However Rivka Nir has most recently argued for a Christian origin. Since 2 Baruch addresses general issues that would have been significant to most parts of the Jewish community in the post\u201370 CE period, arguments connecting it to one particular Jewish sect, such as the Pharisees or the Jesus movement, are unfounded. 2 Baruch was composed in Palestine in the period after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. The text may have been originally composed in Hebrew or Aramaic and then translated into Greek, a fragment of which has been found. Scholars have been divided on the question of the original language. However, the text is only fully extant in a Syriac (Christian Aramaic) translation of the Greek text found in a manuscript from the 6th or 7th century. A few short passages are preserved elsewhere in Syriac and there is also an Arabic version, which was translated from a now lost Syriac manuscript. The last portion of the text, the so-called Epistle of Second Baruch (78:1\u201387:1), of which there are over three dozen manuscripts, was circulated separately within the West-Syrian (Monophysite) liturgy. Scholars have noted many parallels between 2 Baruch and 4 Ezra (2 Esdras), another apocalyptic text composed after the destruction of the Second Temple. If 2 Baruch does not have a shared source with 4 Ezra but rather depends on it, then perhaps its date is a little later, either the very end of the 1st century or the beginning of the 2nd. We also find parallels with other noncanonical literature from approximately the same time, such as the Paraleipomena Jeremiou, with which it shares a focus on the figure of Baruch. In a number of places, the author seems to incorporate earlier traditions into the text. However, we cannot determine if any of these traditions derive from a prior textual source. Earlier scholarship tended to emphasize the disparateness of these various traditions, but more recently scholars have understood the text as a coherent whole.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
2 Baruch is an important attestation of the tremendous shock the destruction of the Second Temple induced within the Jewish community. Perhaps not coincidentally it also is an important witness to the further development of ideas about the messiah, eschatology, resurrection, and paradise. The text has a strong messianism (e.g., 29:3, 39:7\u201340:2; 70:9 and 72:2). The messiah is imagined as a robust figure who will come to judge and destroy the Gentiles (39:7\u20138; 40:1; 72:2). The three visions (27:1\u201330:5; 36:1\u201340:4; 53:1\u201376:5) that Baruch receives are explicated as representing the course of human history moving toward a final endtime when, after judgment there will be an ingathering of Israel, God\u2019s kingdom will be restored with the righteous resurrected, and paradise will be established on earth. The text imagines a world without Rome, which was at the height of its power at the time of composition. Despite the lack of interest the later Rabbis showed for apocalyptic literature, 2 Baruch shares with the later Rabbinic movement a number of ideas about God\u2019s relationship with creation, eschatology, and the centrality of the Law. This helps explain why some scholars have labeled it a Pharisaic document.<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
2 Baruch consists of a number of disparate and striking passages, including visions, prayers, and lamentations. Furthermore, scholars have proposed various structural outlines for how the text should be understood as a whole. Thus it is difficult to select a representative portion. Included here is approximately one quarter of the original text; this limitation does not allow the reader to experience the structural repetition the author has placed in the text by concluding each section with Baruch fasting for seven days. In selecting from the text, a balance has been sought between the significant ideas of the text and its rich imagery.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Brockington, L. H. \u201cThe Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch.\u201d In The Apocryphal Old Testament, edited by H. F. D. Sparks, 835\u201395. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984.
\nCharles, R. H. \u201cII Baruch.\u201d In The Apocrypha and Pseudipigrapha of the Old Testament, 2:470\u2013526. Oxford: Clarendon, 1913.
\nCollins, John J. The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature, rev. ed., 212\u201325. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 1998.
\nHobbins, John F. \u201cThe Summing Up of History in 2 Baruch.\u201d Jewish Quarterly Review 89, no. 1\u20132 (1998): 45\u201379.
\nKlijn, A. F. J. \u201c2 (Syriac Apocalypse of) Baruch.\u201d In Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, edited by J. H. Charlesworth, 1:615\u201352. Garden City NY: Doubleday, 1983\u201385.
\nMurphy, Frederick James. The Structure and Meaning of Second Baruch. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1985.
\nNir, Rivka. The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Idea of Redemption in the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch. Society of Biblical Literature Early Judaism and Its Literature 20. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature; Leiden: Brill, 2003.
\nSayler, Gwendolyn B. Have the Promises Failed? A Literary Analysis of 2 Baruch. Chico CA: Scholars Press, 1984.
\nWhitters, Mark F. The Epistle of Second Baruch: A Study in Form and Message. London: Sheffield Academic Press, 2003.
\nWillett, Tom W. Eschatology in the Theodicies of 2 Baruch and 4 Ezra. Sheffield, England: JSOT Press, 1989.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
1\u20134:1. Announcement of the Coming Destruction of Jerusalem<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 1<\/p>\n
1And it came to pass in the twenty-fifth year of Jeconiah, king of Judah, that the word of the LORD came to Baruch, the son of Neriah, and said to him: 2\u201cHave you seen all that this people are doing to me, that the evils which these two tribes which remained have done are greater than those of the ten tribes which were carried away captive? 3For the former tribes were forced by their kings to commit sin, but these two of themselves have been forcing and compelling their kings to commit sin. 4For this reason, behold I bring evil upon this city, and upon its inhabitants, and it shall be removed from before me for a time, and I will scatter this people among the Gentiles that they may do good to the Gentiles. 5And my people shall be chastened, and the time shall come when they will seek for the prosperity of their times.<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 2<\/p>\n
1For I have said these things to you that you may bid Jeremiah, and all those that are like you, to retire from this city. 2For your works are to this city as a firm pillar, and your prayers as a strong wall.\u201d<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 3<\/p>\n
1And I said: \u201cO LORD, my LORD, have I come into the world for this purpose that I might see the evils of my mother? No, my LORD. 2If I have found grace in your sight, first take my spirit that I may go to my fathers and not behold the destruction of my mother. 3For two things vehemently constrain me: for I cannot resist you, and my soul, moreover, cannot behold the evils of my mother. 4But one thing I will say in your presence, O LORD. 5What, therefore, will there be after these things? For if you destroy your city, and deliver up your land to those that hate us, how shall the name of Israel be again remembered? 6Or how shall one speak of your praises? Or to whom shall that which is in your law be explained? 7Or shall the world return to its nature of aforetime, and the age revert to primeval silence? 8And shall the multitude of souls be taken away, and the nature of man not again be named? 9And where is all that which you did say to Moses regarding us?\u201d<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 4<\/p>\n
1And the LORD said unto me: \u201cThis city shall be delivered up for a time, and the people shall be chastened during a time, and the world will not be given over to oblivion.<\/p>\n
4:2\u20137. The Heavenly Jerusalem<\/p>\n
2Do you think that this is that city of which I said: \u2018On the palms of my hands have I graven you\u2019? 3This building now built in your midst is not that which is revealed with me, that which was prepared beforehand here from the time when I took counsel to make paradise, and showed Adam before he sinned, but when he transgressed the commandment it was removed from him, as also was paradise. 4And after these things I showed it to my servant Abraham by night among the portions of the victims. 5And again also I showed it to Moses on Mount Sinai when I showed to him the likeness of the tabernacle and all its vessels. 6And now, behold, it is preserved with me, as is also paradise. 7Go, therefore, and do as I command you.\u201d<\/p>\n
5. Baruch\u2019s Complaint and God\u2019s Reassurance<\/p>\n
1And I answered and said: \u201cSo then I am destined to grieve for Zion, for your enemies will come to this place and pollute your sanctuary, and lead your inheritance into captivity, and make themselves masters of those whom you have loved, and they will depart again to the place of their idols, and will boast before them: and what will you do for your great name?\u201d 2And the LORD said unto me: \u201cMy name and my glory are unto all eternity; and my judgment shall maintain its right in its own time. 3And you shall see with your eyes that the enemy will not overthrow Zion, nor shall they burn Jerusalem, but be the ministers of the Judge for the time. 4But you go and do whatsoever I have said unto you.\u201d 5And I went and took Jeremiah, and Adu, and Seriah, and Jabish, and Gedaliah, and all the honorable men of the people, and I led them to the valley of Kidron, and I narrated to them all that had been said to me. 6And they lifted up their voice, and they all wept. 7And we sat there and fasted until the evening.<\/p>\n
6\u20138. Invasion of the Chaldeans and their Entrance into the City after the Sacred Vessels were hidden and the City\u2019s Walls overthrown by Angels<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 6<\/p>\n
1And it came to pass on the morrow that, lo! the army of the Chaldeans surrounded the city, and at the time of the evening, I, Baruch, left the people, and I went forth and stood by the oak. 2And I was grieving over Zion, and lamenting over the captivity which had come upon the people. 3And lo! suddenly a strong spirit raised me, and bore me aloft over the wall of Jerusalem. 4And I beheld, and lo! four angels standing at the four corners of the city, each of them holding a torch of fire in his hands. 5And another angel began to descend from heaven, and said unto them: \u201cHold your lamps, and do not light them till I tell you. 6For I am first sent to speak a word to the earth, and to place in it what the LORD the Most High has commanded me.\u201d 7And I saw him descend into the Holy of Holies, and take from thence the veil, and the holy ark, and the mercy-seat, and the two tables, and the holy raiment of the priests, and the altar of incense, and the forty-eight precious stones, wherewith the priest was adorned and all the holy vessels of the tabernacle. 8And he spoke to the earth with a loud voice: \u201cEarth, earth, earth, hear the word of the mighty God and receive what I commit to you, and guard them until the last times, so that, when you are ordered, you may restore them, so that strangers may not get possession of them. 9For the time comes when Jerusalem also will be delivered for a time, until it is said, that it is again restored forever.\u201d 10And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up.<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 7<\/p>\n
1And after these things I heard that angel saying unto those angels who held the lamps: \u201cDestroy, therefore, and overthrow its wall to its foundations, lest the enemy should boast and say: \u2018We have over thrown the wall of Zion, and we have burnt the place of the mighty God.\u2019 \u201d 2And they renewed the place where I had been standing before.<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 8<\/p>\n
1Now the angels did as he had commanded them, and when they had broken up the corners of the walls, a voice was heard from the interior of the temple, after the wall had fallen, saying: 2\u201cEnter, you enemies, and come, you adversaries; for he who kept the house has forsaken it.\u201d 3And I, Baruch, departed. 4And it came to pass after these things that the army of the Chaldeans entered and seized the house, and all that was around it. 5And they led the people away captive, and slew some of them, and bound Zedekiah the king, and sent him to the king of Babylon.<\/p>\n
9\u201312. First Fast of Seven Days and Baruch\u2019s Dirge over Jerusalem<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 9<\/p>\n
1And I, Baruch, came, and Jeremiah, whose heart was found pure from sins, who had not been captured in the seizure of the city. 2And we rent our garments, we wept, and mourned, and fasted seven days.<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 10<\/p>\n
1And it came to pass after seven days, that the word of God came to me, 2and said unto me: \u201cTell Jeremiah to go and support the captivity of the people unto Babylon, 3But you remain here amid the desolation of Zion, and I will show to you after these days what will befall at the end of days.\u201d 4And I said to Jeremiah as the LORD commanded me. 5And he, indeed, departed with the people, but I, Baruch, returned and sat before the gates of the temple, and I lamented with the following lamentation over Zion and said:<\/p>\n
6\u201cBlessed is he who was not born, or he, who having been born, has died.
\n7But as for us who live, woe unto us, because we see the afflictions of Zion, And what has befallen Jerusalem.
\n8I will call the Sirens from the sea, and come, you night demons, from the desert, and you demons and jackals from the forests: awake and gird up your loins for mourning and take up with me the dirges and make lamentation with me.
\n9You husbandmen, sow not again; and, O earth, wherefore do you give your harvest fruits? Keep within you the sweets of your sustenance.
\n10And you, vine, why further do you give your wine; for an offering will not again be made from there in Zion. Nor will firstfruits again be offered.
\n11And you, O heavens, withhold your dew, and open not the treasuries of rain:
\n12And you, O sun, withhold the light of your rays. And you, O moon, extinguish the multitude of your light; for why should light rise again where the light of Zion is darkened?
\n13And you, bridegrooms, enter not in, and let not the brides adorn themselves with garlands, and you, women, pray not that you may bear.
\n14For the barren shall above all rejoice, and those who have no sons shall be glad, and those who have sons shall have anguish.
\n15For why should they bear in pain, only to bury in grief?
\n16Or why, again, should mankind have sons? Or why should the seed of their kind again be named, where this mother is desolate, and her sons are led into captivity?
\n17From this time forward speak not of beauty, and discourse not of gracefulness.
\n18Moreover, you priests, take you the keys of the sanctuary, and cast them into the height of heaven, and give them to the LORD and say: \u2018Guard your house your self. For lo! we are found false stewards.\u2019
\n19And you, you virgins, who weave fine linen and silk with gold of Ophir, take with haste all these things, and cast them into the fire, that it may bear them to him who made them, and the flame send them to him who created them, lest the enemy get possession of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 11<\/p>\n
1Moreover, I, Baruch, say this against you, Babylon: If you had prospered and Zion had dwelt in her glory, the grief to us would have been great that you should be equal to Zion. 2But now, lo! the grief is infinite and the lamentation measureless, For lo! you prosper and Zion is desolate. 3Who will be judge regarding these things? Or to whom shall we complain regarding that which has befallen us? O LORD, how have you borne it? 4Our fathers went to rest without grief and lo! the righteous sleep in the earth in tranquility; 5For they knew not this anguish, nor yet had they heard of that which had befallen us. 6Would that you had ears, O earth, and that you had a heart, O dust. That you might go and announce in Sheol and say to the dead: 7\u201cBlessed are you more than we who live.\u201d<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 12<\/p>\n
1But I will say this as I think. And I will speak against you, O land, which is prospering. 2The noonday does not always burn. Nor do the rays of the sun constantly give light. 3Do not expect and hope that you will always be prosperous and rejoicing. And be not greatly up-lifted and boastful. 4For assuredly in its own season shall the (divine) wrath awake against you. Which now in long-suffering is held in as it were by reins. 5And when I had said these things, I fasted seven days.<\/p>\n
29\u201330. The Coming of the Messiah<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 29<\/p>\n
1And he answered and said unto me: \u201cWhatever will then befall (will befall) the whole earth; therefore all who live will experience (them). 2For at that time I will protect only those who are found in those self-same days in this land. 3And it shall come to pass when all is accomplished that was to come to pass in those parts, that the messiah shall then begin to be revealed. 4And Behemoth shall be revealed from his place and Leviathan shall ascend from the sea, those two great monsters which I created on the fifth day of creation, and shall have kept until that time; and then they shall be for food for all that are left. 5The earth also shall yield its fruit ten thousandfold and on each vine there shall be a thousand branches, and each branch shall produce a thousand clusters, and each cluster produce a thousand grapes, and each grape produce a cor of wine. 6And those who have hungered shall rejoice: moreover, also, they shall behold marvels every day. 7For winds shall go forth from before me to bring every morning the fragrance of aromatic fruits, and at the close of the day clouds distilling the dew of health. 8And it shall come to pass at that self-same time that the treasury of manna shall again descend from on high, and they will eat of it in those years, because these are they who have come to the consummation of time. 30. 1And it shall come to pass after these things, when the time of the advent of the messiah is fulfilled, that He shall return in glory. 2Then all who have fallen asleep in hope of him shall rise again. And it shall come to pass at that time that the treasuries will be opened in which is preserved the number of the souls of the righteous, and they shall come forth, and a multitude of souls shall be seen together in one assemblage of one thought, and the first shall rejoice and the last shall not be grieved. 3For they know that the time has come of which it is said, that it is the consummation of the times. 4But the souls of the wicked, when they behold all these things, shall then waste away the more. 5For they shall know that their torment has come and their perdition has arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n
49\u201352. The Nature of the Resurrection Body: The Final Destinies of the Righteous and the Wicked<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 49<\/p>\n
1\u201cNevertheless, I will again ask from you, O Mighty One, I will ask mercy from him who made all things. 2\u2018In what shape will those live who live in your day? Or how will the splendor continue of those who are after that time? 3Will they then resume this form of the present and put on these members of chains, which are now involved in evils and in which evils are consummated, or will you perhaps change these things which have been in the world as also the world?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 50<\/p>\n
1And he answered and said to me: \u201cHear, Baruch, this word, and write in the remembrance of your heart all that you shall learn. 2For the earth shall then assuredly restore the dead, which it now receives, in order to preserve them. It shall make no change in their form, but as it has received, so shall it restore them, and as I delivered them unto it, so also shall it raise them. 3For then it will be necessary to show to the living that the dead have come to life again, and that those who have gone have come back. 4And it shall come to pass, when they have severally recognized those whom they now know, then judgment shall grow strong, and those things which before were spoken of shall come.<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 51<\/p>\n
1And it shall come to pass, when that appointed day has gone by that then shall the aspect of those who are condemned be afterward changed, and the glory of those who are justified. 2For the aspect of those who now act wickedly shall become worse than it is, as they shall suffer torment. 3Also as for the glory of those who have now been justified in my law, who have had understanding in their life, and who have planted in their heart the root of wisdom, then their splendor shall be glorified in changes, and the form of their face shall be turned into the light of their beauty, that they may be able to acquire and receive the world which does not die, which is then promised to them. 4For over this above all shall those who come then lament, that they rejected my law, and stopped their ears that they might not hear wisdom or receive understanding. 5When therefore they see those, over whom they are now exalted, but who shall then be exalted and glorified more than they, they shall respectively be transformed, the latter into the splendor of angels, and the former shall yet more waste away in wonder at the visions and in the beholding of the forms. 6For they shall first behold and afterward depart to be tormented. 7But those who have been saved by their works, and to whom the law has been now a hope, and understanding an expectation, and wisdom a confidence, shall wonders appear in their time. 8For they shall behold the world which is now invisible to them, and they shall behold the time which is now hidden from them: 9And time shall no longer age them. 10For in the heights of that world shall they dwell, and they shall be made like unto the angels, and be made equal to the stars, and they shall be changed into every form they desire, from beauty into loveliness, and from light into the splendor of glory. 11For there shall be spread before them the extents of paradise, and there shall be shown to them the beauty of the majesty of the living creatures which are beneath the throne, and all the armies of the angels, who are now held fast by my word, lest they should appear, and are held fast by a command, that they may stand in their places till their advent comes. 12Moreover, there shall then be excellence in the righteous surpassing that in the angels. 13For the first shall receive the last, those whom they were expecting, and the last those of whom they used to hear that they had passed away. 14For they have been delivered from this world of tribulation, and laid down the burden of anguish. 15For what then have men lost their life, and for what have those who were on the earth exchanged their soul? 16For then they chose for themselves this time, which, beyond the reach of anguish, could not pass away: but they chose for themselves that time, whose issues are full of lamentations and evils, and they denied the world which ages not those who come to it, and they rejected the time of glory, so that they shall not come to the honor of which I told you before.\u201d<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 52<\/p>\n
1And I answered and said: \u201cHow can we forget those for whom woe is then reserved? 2And why therefore do we again mourn for those who die? Or why do we weep for those who depart to Sheol? 3Let lamentations be reserved for the beginning of that coming torment, and let tears be laid up for the advent of the destruction of that time. 4But even in the face of these things will I speak. 5And as for the righteous, what will they do now? 6Rejoice you in the suffering which you now suffer: for why do you look for the decline of your enemies? 7Make ready your soul for that which is reserved for you, and prepare your souls for the reward which is laid up for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
53. The Vision of the Cloud with Black and White Waters<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 53<\/p>\n
1And when I had said these things I fell asleep there, and I saw a vision, and lo! a cloud was ascending from a very great sea, and I kept gazing upon it, and lo! it was full of waters white and black, and there were many colors in those self-same waters, and as it were the likeness of great lightning was seen at its summit. 2And I saw the cloud passing swiftly in quick courses, and it covered all the earth. 3And it came to pass after these things that that cloud began to pour upon the earth the waters that were in it. 4And I saw that there was not one and the same likeness in the waters which descended from it. 5For in the first beginning they were black and many for a time, and afterward I saw that the waters became bright, but they were not many, and after these things again I saw black (waters), and after these things again bright, and again black and again bright. 6Now this was done twelve times, but the black were always more numerous than the bright. 7And it came to pass at the end of the cloud, that lo! it rained black waters, and they were darker than had been all those waters that were before, and fire was mingled with them, and where those waters descended, they wrought devastation and destruction. 8And after these things I saw how that lightning which I had seen on the summit of the cloud, seized hold of it and hurled it to the earth. 9Now that lightning shone exceedingly, so as to illuminate the whole earth, and it healed those regions where the last waters had descended and wrought devastation. 10And it took hold of the whole earth, and had dominion over it. 11And I saw after these things, and lo! twelve rivers were ascending from the sea, and they began to surround that lightning and to become subject to it. 12And by reason of my fear I awoke.<\/p>\n
54\u201355. Baruch\u2019s Prayer and the Advent of the Angel Ramael<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 54<\/p>\n
1And I besought the Mighty One, and said: \u201cYou alone, O LORD, know of aforetime the deep things of the world, and the things which befall in their times you bring about by your word, and against the works of the inhabitants of the earth you hasten the beginnings of the times, And the end of the seasons you alone know. 2You for whom nothing is too hard, but who do everything easily by a nod: 3You to whom the depths come as the heights, and whose word the beginnings of the ages serve: 4You who reveal to those who fear you what is prepared for them, that thenceforth they may be comforted. 5You show great acts to those who know not; You break up the enclosure of those who are ignorant, and light up what is dark, and reveal what is hidden to the pure, who in faith have submitted themselves to you and your law. 6You have shown to your servant this vision; reveal to me also its interpretation. 7For I know that as regards those things wherein I besought you, I have received a response, and as regards what I besought, you did reveal to me with what voice I should praise you, and from what members I should cause praises and hallelujahs to ascend to you. 8For if my members were mouths, and the hairs of my head voices, even so I could not give you the recompense of praise, nor laud you as is befitting, nor could I recount your praise, nor tell the glory of your beauty. 9For what am I amongst men, or why am I reckoned amongst those who are more excellent than I, that I have heard all these marvelous things from the Most High, and numberless promises from him who created me? 10Blessed be my mother among those that bear, and praised among women be she that bore me. 11For I will not be silent in praising the Mighty One, and with the voice of praise I will recount his marvelous deeds. 12For who does like unto your marvelous deeds, O God, or who comprehends your deep thought of life. 13For with your counsel you govern all the creatures which your right hand has created, and you have established every fountain of light beside you, and the treasures of wisdom beneath your throne have you prepared. 14And justly do they perish who have not loved your law, and the torment of judgment shall await those who have not submitted themselves to your power. 15For though Adam first sinned and brought untimely death upon all, yet of those who were born from him each one of them has prepared for his own soul torment to come, and again each one of them has chosen for himself glories to come. 16For assuredly he who believes will receive reward. 17But now, as for you, you wicked that now are, turn you to destruction, because you shall speedily be visited, in that formerly you rejected the understanding of the Most High. 18For His works have not taught you, nor has the skill of His creation which is at all times persuaded you. 19Adam is therefore not the cause, save only of his own soul, but each of us has been the Adam of his own soul. 20But you, O LORD, expound to me regarding those things which you have revealed to me, and inform me regarding that which I besought you. 21For at the consummation of the world vengeance shall be taken upon those who have done wickedness according to their wickedness, and you will glorify the faithful according to their faithfulness. 22For those who are amongst your own you rule, and those who sin you blot out from amongst your own.\u201d<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 55<\/p>\n
1And it came to pass when I had finished speaking the words of this prayer, that I sat there under a tree, that I might rest in the shade of the branches. 2And I wondered and was astonished, and pondered in my thoughts regarding the multitude of goodness which sinners who are upon the earth have rejected, and regarding the great torment which they have despised, though they knew that they should be tormented because of the sin they had committed. 3And when I was pondering on these things and the like, lo! the angel Ramael who presides over true visions was sent to me, and he said unto me: 4\u201cWhy does your heart trouble you, Baruch, and why does your thought disturb you? 5For if owing to the report which you have only heard of judgment you are so moved, what will you be when you shall see it manifestly with your eyes? 6And if with the expectation wherewith you do expect the day of the Mighty One you are so overcome, what will you be when you shall come to its advent? 7And, if at the word of the announcement of the torment of those who have done foolishly you are so wholly distraught, how much more when the event will reveal marvelous things? And if you have heard tidings of the good and evil things which are then coming and are grieved, what will you be when you shall behold what the majesty will reveal, which shall convict these and cause those to rejoice?\u201d<\/p>\n
72\u201374. Baruch\u2019s Vision of the Messianic Era in Luminous Waters<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 72<\/p>\n
1Hear now also about the luminous waters which will come into being at the consummation after these black (waters): this is the word. 2After the signs have come, which were previously told to you, when the nations become turbulent, and the time of my messiah has come, he shall both summon all the nations, and some of them he shall let live, and some of them he shall kill. 3These things therefore shall come upon the nations whom he will let live. 4Every nation, which does not know Israel and has not trodden the seed of Jacob, it is that one which will live. 5And this because some out of all the nations shall be subjected to your people. 6But all those who have ruled over you, or have known you, these shall be handed over to the sword.<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 73<\/p>\n
1And it shall come to pass, after he brings low everything that is in the world and sits in peace for the age on the throne of his kingdom, then he shall be revealed in joy, and rest shall appear. 2And then healing shall begin descending in dew, and disease shall withdraw, and anxiety and anguish and lamentations pass from amongst men, and gladness proceed through the whole earth. 3And no one shall again die untimely, nor shall any adversity suddenly befall. 4And judgments, and revilings, and contentions, and revenges, and blood, and passions, and envy, and hatred, and whatsoever things are like these shall go into condemnation when they are removed. 5For it is these very things which have filled this world with evils, and on account of these the life of man has been greatly troubled. 6And wild beasts shall come from the forest and minister unto men, and asps and dragons shall come forth from their holes to submit themselves to a child. 7And women shall no longer then have pain when they bear, nor shall they suffer torment when they yield the fruit of the womb.<\/p>\n
CHAPTER 74<\/p>\n
1And it shall come to pass in those days that the reapers shall not grow weary, nor those that build tire from labor; for the works shall of themselves speedily advance together with those who do them in much tranquillity. 2For that time is the consummation of that which is corruptible, and the beginning of something that is not corruptible. 3Because of this those things which were predicted shall be in it: Because of this it is far away from evils, and near to those things which do not die. 4This is the luminous waters which came after the last dark waters.<\/p>\n
77. Baruch\u2019s Speech and the People\u2019s Response<\/p>\n
1And I, Baruch, went from there and came to the people, and assembled them together from the greatest to the least, and said unto them: 2\u201cHear, you children of Israel, behold how many you are who remain of the twelve tribes of Israel. 3For to you and to your fathers the LORD gave a law more excellent than to all peoples. 4And because your brethren transgressed the commandments of the Most High, he brought vengeance upon you and upon them, and he spared not the former, and the latter also he gave into captivity: And he left not a residue of them, 5but behold! you are here with me. 6If, therefore, you direct your ways aright, you also shall not depart as your brethren departed, but they shall come to you. 7For he is merciful whom you worship, and he is gracious in whom you hope, and he is true, so that he shall do good and not evil. 8Have you not seen here what has befallen Zion? 9Or do you perhaps think that the place had sinned, and that on this account it was overthrown? Or that the land had wrought foolishness, and that therefore it was delivered up? 10And know you not that on account of you who did sin, that which sinned not was overthrown, and, on account of those who wrought wickedly, that which wrought not foolishness was delivered up to its enemies?\u201d 11And the whole people answered and said unto me: \u201cSo far as we can recall the good things which the Mighty One has done unto us, we do recall them; and those things which we do not remember he in his mercy knows. 12Nevertheless, do this for us your people: write also to our brethren in Babylon an epistle of doctrine and a scroll of hope, that you may confirm them also before you depart from us. 13For the shepherds of Israel have perished, and the lamps which gave light are extinguished, and the fountains have withheld their stream whence we used to drink. 14And we are left in the darkness, and amid the trees of the forest, and the thirst of the wilderness.\u201d 15And I answered and said unto them: \u201cShepherds and lamps and fountains come from the law: and though we depart, yet the law abides. 16If therefore you have respect for the law, and are intent upon wisdom, a lamp will not be wanting, and a shepherd will not fail, and a fountain will not dry up. 17Nevertheless, as you said unto me, I will write also unto your brethren in Babylon, and I will send by means of men, and I will write in like manner to the nine tribes and a half, and send by means of a bird.\u201d 18And it came to pass on the one and twentieth day in the eighth month that I, Baruch, came and sat down under the oak under the shadow of the branches, and no man was with me, but I was alone. 19And I wrote these two epistles: one I sent by an eagle to the nine and a half tribes; and the other I sent to those that were at Babylon by means of three men.<\/p>\n
3 Baruch<\/p>\n
Yevgeniy Y. Zingerman<\/p>\n
3 Baruch, or the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, contains an account of the scribe Baruch\u2019s journey to the five heavens, a journey resulting from his ceaseless prayers in which he questioned how God could make possible the destruction of Jerusalem. Among the celestial inhabitants Baruch sees are the builders of the Tower of Babel, a huge serpent swallowing the bodies of the wicked, a lake of praising birds, and the lights of the firmament. Finally, he is present at the offering of people\u2019s good deeds before God, and he witnesses their divine reward.<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
The book has reached us in two Greek manuscripts relatively similar to each other and in at least a dozen manuscripts written in different Slavonic languages, with considerable discrepancies between them. In the Greek version there are a number of interpolations of a clearly Christian character; these are mostly absent from the Slavonic ones. On the other hand, in one Slavonic manuscript there is a legend concerning Satan\u2019s revolt against God, lacking from the rest of the versions. The mention of five firmaments only (and not of the seven, as usual in other apocryphal writings) raises the possibility of a truncated ending of the text.
\nAccording to some scholars, the original language of the text was Semitic (Hebrew or Aramaic), while others believe it was Greek. The proposed dates for the text\u2019s composition range from the first to the early 3rd century CE, with most scholars pointing to the early decades after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE as the likely period of the book\u2019s creation. As for the place of composition, Egypt, Palestine, or even Asia Minor has been suggested. The author\u2019s identity is the subject of some controversy: some scholars treat the book as a Jewish composition, while others consider it the work of a Christian apocalyptic writer since Jesus Christ is mentioned in one of its passages (ch. 4, v. 15) and some Christian terms (\u201cchurches\u201d or \u201cspiritual fathers\u201d) are found in chapter 16 (according to the first opinion these instances are mere later Christian interpolations).<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
The book belongs to a group of five different texts all ascribed to Baruch son of Neriah and is related as well to other compositions dealing with the destruction of the Second Temple. Indeed, 3 Baruch bears some resemblance to a number of less closely related writings of different genres (testamental literature, eschatological visions) containing apocalyptic elements, as well as to later midrashic traditions. Connections to the Bible and pagan mythology are fewer but cannot be overlooked: they testify the tight interweaving of Greek and Jewish cultures in Late Antiquity.
\nParticularly interesting are possible connections between 3 Baruch and Zoroastrian apocalyptic tradition. For example, the ancient Zoroastrian apocalypse called \u201cClaims of the Spirit of Reason,\u201d written in the Pahlavi language, contains many different elements mentioned in 3 Baruch: seer\u2019s journey through different heavens, prophetic call for moderate wine drinking, detailed lists of sins, hydrologic cycle, oil as a symbolic reward for the righteous, heavenly creatures who manage nature and defend the world, and even the destruction of Jerusalem by \u201csome evil man.\u201d
\nThe question as to the purpose of the book has led to some disagreement among scholars. Some see in it a text composed principally for the reader\u2019s enjoyment. Other scholars have found in it some pedagogical purpose. The majority of those who have grappled with this question believe, however, that its main purpose was to explain why God could have allowed the destruction of the Second Temple.
\nStill, the book was not meant primarily as a theological endeavor, an attempt to explain the destruction of the Temple. It seems that, for its writer, the destruction was an unchangeable fact of history. The book was intended rather to soothe the national pain and to try to reestablish normal Jewish life in the new reality. The author thus deals with the national trauma by turning his attention from the specifics of the recent history to more general themes: the physical nature of the world, the makeup of heaven, the reward of the righteous. He invites his readers to abandon their focus on the past as well as unrealistic national prospects.<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
Readers should note the materialistic (pseudoscientific rather than mythical or moral) explanations of natural phenomena, the principles of the divine reward-and-punishment system, and the large number of Greek mythological motifs.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Charlesworth, J. H. \u201cBaruch, Book of 3 (Greek).\u201d In The Anchor Bible Dictionary, edited by D. N. Freedman, 1:621\u201322. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
\nCollins, J. J. Between Athens and Jerusalem: Jewish Identity in the Hellenistic Diaspora, 255\u201359. New York: Crossroad, 1983.
\nDean-Otting, M. Heavenly Journeys: A Study of the Motif in Hellenistic and Jewish Literature, 98\u2013174. JudUm 8. Frankfurt am Main: P. Lang, 1984.
\nGaylord, H. E., Jr. \u201c3 (Greek Apocalypse of) Baruch.\u201d In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, edited by J. H. Charlesworth, 1:635\u201379. Garden City ny: Doubleday, 1983\u201385.
\nGinzberg, L. \u201cBaruch, Apocalypse of (Greek).\u201d In The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Literature and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, edited by I. Singer, 2:549\u201351. New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1901\u20135.
\nHarlow, D. C. The Greek Apocalypse of Baruch (3 Baruch) in Hellenistic Judaism and Early Christianity. Studia in Veteris Testamenti pseudepigrapha 12. Leiden: Brill, 1996.
\nNickelsburg, G. W. E. Jewish Literature between the Bible and the Mishnah: A Historical and Literary Introduction, 299\u2013303. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981.
\nSch\u00fcrer, E. The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ, 3:789\u201393. Edited by G. Vermes, F. Millar, and M. Goodman. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1987.
\nStone, M. E. \u201cApocalyptic Literature.\u201d In Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period: Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Qumran Sectarian Writings, Philo, Josephus, edited by M. E. Stone, 410\u201312. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984.
\nWright, J. A. Baruch ben Neriah: From Biblical Scribe to Apocalyptic Seer. Columbia SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2003.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
Double Title<\/p>\n
1. Narration and Apocalypse of Baruch concerning the secret things he saw by the command of God. LORD, give thy blessing.
\n2. Apocalypse of Baruch who is by the Kidron River weeping over the captivity of Jerusalem while Abimelek was safeguarded in the estate of Agrippa by the hand of God, and who was seated by the Beautiful Gates where the Holy of Holies stood.<\/p>\n
1.1. Woe, now I Baruch (was) weeping in my mind and considering the people and how King Nebuchadnezzar was permitted by God to plunder his city, saying, 2. \u201cLORD, why have you set fire to your vineyard and laid it waste? Why have you done this? And why, LORD, did you not requite us with another punishment, but rather handed us over to such heathen so that they reproach us saying, \u2018Where is their God?\u2019 \u201d
\n3. And behold, while I was weeping and saying such things, I saw an angel of the LORD coming and saying to me, \u201cKnow, O man, greatly beloved man, and do not concern yourself so much over the salvation of Jerusalem. For thus says the LORD God Almighty, 4. and he sent me before you in order that I should proclaim and disclose to you all things of God. 5. For your prayer has been heard before him and has entered the ears of the LORD God.\u201d
\n6. And when he told me these things, I became calm, and the angel said to me, \u201cCease irritating God, and I will disclose to you other mysteries greater than these.\u201d 7. And I Baruch said, \u201cAs the LORD lives, if you disclose a word to me and I hear it from you, I shall speak no further. May God add to me punishment on the Day of Judgment if I speak in the future.\u201d 8. And the angel of hosts said to me, \u201cCome and I shall disclose to you the mysteries of God.\u201d
\n2. 1. And taking me, he led me to where the heaven was set fast and where there was a river which no one is able to cross, not even one of the foreign winds which God created. 2. And taking me, he led me up to the first heaven and showed me a very large door. And he said to me, \u201cLet us enter through it.\u201d And we entered as on wings about the distance of 30 days\u2019 journey. 3. And he showed me a plain within the heaven. And there were men dwelling on it with faces of cattle and horns of deer and feet of goats and loins of sheep.
\n4. And I Baruch asked the angel, \u201cTell me, I pray you, what is the thickness of this heaven in which we have journeyed, and what is its width, and what is this plain, that I may report these to the sons of men.\u201d 5. And the angel, whose name was Phamael, said to me, \u201cThis door which you see is (the door) of heaven, and (its thickness) is as great as the distance from earth to heaven, and the width of the plain which you saw is the same (distance) again.\u201d
\n6. And again the angel of hosts said to me, \u201cCome and I will show you greater mysteries.\u201d 7. And I said, \u201cI pray you, show me what those men are.\u201d And he said to me, \u201cThese are the ones who built the tower of the war against God, and the LORD removed them.\u201d
\n3.1. And taking me, the angel of the LORD led me to a second heaven. And he showed me there a door similar to the first. And he said, \u201cLet us enter through it.\u201d 2. And we entered, flying about the distance of 60 days\u2019 journey.
\n3. And he showed me there also a plain, and it was full of men, and their appearance was like (that) of dogs, and their feet (like those) of deer. 4. And I asked the angel, \u201cI pray you, lord, tell me who these are.\u201d 5. And he said, \u201cThese are the ones who plotted to build the tower. These whom you see forced many men and women to make bricks. Among them one woman was making bricks in the time of her delivery; they did not permit her to be released, but while making bricks she gave birth. And she carried her child in her cloak and continued making bricks.
\n6. \u201cAnd appearing to them, the LORD changed their languages by that time they had built the tower 463 cubits (high). 7. And taking an auger, they attempted to pierce the heaven, saying, \u2018Let us see whether the heaven is (made) of clay or copper or iron.\u2019 8. Seeing these things, God did not permit them (to continue), but struck them with blindness and with confusion of tongues, and he made them be as you see.\u201d
\n4.1. And I Baruch said, \u201cBehold, lord, you have shown me great and wondrous things. Now show me all, for the LORD\u2019s sake.\u201d 2. And the angel said to me, \u201cCome, let us go through\u201d \u2026 with the angel from that place, a journey of about 185 days.
\n3. And he showed me a plain and a serpent who appeared to be stone. And he showed me Hades, and its appearance was gloomy and unclean. 4. And I said, \u201cWhat is this dragon and this monster around it?\u201d 5. And the angel said, \u201cThis dragon is the one which eats the bodies of those who pass through their lives badly, and he is nourished by them. 6. And this is Hades which is like him, in that also he drinks about one cubit from the sea, and nothing is diminished from it (i.e., the sea).\u201d 7. Baruch said, \u201cAnd how is that?\u201d And the angel said, \u201cListen, the LORD God made 360 rivers, the primary ones of them being the Alphias, the Aburos, and the Gerikos, and because of these the sea is not diminished.\u201d
\n8. And I said, \u201cI pray you, show me which is the tree which caused Adam to stray.\u201d And the angel said, \u201cIt is the vine which the angel Samael planted by which the LORD God became angered, and he cursed him and his planting. For this reason he did not permit Adam to touch it. And because of this the devil became envious and tricked him by means of his vine.\u201d 9. And I Baruch said, \u201cAnd since the vine became the cause of such evil and was cursed by God and (was) the destruction of the first formed, how is it now of such great use?\u201d
\n10. And the angel said, \u201cRightly you ask; when God caused the Flood over the earth and destroyed all flesh and 409,000 giants, and the water rose over the heights 15 cubits, the water entered paradise and killed every flower, but it removed the sprig of the vine completely and brought it outside. 11. And when the earth appeared from the water and Noah left the ark, he started to plant (some) of the discovered plants. 12. He also found the sprig, and, taking it, he considered in his mind what it was. And I came and told him about it. 13. And he said, \u2018Should I plant it, or what (should I do with it)? Since Adam was destroyed by means of it, will I also encounter the anger of God through this?\u2019 And while saying these things, he prayed for God to reveal to him what he should to with this. 14. And in 40 days he completed his prayer and entreating much and crying, he said \u2018LORD, I implore you to reveal to me what I should do with this plant.\u2019 15. And God sent the angel Sarasael, and he said to him, \u2018Rise, Noah, plant the sprig, for the LORD says this: \u201cIts bitterness will be changed into sweetness, and its curse will become a blessing, and its fruit will become the blood of God, and just as the race of men have been condemned through it, so through Jesus Christ Emmanuel in it (they) will receive a calling and entrance into paradise.\u201d \u2019
\n16. \u201cThey know, Baruch, that just as Adam through this tree was condemned and was stripped of the glory of God, thus men now who insatiably drink the wine deriving from it transgress worse than Adam, and become distant from the glory of God, and will secure for themselves eternal fire. 17. For (no) good derives from it. For those who drink excessively do these things: Brother does not have mercy on brother, nor father on son, nor children on parents, but by means of the Fall through wine come forth all (these): murder, adultery, fornication, perjury, theft, and similar things. And nothing good is accomplished through it.\u201d
\n5.1. And I Baruch said to the angel, \u201cMay I ask you one question, lord? 2. Since you told me that the serpent drinks one cubit from the sea, tell me how large its belly is.\u201d 3. And the angel said, \u201cIts belly is Hades. As far as 300 men can throw a weight, so great is his belly. Come now and I will show you works greater than these.\u201d
\n6.1. And, taking me, he led me where the sun goes forth. 2. And he showed me a chariot drawn by four horses and fire underneath it. And upon the chariot sat a man wearing a fiery crown. The chariot was drawn by forty angels. And behold, a bird runs along before the sun, as large as nine mountains.
\n3. And I said to the angel, \u201cWhat is this bird?\u201d And he said to me, \u201cThis is the guardian of the world.\u201d 4. And I said, \u201cLORD, how is it the guardian of the world? Teach me.\u201d 5. And the angel said to me, \u201cThis bird accompanies the sun and spreading its wings absorbs its fire-shaped rays. 6. For if it did not absorb them, none of the race of men would survive, nor anything else that lives, so God appointed this bird.\u201d
\n7. And he unfolded his wings, and I saw on his right wing very large letters like the place of a threshing floor, having the space of 4000 modia, and the letters were gold. 8. And the angel said to me, \u201cRead them.\u201d And I read, and they said this: \u201cNeither earth nor heaven bear me, but the wings of fire bear me.\u201d 9. And I said, \u201cLORD, what is this bird, and what is its name?\u201d 10. And the angel told me, \u201cHis name is Phoenix.\u201d 11. \u201cAnd what does he eat?\u201d And he told me, \u201cThe manna of heaven and the dew of earth.\u201d 12. And I said, \u201cDoes the bird excrete?\u201d And he said to me, \u201cHe excretes a worm, and from the excretion, this worm, cinnamon comes into existence, which kings and princes use. But wait and you will see the glory of God.\u201d
\n13. And while he was speaking, there was a thunderclap and the place where we stood was shaken. And I asked the angel, \u201cMy lord, what is this sound?\u201d And the angel said to me, \u201cThe angels are opening the 365 gates of heaven now, and light is separating itself from darkness.\u201d 14. And a voice came saying, \u201cLight giver, give splendor to the world!\u201d 15. And hearing the sound of the bird, I said, \u201cLORD, what is this sound?\u201d 16. And he said, \u201cThis is what wakens the cocks on earth, for just as articulate beings do, thus also the cock informs those on the earth according to its own tongue. For the sun is being prepared by the angels and the cock is crowing.\u201d
\n7.1. And I said, \u201cAnd where does the sun begin to work after the cock crows?\u201d 2. And the angel said to me, \u201cListen, Baruch, everything I have shown you is in the first and second heaven; and in the third heaven the sun passes through and gives splendor to the world. But wait and you will see the glory of God.\u201d
\n3. And while I was speaking to him, I saw the bird, and he appeared ahead and grew little by little, and became full sized. 4. And after him (I saw) the sun gleaming and with him angels carrying (him) and a crown on his head; we were not able to look directly into this sight and see. 5. And at the same time as the sun shone out, the phoenix spread out its wings. Seeing such glory, I became overcome with a great fear and fled and hid in the wings of the angel. 6. And the angel said to me, \u201cDo not fear, Baruch, but wait and you will see them setting.\u201d
\n8.1. And taking me, he led me to the west. And when the time of the setting (of the sun) came, I saw again the bird coming in front and the sun coming with the angels. When he came, I saw the angels, and they removed the crown from his head. 2. And the bird was overcome and let his wings droop.
\n3. And when I saw these things, I said, \u201cWhy do they remove the crown from his head and why is the bird so overcome?\u201d 4. And the angel said to me, \u201cWhen the day is completed, 4 angels take the crown of the sun and carry it to heaven and renew it because it and its rays are defiled upon earth. And every day it is renewed.\u201d 5. And I Baruch said, \u201cLORD, by what are its rays defiled upon earth?\u201d And the angel said to me, \u201cBy the sight of the lawlessness and unrighteousness of men committing fornication, adultery, theft, robbery, idol-worship, drunkenness, murder, discord, jealousy, slander, murmuring, gossip, divination, and other things which are unacceptable to God. By means of these it is defiled, and because of this it is renewed. 6. And now, concerning how the bird becomes overcome: It is overcome because it checks the rays of the sun and the fire and burning the whole day. 7. For if its wings did not draw around the rays of the sun as earlier said, no living being would survive.\u201d
\n9.1. And when they had withdrawn, night arrived, and with it the moon and the stars. 2. And I Baruch said, \u201cLORD, explain this also to me, please. How does it depart and where is it going, and in what pattern does it travel?\u201d 3. And the angel said, \u201cWait and you will see this shortly.\u201d And on the morrow I saw this also in the form of a woman, seated in a wheeled chariot. And in front of it were oxen and lambs near the chariot, and also many angels. 4. And I said, \u201cLORD, what are the oxen and lambs?\u201d And he said to me, \u201cThese are angels also.\u201d
\n5. And again I asked, \u201cWhy does it sometimes grow larger and sometimes grow smaller?\u201d 6. \u201cListen, O Baruch: This which you see was designed by God to be beautiful without peer. 7. And during the transgression of the first Adam, she gave light to Samael when he took the serpent as a garment, and did not hide, but, on the contrary, waxed. And God was angered with her, and diminished her and shortened her days.\u201d
\n8. And I said, \u201cAnd why does she not shine all the time, but only at night?\u201d And the angel said, \u201cListen: Just as servants are unable to speak freely before kings, so also before the sun, the moon and stars are unable to shine. For the stars are permanently suspended, but they are dispersed by the sun; and the moon, while being safe, is exhausted by the heat of the sun.\u201d
\n10.1. And when I had been taught all these things by the archangel, he took me to a third heaven. 2. And I saw an unbroken plain and in the middle of it was a lake of water. 3. And in it were many birds of every species but unlike those here. But I saw a crane, like large oxen. And all were great, excelling those on earth.
\n4. And I asked the angel, \u201cWhat is the plain and what is the lake and what are the multitude of birds around it?\u201d 5. And the angel said, \u201cListen, Baruch: This plain which surrounds the lake, and in which are other mysteries, is the place where the souls of the righteous come when they assemble, living together choir by choir. 6. And the water is that which the clouds receive to send as rain upon the earth, and (then) fruit grows.\u201d 7. And again I said to the angel of the LORD, \u201cWhat are the birds?\u201d And he said to me, \u201cThese are the ones who continuously praise the LORD.\u201d
\n8. And I Baruch said, \u201cLORD, why do men say that the water which rains is from the sea?\u201d 9. And the angel said, \u201cThere is rain from the sea and from water on earth; but that which produces the fruits is from here. Know from now on that what is called the dew of heaven comes from here.\u201d
\n11.1. And taking me from this, the angel led me to the fifth heaven. 2. And the gate was closed. And I said, \u201cLORD, will the gate be opened so that we can enter?\u201d And the angel said to me, \u201cWe are not able to enter until Michael the holder of the keys of the kingdom of heaven comes. But wait and you will see the glory of God.\u201d
\n3. And there was a great noise like thunder, and I said, \u201cLORD, what is this noise?\u201d 4. And he said to me, \u201cThe commander-in-chief Michael is descending to receive the prayers of men.\u201d 5. And behold a voice came: \u201cLet the gate be opened!\u201d And they opened, and there was a shriek as from thunder. 6. And Michael came, and the angel with me went to meet him and made obeisance to him and said, \u201cHail, commander-in-chief of all our regiment.\u201d 7. And the commander-in-chief Michael said, \u201cHail you also, our brother, interpreter of revelations to those who pass through life rightly.\u201d
\n8. And after they greeted each other, they stood still. And I saw the commander-in-chief Michael take hold of a very large bowl, its depth being so great as from heaven to earth, and its width so great as from north to south. And I said, \u201cLORD, what is it that Michael the archangel is holding?\u201d 9. And he said to me, \u201cThis is where the virtues of the righteous and the good works which they do are carried, which are brought by him before the heavenly God.\u201d
\n12.1. And while I was speaking with them, behold angels came carrying baskets filled with flowers, and they gave them to Michael. 2. And I asked the angel, LORD, who are these and what is it that they are carrying?\u201d 3. And he said to me, \u201cThese are the angels over the principalities.\u201d 4. And taking the baskets, the archangel emptied them into his bowl. 5. And the angel said to me, \u201cThese above-mentioned flowers are the virtues of the righteous.\u201d
\n6. And I saw other angels carrying baskets which were less than full. And they came distressed, and did not dare to approach, for they did not achieve the full prizes. 7. And Michael cried out, saying, \u201cCome also, you angels, bring what you have brought.\u201d 8. And Michael was greatly distressed and so was the angel with me, because they had not filled the bowl.
\n13.1. And then similarly came other angels crying and lamenting and saying with fear, \u201cSee how we are, blackened, LORD, for we are handed over to evil men, and we want to be withdrawn from them.\u201d2. And Michael said, \u201cSo that the enemy will not dominate at the end, you must not withdraw from them. But tell me what you desire.\u201d
\n3. And they said, \u201cWe beg you, Michael, our commander-in-chief, transfer us from them, for we are unable to remain with evil and foolish men. For there is no goodness in them, but only every unrighteousness and greediness. 4. Indeed we have seen them enter into no church, nor (go) to the spiritual fathers, nor to anything good. But wherever there is murder, they are in the middle of it, and wherever there is fornication, adultery, theft, slander, perjury, envy, drunkenness, strife, jealousy, grumbling, gossip, idol worship, divination, and things similar to these. There are (with these men) works of such nature and worse; therefore we ask to be released from them.\u201d 5. And Michael said to the angels, \u201cWait until I learn from the LORD what is to happen.\u201d
\n14.1. And at that time Michael departed and the doors closed. And a noise like thunder came. 2. And I asked the angel, \u201cWhat is the noise?\u201d And he said to me, \u201cNow Michael is bringing the virtues of men to God.\u201d
\n15.1. And at that time Michael came down, and the gate opened, and he brought oil. 2. And for the angels who had brought the full baskets, he filled (the baskets) with oil, saying, \u201cTake, give a hundredfold reward to our friends and to those who have laboriously done good works. For those who have sown well, harvest well.\u201d
\n3. And he said to those who had brought half-full baskets, \u201cCome you also, receive the reward according to what you brought, and give it to the sons of men.\u201d 4. Then he said to those who brought the full (baskets), \u201cGo, bless our friends and tell them that thus says the LORD: \u2018You have been faithful over a little, he will set you over much; enter into the delight of our LORD.\u2019 \u201d
\n16.1. And turning, he said to those who had brought nothing, \u201cDo not be sad, and cry not, but do not let the sons of men alone. 2. But since they have provoked me to anger by their deeds, go and provoke them to jealousy, and provoke them to anger, and embitter them against those who are no nation, against a people without understanding. 3. Moreover, send forth caterpillars and locusts, rust and grasshoppers, hail with lightning and fury. Punish them with the sword and death, and their children with demons. 4. For they did not listen to my voice, nor observe my commands, nor carry them out, but they despised my commands and my churches, and insulted the priests proclaiming my words to them.\u201d
\n17.1. And while he was speaking, the door closed and we withdrew. 2. And taking me, the angel returned me to where I was at the beginning.
\n3. And when I came to myself, I praised God, who had deemed me worthy of such honors. 4. And you, brothers, who happen upon these revelations, glorify God also so that he will glorify us now and forever to all eternity! AMEN.<\/p>\n
Prayer of Nabonidus<\/p>\n
John J. Collins<\/p>\n
In 1956, J. T. Milik published three fragments of the first column of this Qumran text (4Q242) and one fragment of a later column. A further fragment was published by R. Meyer in 1962. The reconstruction of the manuscript was improved by F. M. Cross in 1984, by placing the fragments differently and reducing the lacunae (gaps).
\nNabonidus was the last king of Babylon (556\u2013539 BCE). For seven or 10 years he was absent from Babylon, and lived in Teima in Arabia. Scholars have long suspected that this incident underlies the legend of Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s madness in Dan. 4.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
The Prayer of Nabonidus supplies a missing link between the Babylonian traditions and the biblical text, while it differs from both. The Babylonian traditions do not say that the king suffered from sickness, and they have no place for a Jewish diviner. In contrast to Daniel, the Prayer identifies the king as Nabonidus and mentions Teima explicitly. The relationship between the Qumran text and Dan. 4 is problematic, as the Prayer has to be reconstructed. In both texts, a Babylonian king is afflicted for seven years, and learns of his true situation from a Jewish exile. In both, the king speaks in the first person.
\nThe actual \u201cprayer\u201d of Nabonidus is not preserved, but the surviving text leaves little doubt that it involved a confession and praise of the true God. The biblical text changes the name of the king to the better-known Nebuchadnezzar and gives the Jew a name, Daniel. The polemic against idols is paralleled in Dan. 5 rather than in Dan. 4. Some scholars have restored a reference to a beast or to a dream about a cosmic tree on the basis of Daniel, but such restorations are dubious at best. Whether the Prayer served as a source for the author of Daniel is not clear; it may simply preserve an older form of the story. The Judean diviner is not clearly identified as Daniel in the Qumran text.<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
A crucial issue for the interpretation is the reading of 4Q242 1:4, and the question of whether God or the diviner is the subject of the verb \u201cto remit (sin).\u201d The reconstruction presented here assumes that God is the subject, and that the diviner\u2019s role is to explain to the king that both his affliction and his deliverance were by the decree of God Most High. On this reconstruction, the king is restored by gratuitous divine mercy. This leads the king to wonder why he was afflicted and then restored, and the diviner supplies the answers. As a result, the king abandons idolatry and turns to the worship of the true God. The story, then, is a \u201ccourt tale,\u201d analogous to the stories found in Dan. 1\u20136, but independent of them, and has as its focus the conversion of a foreign king.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Collins, J. J. \u201c242. 4QPrayer of Nabonidus ar.\u201d In Qumran Cave 4.XVII: Parabiblical Texts, Part 3, by G. Brooke et al., in consultation with J. C. VanderKam, 83\u201393. Discoveries in the Judaean Desert 22. Oxford: Clarendon, 1996.
\nCross, F. M. \u201cFragments of the Prayer of Nabonidus,\u201d IEJ 34 (1984): 260\u201364.
\nFitzmyer, J. A., and D. J. Harrington. A Manual of Palestinian Aramaic Texts, 2\u20134. Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1978.
\nGarc\u00eda Mart\u00ednez, F. \u201cThe Prayer of Nabonidus: A New Synthesis.\u201d In Qumran and Apocalyptic, by F. Garc\u00eda Mart\u00ednez, 116\u201336. Leiden: Brill, 1992.
\nGrelot, P. \u201cLa pri\u00e8re de Nabonide (4QOrNab). Nouvel essai de restauration.\u201d RevQ 9 (1978): 483\u201395.
\nMeyer, R. Das Gebet des Nabonid: Eine in den Qumran-Handschriften wiederentdeckte Weisheitserz\u00e4hlung. Berlin: Akademie, 1962.
\nMilik, J. T. \u201c \u2018Pri\u00e8re de Nabonide\u2019 et autres \u00e9crits d\u2019un cycle de Daniel.\u201d RB 63 (1956): 407\u201315.
\nNewsom, C. A. \u201cWhy Nabonidus? Excavating Traditions from Qumran, the Hebrew Bible, and Neo-Babylonian Sources.\u201d In The Dead Sea Scrolls: Transmission of Traditions and Production of Texts, edited by Sarianna Metso, Hindy Najman, and Eileen Schuller, 57\u201379. STDJ 92. Leiden: Brill, 2010.
\nPuech, E. \u201cLa pri\u00e8re de Nabonide (4Q242).\u201d In Targumic and Cognate Studies: Essays in Honour of Martin McNamara, edited by K. J. Cathcart and M. Maher, 208\u201328. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament: Supplement Series 230. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
Fragments 1, 2a, 2b, 3<\/p>\n
1:1 The words of the p[ra] yer which Nabonidus, king of [Baby] lon, [the great] king, prayed [when he was afflicted]
\n2 with a bad disease by the decree of G[o]d in Teima. [I, Nabonidus, with a bad disease]
\n3 was afflicted for seven years and sin[ce] G[od] set [his face on me, he healed me]
\n4 and as for my sin, he remitted it. A diviner (he was a Judean fr[om among the exiles) came to me and said:]
\n5 \u201cPro[cla]im and write to give honor and exal[tatio]n to the name of G[od Most High,\u201d and I wrote as follows:]
\n6 \u201cI was afflicted by a b[ad] disease in Teima [by the decree of the Most High God.]
\n7 For seven years [I] was praying [to] the gods of silver and gold, [bronze, iron, ]
\n8 wood, stone, clay, since [I though] t that th[ey were] gods
\n9 ]their[<\/p>\n
Fragment 4<\/p>\n
1 ]apart from them. I was made strong again
\n2 ]from it he caused to pass. The peace of [my] repo[se returned to me]
\n3 ] my friends. I was not able [
\n4 ]how you are like [
\n5 ] [<\/p>\n
4 Ezra<\/p>\n
Karina Martin Hogan<\/p>\n
4 Ezra, which comprises chapters 3\u201314 of the book of 2 Esdras in the Apocrypha, is a Jewish apocalypse that is generally classed among the Pseudepigrapha. It is a continuous narrative set in the Babylonian Exile, and is clearly divided into seven episodes (see Guide to Reading). The first three episodes take the form of dialogues between the protagonist, Ezra, and an angel, Uriel. The dialogues raise questions of theodicy (the defense of God\u2019s justice in light of the existence of evil), provoked by the fall of Jerusalem and by the evil tendencies of humankind. Each of the dialogues begins with a monologue full of questions by Ezra, which leads to a dispute between him and Uriel. The first two dialogues conclude with a series of eschatological (relating to the end of the world) predictions, during which Ezra drops his argumentative stance. The much longer third dialogue contains several rounds of dispute and prediction, as well as a second monologue by Ezra.
\nThe pivotal fourth episode begins like the first three with a monologue, but the dialogue that follows is between Ezra and a mourning woman, who is suddenly revealed to be Zion when she is transformed into a city before Ezra\u2019s eyes. Uriel then interprets the vision, which includes the woman\u2019s speech as well her transformation. The fifth and sixth episodes each contain a dream vision, also interpreted by Uriel. The fifth episode, called the Eagle Vision, depicts the rise of the Roman Empire and its fall when the messiah comes. The Vision of the Man in the sixth episode provides another perspective on the role of the messiah. By the end of the sixth episode, Ezra\u2019s faith in God\u2019s goodness and justice has been restored. He is then divinely inspired, in the seventh episode, to dictate 94 books to five scribes: the 24 books of Scripture (which, in the fictional world of 4 Ezra, were destroyed along with the Temple) and 70 secret books, reserved for the wise.<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
Although in the early 20th century 4 Ezra was widely believed to be a compilation of several sources, the majority of scholars today view it as the work of a single author. It is a pseudepigraphic work attributed to the biblical scribe Ezra, who is anachronistically situated in the Babylonian Exile, 30 years after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Nothing is known about the actual author, but based on the choice of Ezra as protagonist and hints that his intended audience was \u201cthe wise,\u201d he was probably a scribe who considered himself a sage. He had certain ideas in common with the Qumran community, Jewish-Christians, and (based on later evidence) the early Rabbinic sages, but the evidence of the book does not warrant placing him in any of these groups.
\nThe book of 4 Ezra was almost certainly written in Hebrew, probably in the land of Israel, around 100 CE. The dating of the book is based on a widely accepted interpretation of the Eagle Vision, according to which the Roman Empire will fall shortly after the end of the reign of Domitian (d. 96 CE). None of the original text survives.
\nThere were two independent Greek translations of the original, from one of which the Latin and Syriac versions derive, as well as a rather loose Arabic translation; versions derived from the second Greek translation include the Ethiopic, a partial Georgian version, and a Coptic fragment. There is also an Armenian version based on a reworked Greek translation, and a second Arabic version. There are some tertiary versions translated from the Latin or Syriac, including a Hebrew translation that probably dates to the 16th century. Only a few fragments of the Greek translations survive, in quotations in other ancient authors and in two Byzantine Greek apocalypses loosely based on 4 Ezra, called the Greek Apocalypse of Ezra and the Apocalypse of Sedrach.
\nAll of the extant versions were transmitted by Christians, but in most of them the Jewish apocalypse survives intact. In the Latin version, two short Christian apocalypses (referred to by scholars as 5 Ezra and 6 Ezra, respectively) were appended at the beginning and end of 4 Ezra, and the composite work, 2 Esdras, was included in many Latin Bibles. For this reason, 2 Esdras enjoyed considerable authority in the Western Church prior to the Reformation and the Council of Trent (1545\u20131563), when it was officially excluded from the Roman Catholic canon of Scripture and relegated to an appendix to the Vulgate. Although it was rejected early on from the Greek canon, in some of the Eastern churches it was considered canonical Scripture until relatively recent times.
\nThe extraordinary length of the seventh chapter has a curious explanation. The chapter and verse numbering was first done using Vulgate manuscripts that lacked verses 7:35\u2013105 in the present numbering. All of those manuscripts had been copied from a single manuscript, dating from 822 CE, from which a page had been cut out, probably as a form of censorship. In the late 19th century, the Latin text of the \u201cmissing fragment\u201d was rediscovered and the seventh chapter was renumbered to include the missing verses.
\nThe Jewish text that has the most in common with 4 Ezra is the nearly contemporaneous apocalypse 2 Baruch, which shares imagery as well as a strong interest in Torah observance and in the effects of Adam\u2019s transgression. 4 Ezra also shares certain concepts and interpretations with the New Testament book of Revelation and with Pseudo-Philo, Book of Biblical Antiquities (L. A.B.). Both the fifth and sixth episodes of 4 Ezra are loosely based on chapter 7 in the book of Daniel, while the dialogues contain a number of allusions to the book of Job.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
4 Ezra is generally recognized as an important witness to the impact of the destruction of the Second Temple on the Jewish people, particularly in the Land of Israel. The author uses the setting of the Babylonian Exile and the authoritative voice of Ezra to express the anguish and doubts he and others must have felt in the aftermath of the Roman conquest of Jerusalem in 70 CE. The dialogues of 4 Ezra provide a window into aggadic (non-legal interpretative) discussions that were going on during the formative period of Rabbinic Judaism, a period for which the Rabbinic sources preserve mainly halakhic (legal) debates.Some of Ezra\u2019s speeches are examples of \u201crewritten Bible\u201d (a paraphrase of a biblical text with interpretive insertions) (e.g., 4 Ezra 6:38\u201354), while others are closer to midrash (e.g., 5:23\u201330, 7:132\u201340). Another (8:20\u201334) is an outstanding example of penitential prayer. Uriel\u2019s speeches are less rooted in Scripture, but they do include a few examples of aggadic interpretation (imputing a new theological meaning to a biblical text) (6:8\u201310, 7:127\u201329).
\nThe visions in episodes 5 and 6 shed light on Jewish messianic expectations in the period between the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE) and the Bar Kokhba revolt (132\u2013135 ce). It is impossible to know how widespread the messianic expectations around Bar Kokhba were, but many historians believe that they had a significant influence both on the split between Judaism and Christianity and on subsequent Rabbinic mistrust of apocalyptic thought.
\nThe seventh episode is significant for what it reveals about one Jewish scribe\u2019s understanding of revelation and Scripture at the end of the 1st century CE. Although the traditional view that the Jewish canon was decided around that time by the Rabbinic sages at Yavneh has been largely discredited by historians, 4 Ezra 14 provides evidence that a consciousness of canon was \u201cin the air\u201d at that time.<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
Since 4 Ezra is a narrative in which the character development of the protagonist, Ezra, is a key element, it is important to read it in order, from beginning to end. The structure of the book is the key to its interpretation The parallel structure of episodes 1 (First Dialogue) and 2 (Second Dialogue) reflects their parallel content: each begins with an introductory monologue; then a dispute occurs between Ezra and Uriel; this is followed in each case by a prediction by Uriel concerning the end-time; and both episodes end with a list of \u201csigns\u201d of the end-time and a narrative conclusion. Episodes 5 (Eagle Vision) and 6 (Vision of the Man) also parallel each other: each begins with a dream vision; then Ezra appeals for interpretation of the vision; Uriel provides interpretation; and the episode concludes.
\nFrom the nearly identical dispute sections in the first and second dialogues, it is clear that Ezra and Uriel are talking past one another at first. Although their understanding of one another\u2019s arguments deepens as the dialogues progress, the extreme length of the third dialogue allows the reader to experience Ezra\u2019s mounting frustration. Ezra never admits to being in error; his last statement in the dialogues (9:15\u201316) indicates that he has not changed his mind. It is important to consider why the author chose to devote more than half of the book\u2019s length to these dialogues, without providing a clear resolution to the issues debated in them.
\nThe shift from dialogue to vision in the fourth episode, which happens without Ezra\u2019s even being aware at first that it has taken place, is a crucial turning point. When Ezra sees the mourning woman transformed into a city, he cries for Uriel, suddenly realizing that he needs the angel\u2019s help to regain his understanding. In reading the narrative surrounding the visions in episodes 4, 5, and 6, one might consider what accounts for Ezra\u2019s growing self-confidence and trust in God. Since the messages of the Eagle Vision (Episode 5) and the Vision of the Man (Episode 6) overlap considerably (like Dan. 7 and 8), Ezra\u2019s transformation must be due to the experience of having the symbolic dreams and having them interpreted for him, as much as to their content.
\nFinally, the reader must ask about the purpose of Episode 7, and what it reveals about the purpose of the entire book. What makes Ezra worthy to be taken up to heaven to be with the messiah? How are the 94 books that he leaves behind as his legacy related to his experiences in the book?<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Brandenburger, Egon. Die Verborgenheit Gottes im Weltgeschehen: Das literarische und theologische Problem des 4. Esrabuches. Abhandlungen zur Theologie des Alten und Neuen Testaments 68. Z\u00fcrich: Theologischer Verlag, 1981.
\nCollins, John J. The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 1998.
\nHamilton, Alastair. The Apocryphal Apocalypse: The Reception of the Second Book of Esdras (4 Ezra) from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. Oxford-Warburg Studies. Oxford: Clarendon, 1999.
\nHayman, A. Peter. \u201cThe Problem of Pseudonymity in the Ezra Apocalypse.\u201d JSJ 6 (1975): 47\u201356.
\nHogan, Karina Martin. Theologies in Conflict in 4 Ezra: Wisdom Debate and Apocalyptic Solution. Journal for the Study of Judaism: Supplement Series 130. Leiden: Brill, 2008.
\nHumphrey, Edith McEwan. The Ladies and the Cities: Transformation and Apocalyptic Identity in Joseph and Aseneth, 4 Ezra, the Apocalypse and the Shepherd of Hermas. Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha: Supplement Series 17. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995.
\nKnibb, Michael A. \u201cApocalyptic and Wisdom in 4 Ezra.\u201d JSJ 13 (1982): 56\u201374.
\nKnowles, Michael P. \u201cMoses, the Law and the Unity of 4 Ezra.\u201d Novum Testamentum 31 (1989): 257\u201374.
\nLongenecker, Bruce W. Second Esdras. Guides to the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995.
\nStone, Michael E. Fourth Ezra: A Commentary on the Book of Fourth Ezra. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
The First Vision; Introduction<\/p>\n
3:1In the thirtieth year after the destruction of the city, I was in Babylon\u2014I, Salathiel, who am also called Ezra. I was troubled as I lay on my bed, and my thoughts welled up in my heart, 2because I saw the desolation of Zion and the wealth of those who lived in Babylon. 3My spirit was greatly agitated, and I began to speak anxious words to the Most High, and said,<\/p>\n
ADDRESSING GOD, THE SEER RAISES PERPLEXING QUESTIONS<\/p>\n
4\u201cO sovereign LORD, did you not speak at the beginning when you planted the earth\u2014and that without help\u2014and commanded the dust 5and it gave you Adam, a lifeless body? Yet he was the creation of your hands, and you breathed into him the breath of life, and he was made alive in your presence. 6And you led him into the Garden that your right hand had planted before the earth appeared. 7And you laid upon him one commandment of yours; but he transgressed it, and immediately you appointed death for him and for his descendants. From him there sprang nations and tribes, peoples and clans without number. 8And every nation walked after its own will; they did ungodly things in your sight and rejected your commands, and you did not hinder them. 9But again, in its time you brought the flood upon the inhabitants of the world and destroyed them. 10And the same fate befell all of them: just as death came upon Adam, so the flood upon them. 11But you left one of them, Noah with his household, and all the righteous who have descended from him.
\n12\u201cWhen those who lived on earth began to multiply, they produced children and peoples and many nations, and again they began to be more ungodly than were their ancestors. 13And when they were committing iniquity in your sight, you chose for yourself one of them, whose name was Abraham; 14you loved him, and to him alone you revealed the end of the times, secretly by night. 15You made an everlasting covenant with him, and promised him that you would never forsake his descendants; and you gave him Isaac, and to Isaac you gave Jacob and Esau. 16You set apart Jacob for yourself, but Esau you rejected; and Jacob became a great multitude. 17And when you led his descendants out of Egypt, you brought them to Mount Sinai. 18You bent down the heavens and shook the earth, and moved the world, and caused the depths to tremble, and troubled the times. 19Your glory passed through the four gates of fire and earthquake and wind and ice, to give the law to the descendants of Jacob, and your commandment to the posterity of Israel.
\n20\u201cYet you did not take away their evil heart from them, so that your law might produce fruit in them. 21For the first Adam, burdened with an evil heart, transgressed and was overcome, as were also all who were descended from him. 22Thus the disease became permanent; the law was in the hearts of the people along with the evil root; but what was good departed, and the evil remained. 23So the times passed and the years were completed, and you raised up for yourself a servant, named David. 24You commanded him to build a city for your name, and there to offer you oblations from what is yours. 25This was done for many years; but the inhabitants of the city transgressed, 26in everything doing just as Adam and all his descendants had done, for they also had the evil heart. 27So you handed over your city to your enemies.
\n28\u201cThen I said in my heart, Are the deeds of those who inhabit Babylon any better? Is that why it has gained dominion over Zion? 29For when I came here I saw ungodly deeds without number, and my soul has seen many sinners during these thirty years. And my heart failed me, 30because I have seen how you endure those who sin, and have spared those who act wickedly, and have destroyed your people, and protected your enemies, 31and have not shown to anyone how your way may be comprehended. Are the deeds of Babylon better than those of Zion? 32Or has another nation known you besides Israel? Or what tribes have so believed the covenants as these tribes of Jacob? 33Yet their reward has not appeared and their labor has borne no fruit. For I have traveled widely among the nations and have seen that they abound in wealth, though they are unmindful of your commandments. 34Now therefore weigh in a balance our iniquities and those of the inhabitants of the world; and it will be found which way the turn of the scale will incline. 35When have the inhabitants of the earth not sinned in your sight? Or what nation has kept your commandments so well? 36You may indeed find individuals who have kept your commandments, but nations you will not find.\u201d<\/p>\n
DIALOGIC DISPUTE BETWEEN EZRA AND THE ANGEL URIEL<\/p>\n
4:1Then the angel that had been sent to me, whose name was Uriel, answered 2and said to me, \u201cYour understanding has utterly failed regarding this world, and do you think you can comprehend the way of the Most High?\u201d
\n3Then I said, \u201cYes, my lord.\u201d And he replied to me, \u201cI have been sent to show you three ways, and to put before you three problems. 4If you can solve one of them for me, then I will show you the way you desire to see, and will teach you why the heart is evil.\u201d
\n5I said, \u201cSpeak, my lord.\u201d And he said to me, \u201cGo, weigh for me the weight of fire, or measure for me a blast of wind, or call back for me the day that is past.\u201d 6I answered and said, \u201cWho of those that have been born can do that, that you should ask me about such things?\u201d
\n7And he said to me, \u201cIf I had asked you, \u2018How many dwellings are in the heart of the sea, or how many streams are at the source of the deep, or how many streams are above the firmament, or which are the exits of Hades, or which are the entrances of paradise?\u2019 8perhaps you would have said to me, \u2018I never went down into the deep, nor as yet into Hades, neither did I ever ascend into heaven.\u2019 9But now I have asked you only about fire and wind and the day\u2014things that you have experienced and from which you cannot be separated, and you have given me no answer about them.\u201d 10He said to me, \u201cYou cannot understand the things with which you have grown up; 11how then can your mind comprehend the way of the Most High? And how can one who is already worn out by the corrupt world understand incorruption?\u201d When I heard this, I fell on my face 12and said to him, \u201cIt would have been better for us not to be here than to come here and live in ungodliness, and to suffer and not understand why.\u201d
\n13He answered me and said, \u201cI went into a forest of trees of the plain, and they made a plan 14and said, \u2018Come, let us go and make war against the sea, so that it may recede before us and so that we may make for ourselves more forests.\u2019 15In like manner the waves of the sea also made a plan and said, \u2018Come, let us go up and subdue the forest of the plain so that there also we may gain more territory for ourselves.\u2019 16But the plan of the forest was in vain, for the fire came and consumed it; 17likewise also the plan of the waves of the sea was in vain, for the sand stood firm and blocked it. 18If now you were a judge between them, which would you undertake to justify, and which to condemn?\u201d
\n19I answered and said, \u201cEach made a foolish plan, for the land has been assigned to the forest, and the locale of the sea a place to carry its waves.\u201d
\n20He answered me and said, \u201cYou have judged rightly, but why have you not judged so in your own case? 21For as the land has been assigned to the forest and the sea to its waves, so also those who inhabit the earth can understand only what is on the earth, and he who is above the heavens can understand what is above the height of the heavens.\u201d
\n22Then I answered and said, \u201cI implore you, my lord, why have I been endowed with the power of understanding? 23For I did not wish to inquire about the ways above, but about those things that we daily experience: why Israel has been given over to the Gentiles in disgrace; why the people whom you loved has been given over to godless tribes, and the law of our ancestors has been brought to destruction and the written covenants no longer exist. 24We pass from the world like locusts, and our life is like a mist, and we are not worthy to obtain mercy. 25But what will he do for his name that is invoked over us? It is about these things that I have asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
DIALOGIC PREDICTION REGARDING THE FUTURE<\/p>\n
26He answered me and said, \u201cIf you are alive, you will see, and if you live long, you will often marvel, because the age is hurrying swiftly to its end. 27It will not be able to bring the things that have been promised to the righteous in their appointed times, because this age is full of sadness and infirmities. 28For the evil about which you ask me has been sown, but the harvest of it has not yet come. 29If therefore that which has been sown is not reaped, and if the place where the evil has been sown does not pass away, the field where the good has been sown will not come. 30For a grain of evil seed was sown in Adam\u2019s heart from the beginning, and how much ungodliness it has produced until now\u2014and will produce until the time of threshing comes! 31Consider now for yourself how much fruit of ungodliness a grain of evil seed has produced. 32When heads of grain without number are sown, how great a threshing floor they will fill!\u201d
\n33Then I answered and said, \u201cHow long? When will these things be? Why are our years few and evil?\u201d 34He answered me and said, \u201cDo not be in a greater hurry than the Most High. You, indeed, are in a hurry for yourself, but the Highest is in a hurry on behalf of many. 35Did not the souls of the righteous in their chambers ask about these matters, saying, \u2018How long are we to remain here? And when will the harvest of our reward come? 36And the archangel Jeremiel answered and said, \u2018When the number of those like yourselves is completed; for he has weighed the age in the balance, 37and measured the times by measure, and numbered the times by number; and he will not move or arouse them until that measure is fulfilled.\u2019 \u201d
\n38Then I answered and said, \u201cBut, O sovereign LORD, all of us also are full of ungodliness. 39It is perhaps on account of us that the time of threshing is delayed for the righteous\u2014on account of the sins of those who inhabit the earth.\u201d
\n40He answered me and said, \u201cGo and ask a pregnant woman whether, when her nine months have been completed, her womb can keep the fetus within her any longer.\u201d
\n41And I said, \u201cNo, lord, it cannot.\u201d He said to me, \u201cIn Hades the chambers of the souls are like the womb. 42For just as a woman who is in labor makes haste to escape the pangs of birth, so also do these places hasten to give back those things that were committed to them from the beginning. 43Then the things that you desire to see will be disclosed to you.\u201d
\n44I answered and said, \u201cIf I have found favor in your sight, and if it is possible, and if I am worthy, 45show me this also: whether more time is to come than has passed, or whether for us the greater part has gone by. 46For I know what has gone by, but I do not know what is to come.\u201d
\n47And he said to me, \u201cStand at my right side, and I will show you the interpretation of a parable.\u201d 48So I stood and looked, and lo, a flaming furnace passed by before me, and when the flame had gone by I looked, and lo, the smoke remained. 49And after this a cloud full of water passed before me and poured down a heavy and violent rain, and when the violent rainstorm had passed, drops still remained in the cloud.
\n50He said to me, \u201cConsider it for yourself; for just as the rain is more than the drops, and the fire is greater than the smoke, so the quantity that passed was far greater; but drops and smoke remained.\u201d
\n51Then I prayed and said, \u201cDo you think that I shall live until those days? Or who will be alive in those days?\u201d
\n52He answered me and said, \u201cConcerning the signs about which you ask me, I can tell you in part; but I was not sent to tell you concerning your life, for I do not know.<\/p>\n
DIRECT PREDICTION OF THE FUTURE BY THE ANGEL<\/p>\n
5:1\u201cNow concerning the signs: lo, the days are coming when those who inhabit the earth shall be seized with great terror, and the way of truth shall be hidden, and the land shall be barren of faith. 2Unrighteousness shall be increased beyond what you yourself see, and beyond what you heard of formerly. 3And the land that you now see ruling shall be a trackless waste, and people shall see it desolate. 4But if the Most High grants that you live, you shall see it thrown into confusion after the third period; and the sun shall suddenly begin to shine at night, and the moon during the day. 5Blood shall drip from wood, and the stone shall utter its voice; the peoples shall be troubled, and the stars shall fall. 6And one shall reign whom those who inhabit the earth do not expect, and the birds shall fly away together; 7and the Dead Sea shall cast up fish; and one whom the many do not know shall make his voice heard by night, and all shall hear his voice. 8There shall be chaos also in many places, fire shall often break out, the wild animals shall roam beyond their haunts, and menstruous women shall bring forth monsters. 9Salt waters shall be found in the sweet, and all friends shall conquer one another; then shall reason hide itself, and wisdom shall withdraw into its chamber, 10and it shall be sought by many but shall not be found, and unrighteousness and unrestraint shall increase on earth. 11One country shall ask its neighbor, \u2018Has righteousness, or anyone who does right, passed through you?\u2019 And it will answer, \u2018No.\u2019 12At that time people shall hope but not obtain; they shall labor, but their ways shall not prosper. 13These are the signs that I am permitted to tell you, and if you pray again, and weep as you do now, and fast for seven days, you shall hear yet greater things than these.\u201d<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION OF THE VISION<\/p>\n
14Then I woke up, and my body shuddered violently, and my soul was so troubled that it fainted. 15But the angel who had come and talked with me held me and strengthened me and set me on my feet.
\n16Now on the second night Phaltiel, a chief of the people, came to me and said, \u201cWhere have you been? And why is your face sad? 17Or do you not know that Israel has been entrusted to you in the land of their exile? 18Rise therefore and eat some bread, and do not forsake us, like a shepherd who leaves the flock in the power of savage wolves.\u201d
\n19Then I said to him, \u201cGo away from me and do not come near me for seven days; then you may come to me.\u201d He heard what I said and left me. 20So I fasted seven days, mourning and weeping, as the angel Uriel had commanded me.<\/p>\n
The Second Vision; Introduction<\/p>\n
21After seven days the thoughts of my heart were very grievous to me again. 22Then my soul recovered the spirit of understanding, and I began once more to speak words in the presence of the Most High.<\/p>\n
ADDRESSING GOD, THE SEER REITERATES HIS COMPLAINTS OF DIVINE INJUSTICE IN DEALING WITH ISRAEL<\/p>\n
23I said, \u201cO sovereign LORD, from every forest of the earth and from all its trees you have chosen one vine, 24and from all the lands of the world you have chosen for yourself one region, and from all the flowers of the world you have chosen for yourself one lily, 25and from all the depths of the sea you have filled for yourself one river, and from all the cities that have been built you have consecrated Zion for yourself, 26and from all the birds that have been created you have named for yourself one dove, and from all the flocks that have been made you have provided for yourself one sheep, 27and from all the multitude of peoples you have gotten for yourself one people; and to this people, whom you have loved, you have given the law that is approved by all. 28And now, O LORD, why have you handed the one over to the many, and dishonored the one root beyond the others, and scattered your only one among the many? 29And those who opposed your promises have trampled on those who believed your covenants. 30If you really hate your people, they should be punished at your own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
DIALOGIC DISPUTE WITH THE ANGEL<\/p>\n
31When I had spoken these words, the angel who had come to me on a previous night was sent to me.
\n32He said to me, \u201cListen to me, and I will instruct you; pay attention to me, and I will tell you more.\u201d
\n33Then I said, \u201cSpeak, my lord.\u201d And he said to me, \u201cAre you greatly disturbed in mind over Israel? Or do you love him more than his Maker does?\u201d
\n34I said, \u201cNo, my lord, but because of my grief I have spoken; for every hour I suffer agonies of heart, while I strive to understand the way of the Most High and to search out some part of his judgment.\u201d
\n35He said to me, \u201cYou cannot.\u201d And I said, \u201cWhy not, my lord? Why then was I born? Or why did not my mother\u2019s womb become my grave, so that I would not see the travail of Jacob and the exhaustion of the people of Israel?\u201d
\n36He said to me, \u201cCount up for me those who have not yet come, and gather for me the scattered raindrops, and make the withered flowers bloom again for me; 37open for me the closed chambers, and bring out for me the winds shut up in them, or show me the picture of a voice; and then I will explain to you the travail that you ask to understand.\u201d
\n38I said, \u201cO sovereign LORD, who is able to know these things except him whose dwelling is not with mortals? 39As for me, I am without wisdom, and how can I speak concerning the things that you have asked me?\u201d
\n40He said to me, \u201cJust as you cannot do one of the things that were mentioned, so you cannot discover my judgment, or the goal of the love that I have promised to my people.\u201d<\/p>\n
DIALOGIC PREDICTION CONCERNING THE FUTURE<\/p>\n
41I said, \u201cYet, O LORD, you have charge of those who are alive at the end, but what will those do who lived before me, or we, ourselves, or those who come after us?\u201d
\n42He said to me, \u201cI shall liken my judgment to a circle; just as for those who are last there is no slowness, so for those who are first there is no haste.\u201d
\n43Then I answered and said, \u201cCould you not have created at one time those who have been and those who are and those who will be, so that you might show your judgment the sooner?\u201d
\n44He replied to me and said, \u201cThe creation cannot move faster than the Creator, nor can the world hold at one time those who have been created in it.\u201d
\n45I said, \u201cHow have you said to your servant that you will certainly give life at one time to your creation? If therefore all creatures will live at one time and the creation will sustain them, it might even now be able to support all of them present at one time.\u201d
\n46He said to me, \u201cAsk a woman\u2019s womb, and say to it, \u2018If you bear ten children, why one after another?\u2019 Request it therefore to produce ten at one time.\u201d
\n47I said, \u201cOf course it cannot, but only each in its own time.\u201d
\n48He said to me, \u201cEven so I have given the womb of the earth to those who from time to time are sown in it. 49For as an infant does not bring forth, and a woman who has become old does not bring forth any longer, so I have made the same rule for the world that I created.\u201d
\n50Then I inquired and said, \u201cSince you have now given me the opportunity, let me speak before you. Is our mother, of whom you have told me, still young? Or is she now approaching old age?\u201d
\n51He replied to me, \u201cAsk a woman who bears children, and she will tell you. 52Say to her, \u2018Why are those whom you have borne recently not like those whom you bore before, but smaller in stature?\u2019 53And she herself will answer you, \u2018Those born in the strength of youth are different from those born during the time of old age, when the womb is failing.\u2019 54Therefore you also should consider that you and your contemporaries are smaller in stature than those who were before you, 55and those who come after you will be smaller than you, as born of a creation that already is aging and passing the strength of youth.\u201d
\n56I said, \u201cI implore you, O LORD, if I have found favor in your sight, show your servant through whom you will visit your creation.\u201d
\n6:1He said to me, \u201cAt the beginning of the circle of the earth, before the portals of the world were in place, and before the assembled winds blew, 2and before the rumblings of thunder sounded, and before the flashes of lightning shone, and before the foundations of paradise were laid, 3and before the beautiful flowers were seen, and before the powers of movements were established, and before the innumerable hosts of angels were gathered together, 4and before the heights of the air were lifted up, and before the measures of the firmaments were named, and before the footstool of Zion was established, 5and before the present years were reckoned and before the imaginations of those who now sin were estranged, and before those who stored up treasures of faith were sealed\u20146then I planned these things, and they were made through me alone and not through another; just as the end shall come through me alone and not through another.\u201d
\n7I answered and said, \u201cWhat will be the dividing of the times? Or when will be the end of the first age and the beginning of the age that follows?\u201d
\n8He said to me, \u201cFrom Abraham to Isaac, because from him were born Jacob and Esau, for Jacob\u2019s hand held Esau\u2019s heel from the beginning. 9Now Esau is the end of this age, and Jacob is the beginning of the age that follows. 10The beginning of a person is the hand, and the end of a person is the heel; seek for nothing else, Ezra, between the heel and the hand, Ezra!\u201d<\/p>\n
DIRECT PREDICTION OF THE FUTURE<\/p>\n
11I answered and said, \u201cO sovereign LORD, if I have found favor in your sight, 12show your servant the last of your signs of which you showed me a part on a previous night.\u201d
\n13He answered and said to me, \u201cRise to your feet and you will hear a full, resounding voice. 14And if the place where you are standing is greatly shaken 15while the voice is speaking, do not be terrified;because the word concerns the end, and the foundations of the earth will understand 16that the speech concerns them. They will tremble and be shaken, for they know that their end must be changed.\u201d
\n17When I heard this, I got to my feet and listened; a voice was speaking, and its sound was like the sound of mighty waters. 18It said, \u201cThe days are coming when I draw near to visit the inhabitants of the earth, 19and when I require from the doers of iniquity the penalty of their iniquity, and when the humiliation of Zion is complete. 20When the seal is placed upon the age that is about to pass away, then I will show these signs: the books shall be opened before the face of the firmament, and all shall see my judgment together. 21Children a year old shall speak with their voices, and pregnant women shall give birth to premature children at three and four months, and these shall live and leap about. 22Sown places shall suddenly appear unsown, and full storehouses shall suddenly be found to be empty; 23the trumpet shall sound aloud, and when all hear it, they shall suddenly be terrified. 24At that time friends shall make war on friends like enemies, the earth and those who inhabit it shall be terrified, and the springs of the fountains shall stand still, so that for three hours they shall not flow.
\n25\u201cIt shall be that whoever remains after all that I have foretold to you shall be saved and shall see my salvation and the end of my world. 26And they shall see those who were taken up, who from their birth have not tasted death; and the heart of the earth\u2019s inhabitants shall be changed and converted to a different spirit. 27For evil shall be blotted out, and deceit shall be quenched; 28faithfulness shall flourish, and corruption shall be overcome, and the truth, which has been so long without fruit, shall be revealed.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE CONCLUSION OF THE VISION<\/p>\n
29While he spoke to me, little by little the place where I was standing began to rock to and fro. 30And he said to me, \u201cI have come to show you these things this night. 31If therefore you will pray again and fast again for seven days, I will again declare to you greater things than these, 32because your voice has surely been heard by the Most High; for the Mighty One has seen your uprightness and has also observed the purity that you have maintained from your youth. 33Therefore he sent me to show you all these things, and to say to you: \u2018Believe and do not be afraid! 34Do not be quick to think vain thoughts concerning the former times; then you will not act hastily in the last times.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
The Third Vision<\/p>\n
35Now after this I wept again and fasted seven days in the same way as before, in order to complete the three weeks that had been prescribed for me. 36Then on the eighth night my heart was troubled within me again, and I began to speak in the presence of the Most High. 37My spirit was greatly aroused, and my soul was in distress.<\/p>\n
ADDRESSING GOD, THE SEER RECOUNTS GOD\u2019S WORK IN SIX DAYS OF CREATION<\/p>\n
38I said, \u201cO LORD, you spoke at the beginning of creation, and said on the first day, \u2018Let heaven and earth be made,\u2019 and your word accomplished the work. 39Then the spirit was blowing, and darkness and silence embraced everything; the sound of human voices was not yet there. 40Then you commanded a ray of light to be brought out from your store-chambers, so that your works could be seen.
\n41\u201cAgain, on the second day, you created the spirit of the firmament, and commanded it to divide and separate the waters, so that one part might move upward and the other part remain beneath.
\n42\u201cOn the third day you commanded the waters to be gathered together in a seventh part of the earth; six parts you dried up and kept so that some of them might be planted and cultivated and be of service before you. 43For your word went forth, and at once the work was done. 44Immediately fruit came forth in endless abundance and of varied appeal to the taste, and flowers of inimitable color, and odors of inexpressible fragrance. These were made on the third day.
\n45\u201cOn the fourth day you commanded the brightness of the sun, the light of the moon, and the arrangement of the stars to come into being; 46and you commanded them to serve humankind, about to be formed.
\n47\u201cOn the fifth day you commanded the seventh part, where the water had been gathered together, to bring forth living creatures, birds, and fishes; and so it was done. 48The dumb and lifeless water produced living creatures, as it was commanded, so that therefore the nations might declare your wondrous works.
\n49\u201cThen you kept in existence two living creatures; the one you called Behemoth and the name of the other Leviathan. 50And you separated one from the other, for the seventh part where the water had been gathered together could not hold them both. 51And you gave Behemoth one of the parts that had been dried up on the third day, to live in it, where there are a thousand mountains; 52but to Leviathan you gave the seventh part, the watery part; and you have kept them to be eaten by whom you wish, and when you wish.
\n53\u201cOn the sixth day you commanded the earth to bring forth before you cattle, wild animals, and creeping things; 54and over these you placed Adam, as ruler over all the works that you had made; and from him we have all come, the people whom you have chosen.
\n55\u201cAll this I have spoken before you, O LORD, because you have said that it was for us that you created this world. 56As for the other nations that have descended from Adam, you have said that they are nothing, and that they are like spittle, and you have compared their abundance to a drop from a bucket. 57And now, O LORD, these nations, which are reputed to be as nothing, domineer over us and devour us. 58But we your people, whom you have called your firstborn, only begotten, zealous for you, and most dear, have been given into their hands. 59If the world has indeed been created for us, why do we not possess our world as an inheritance? How long will this be so?\u201d<\/p>\n
DISPUTE BETWEEN EZRA AND THE ANGEL<\/p>\n
7:1When I had finished speaking these words, the angel who had been sent to me on the former nights was sent to me again. 2He said to me, \u201cRise, Ezra, and listen to the words that I have come to speak to you.\u201d
\n3I said, \u201cSpeak, my lord.\u201d And he said to me, \u201cThere is a sea set in a wide expanse so that it is deep and vast, 4but it has an entrance set in a narrow place, so that it is like a river. 5If there are those who wish to reach the sea, to look at it or to navigate it, how can they come to the broad part unless they pass through the narrow part? 6Another example: There is a city built and set on a plain, and it is full of all good things; 7but the entrance to it is narrow and set in a precipitous place, so that there is fire on the right hand and deep water on the left. 8There is only one path lying between them, that is, between the fire and the water, so that only one person can walk on the path. 9If now the city is given to someone as an inheritance, how will the heir receive the inheritance unless by passing through the appointed danger?\u201d
\n10I said, \u201cThat is right, lord.\u201d He said to me, \u201cSo also is Israel\u2019s portion. 11For I made the world for their sake, and when Adam transgressed my statutes, what had been made was judged. 12And so the entrances of this world were made narrow and sorrowful and toilsome; they are few and evil, full of dangers and involved in great hardships. 13But the entrances of the greater world are broad and safe, and yield the fruit of immortality. 14Therefore unless the living pass through the difficult and futile experiences, they can never receive those things that have been reserved for them. 15Now therefore why are you disturbed, seeing that you are to perish? Why are you moved, seeing that you are mortal? 16Why have you not considered in your mind what is to come, rather than what is now present?\u201d
\n17Then I answered and said, \u201cO sovereign LORD, you have ordained in your law that the righteous shall inherit these things, but that the ungodly shall perish. 18The righteous, therefore, can endure difficult circumstances while hoping for easier ones; but those who have done wickedly have suffered the difficult circumstances and will never see the easier ones.\u201d
\n19He said to me, \u201cYou are not a better judge than the LORD, or wiser than the Most High! 20Let many perish who are now living, rather than that the law of God that is set before them be disregarded! 21For the LORD strictly commanded those who came into the world, when they came, what they should do to live, and what they should observe to avoid punishment. 22Nevertheless they were not obedient, and spoke against him; they devised for themselves vain thoughts, 23and proposed to themselves wicked frauds; they even declared that the Most High does not exist, and they ignored his ways. 24They scorned his law, and denied his covenants; they have been unfaithful to his statutes, and have not performed his works.
\n25\u201cThat is the reason, Ezra, that empty things are for the empty, and full things are for the full.<\/p>\n
DIRECT PREDICTION OF THE FUTURE BY THE ANGEL<\/p>\n
26\u201cFor indeed the time will come, when the signs that I have foretold to you will come to pass, that the city that now is not seen shall appear, and the land that now is hidden shall be disclosed. 27Everyone who has been delivered from the evils that I have foretold shall see my wonders. 28For my son the messiah shall be revealed with those who are with him, and those who remain shall rejoice four hundred years. 29After those years my son the messiah shall die, and all who draw human breath. 30Then the world shall be turned back to primeval silence for seven days, as it was at the first beginnings, so that no one shall be left. 31After seven days the world that is not yet awake shall be roused, and that which is corruptible shall perish. 32The earth shall give up those who are asleep in it, and the dust those who rest there in silence; and the chambers shall give up the souls that have been committed to them. 33The Most High shall be revealed on the seat of judgment, and compassion shall pass away, and patience shall be withdrawn. 34Only judgment shall remain, truth shall stand, and faithfulness shall grow strong. 35Recompense shall follow, and the reward shall be manifested; righteous deeds shall awake, and unrighteous deeds shall not sleep. 36The pit of torment shall appear, and opposite it shall be the place of rest; and the furnace of hell shall be disclosed, and opposite it the paradise of delight. 37Then the Most High will say to the nations that have been raised from the dead, \u2018Look now, and understand whom you have denied, whom you have not served, whose commandments you have despised. 38Look on this side and on that; here are delight and rest, and there are fire and torments.\u2019 Thus he will speak to them on the day of judgment\u201439a day that has no sun or moon or stars, 40or cloud or thunder or lightning, or wind or water or air, or darkness or evening or morning, 41or summer or spring or heat or winter or frost or cold, or hail or rain or dew, 42or noon or night, or dawn or shining or brightness or light, but only the splendor of the glory of the Most High, by which all shall see what has been destined. 43It will last as though for a week of years. 44This is my judgment and its prescribed order; and to you alone I have shown these things.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE SECOND SECTION OF THE THIRD VISION<\/p>\n
45I answered and said, \u201cO sovereign LORD, I said then and I say now: Blessed are those who are alive and keep your commandments! 46But what of those for whom I prayed? For who among the living is there that has not sinned, or who is there among mortals that has not transgressed your covenant? 47And now I see that the world to come will bring delight to few, but torments to many. 48For an evil heart has grown up in us, which has alienated us from God, and has brought us into corruption and the ways of death, and has shown us the paths of perdition and removed us far from life\u2014and that not merely for a few but for almost all who have been created.\u201d
\n49He answered me and said, \u201cListen to me, Ezra, and I will instruct you, and will admonish you once more. 50For this reason the Most High has made not one world but two. 51Inasmuch as you have said that the righteous are not many but few, while the ungodly abound, hear the explanation for this.
\n52\u201cIf you have just a few precious stones, will you add to them lead and clay?\u201d 53I said, \u201cLORD, how could that be?\u201d 54And he said to me, \u201cNot only that, but ask the earth and she will tell you; defer to her, and she will declare it to you. 55Say to her, \u2018You produce gold and silver and bronze, and also iron and lead and clay; 56but silver is more abundant than gold, and bronze than silver, and iron than bronze, and lead than iron, and clay than lead.\u2019 57Judge therefore which things are precious and desirable, those that are abundant or those that are rare?\u201d
\n58I said, \u201cO sovereign LORD, what is plentiful is of less worth, for what is more rare is more precious.\u201d
\n59He answered me and said, \u201cConsider within yourself what you have thought, for the person who has what is hard to get rejoices more than the person who has what is plentiful. 60So also will be the judgment that I have promised; for I will rejoice over the few who shall be saved, because it is they who have made my glory to prevail now, and through them my name has now been honored. 61I will not grieve over the great number of those who perish; for it is they who are now like a mist, and are similar to a flame and smoke\u2014they are set on fire and burn hotly, and are extinguished.\u201d
\n62I replied and said, \u201cO earth, what have you brought forth, if the mind is made out of the dust like the other created things? 63For it would have been better if the dust itself had not been born, so that the mind might not have been made from it. 64But now the mind grows with us, and therefore we are tormented, because we perish and we know it. 65Let the human race lament, but let the wild animals of the field be glad; let all who have been born lament, but let the cattle and the flocks rejoice. 66It is much better with them than with us; for they do not look for a judgment, and they do not know of any torment or salvation promised to them after death. 67What does it profit us that we shall be preserved alive but cruelly tormented? 68For all who have been born are entangled in iniquities, and are full of sins and burdened with transgressions. 69And if after death we were not to come into judgment, perhaps it would have been better for us.\u201d
\n70He answered me and said, \u201cWhen the Most High made the world and Adam and all who have come from him, he first prepared the judgment and the things that pertain to the judgment. 71But now, understand from your own words\u2014for you have said that the mind grows with us. 72For this reason, therefore, those who live on earth shall be tormented, because though they had understanding, they committed iniquity; and though they received the commandments, they did not keep them; and though they obtained the law, they dealt unfaithfully with what they received. 73What, then, will they have to say in the judgment, or how will they answer in the last times? 74How long the Most High has been patient with those who inhabit the world!\u2014and not for their sake, but because of the times that he has foreordained.\u201d<\/p>\n
DIALOGIC PREDICTION OF THE FUTURE<\/p>\n
75I answered and said, \u201cIf I have found favor in your sight, O LORD, show this also to your servant: whether after death, as soon as everyone of us yields up the soul, we shall be kept in rest until those times come when you will renew the creation, or whether we shall be tormented at once?\u201d
\n76He answered me and said, \u201cI will show you that also, but do not include yourself with those who have shown scorn, or number yourself among those who are tormented. 77For you have a treasure of works stored up with the Most High, but it will not be shown to you until the last times.
\n78Now concerning death, the teaching is: When the decisive decree has gone out from the Most High that a person shall die, as the spirit leaves the body to return again to him who gave it, first of all it adores the glory of the Most High. 79If it is one of those who have shown scorn and have not kept the way of the Most High, who have despised his law and hated those who fear God\u201480such spirits shall not enter into habitations, but shall immediately wander about in torments, always grieving and sad, in seven ways. 81The first way, because they have scorned the law of the Most High. 82The second way, because they cannot now make a good repentance so that they may live. 83The third way, they shall see the reward laid up for those who have trusted the covenants of the Most High. 84The fourth way, they shall consider the torment laid up for themselves in the last days. 85The fifth way, they shall see how the habitations of the others are guarded by angels in profound quiet. 86The sixth way, they shall see how some of them will cross over into torments. 87The seventh way, which is worse than all the ways that have been mentioned, because they shall utterly waste away in confusion and be consumed with shame, and shall wither with fear at seeing the glory of the Most High in whose presence they sinned while they were alive, and in whose presence they are to be judged in the last times.
\n88\u201cNow this is the order of those who have kept the ways of the Most High, when they shall be separated from their mortal body. 89During the time that they lived in it, they laboriously served the Most High, and withstood danger every hour so that they might keep the law of the Lawgiver perfectly.90Therefore this is the teaching concerning them: 91First of all, they shall see with great joy the glory of him who receives them, for they shall have rest in seven orders. 92The first order, because they have striven with great effort to overcome the evil thought that was formed with them, so that it might not lead them astray from life into death. 93The second order, because they see the perplexity in which the souls of the ungodly wander and the punishment that awaits them. 94The third order, they see the witness that he who formed them bears concerning them, that throughout their life they kept the law with which they were entrusted. 95The fourth order, they understand the rest that they now enjoy, being gathered into their chambers and guarded by angels in profound quiet, and the glory waiting for them in the last days. 96The fifth order, they rejoice that they have now escaped what is corruptible and shall inherit what is to come; and besides they see the straits and toil from which they have been delivered, and the spacious liberty that they are to receive and enjoy in immortality. 97The sixth order, when it is shown them how their face is to shine like the sun, and how they are to be made like the light of the stars, being incorruptible from then on. 98The seventh order, which is greater than all that have been mentioned, because they shall rejoice with boldness, and shall be confident without confusion, and shall be glad without fear, for they press forward to see the face of him whom they served in life and from whom they are to receive their reward when glorified. 99This is the order of the souls of the righteous, as henceforth is announced; and the previously mentioned are the ways of torment that those who would not give heed shall suffer hereafter.\u201d
\n100Then I answered and said, \u201cWill time therefore be given to the souls, after they have been separated from the bodies, to see what you have described to me?\u201d 101He said to me, \u201cThey shall have freedom for seven days, so that during these seven days they may see the things of which you have been told, and afterward they shall be gathered in their habitations.\u201d<\/p>\n
DISPUTE BETWEEN EZRA AND THE ANGEL<\/p>\n
102I answered and said, \u201cIf I have found favor in your sight, show further to me, your servant, whether on the day of judgment the righteous will be able to intercede for the ungodly or to entreat the Most High for them\u2014103fathers for sons or sons for parents, brothers for brothers, relatives for their kindred, or friends for those who are most dear.\u201d
\n104He answered me and said, \u201cSince you have found favor in my sight, I will show you this also. The day of judgment is decisive and displays to all the seal of truth. Just as now a father does not send his son, or a son his father, or a master his servant, or a friend his dearest friend, to be ill or sleep or eat or be healed in his place, 105so no one shall ever pray for another on that day, neither shall anyone lay a burden on another; for then all shall bear their own righteousness and unrighteousness.\u201d
\n106I answered and said, \u201cHow then do we find that first Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom, and Moses for our ancestors who sinned in the desert, 107and Joshua after him for Israel in the days of Achan, 108and Samuel in the days of Saul, and David for the plague, and Solomon for those at the dedication, 109and Elijah for those who received the rain, and for the one who was dead, that he might live, 110and Hezekiah for the people in the days of Sennacherib, and many others prayed for many? 111So if now, when corruption has increased and unrighteousness has multiplied, the righteous have prayed for the ungodly, why will it not be so then as well?\u201d
\n112He answered me and said, \u201cThis present world is not the end; the full glory does not remain in it; therefore those who were strong prayed for the weak. 113But the day of judgment will be the end of this age and the beginning of the immortal age to come, in which corruption has passed away, 114sinful indulgence has come to an end, unbelief has been cut off, and righteousness has increased and truth has appeared. 115Therefore no one will then be able to have mercy on someone who has been condemned in the judgment, or to harm someone who is victorious.\u201d
\n116I answered and said, \u201cThis is my first and last comment: it would have been better if the earth had not produced Adam, or else, when it had produced him, had restrained him from sinning. 117For what good is it to all that they live in sorrow now and expect punishment after death? 118O Adam, what have you done? For though it was you who sinned, the fall was not yours alone, but ours also who are your descendants. 119For what good is it to us, if an immortal time has been promised to us, but we have done deeds that bring death? 120And what good is it that an everlasting hope has been promised to us, but we have miserably failed? 121Or that safe and healthful habitations have been reserved for us, but we have lived wickedly? 122Or that the glory of the Most High will defend those who have led a pure life, but we have walked in the most wicked ways? 123Or that a paradise shall be revealed, whose fruit remains unspoiled and in which are abundance and healing, but we shall not enter it 124because we have lived in perverse ways? 125Or that the faces of those who practiced self-control shall shine more than the stars, but our faces shall be blacker than darkness? 126For while we lived and committed iniquity we did not consider what we should suffer after death.\u201d
\n127He answered and said, \u201cThis is the significance of the contest that all who are born on earth shall wage: 128if they are defeated they shall suffer what you have said, but if they are victorious they shall receive what I have said. 129For this is the way of which Moses, while he was alive, spoke to the people, saying, \u2018Choose life for yourself, so that you may live!\u2019 130But they did not believe him or the prophets after him, or even myself who have spoken to them. 131Therefore there shall not be grief at their destruction, so much as joy over those to whom salvation is assured.\u201d
\n132I answered and said, \u201cI know, O LORD, that the Most High is now called merciful, because he has mercy on those who have not yet come into the world; 133and gracious, because he is gracious to those who turn in repentance to his law; 134and patient, because he shows patience toward those who have sinned, since they are his own creatures; 135and bountiful, because he would rather give than take away; 136and abundant in compassion, because he makes his compassions abound more and more to those now living and to those who are gone and to those yet to come\u2014137for if he did not make them abound, the world with those who inhabit it would not have life\u2014138and he is called the giver, because if he did not give out of his goodness so that those who have committed iniquities might be relieved of them, not one ten-thousandth of humankind could have life; 139and the judge, because if he did not pardon those who were created by his word and blot out the multitude of their sins, 140there would probably be left only very few of the innumerable multitude.\u201d
\n8:1He answered me and said, \u201cThe Most High made this world for the sake of many, but the world to come for the sake of only a few. 2But I tell you a parable, Ezra. Just as, when you ask the earth, it will tell you that it provides a large amount of clay from which earthenware is made, but only a little dust from which gold comes, so is the course of the present world. 3Many have been created, but only a few shall be saved.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE THIRD SECTION OF THE THIRD VISION; MONOLOGUE OF EZRA<\/p>\n
4I answered and said, \u201cThen drink your fill of understanding, O my soul, and drink wisdom, O my heart. 5For not of your own will did you come into the world, and against your will you depart, for you have been given only a short time to live. 6O LORD above us, grant to your servant that we may pray before you, and give us a seed for our heart and cultivation of our understanding so that fruit may be produced, by which every mortal who bears the likeness of a human being may be able to live. 7For you alone exist, and we are a work of your hands, as you have declared. 8And because you give life to the body that is now fashioned in the womb, and furnish it with members, what you have created is preserved amid fire and water, and for nine months the womb endures your creature that has been created in it. 9But that which keeps and that which is kept shall both be kept by your keeping. And when the womb gives up again what has been created in it, 10you have commanded that from the members themselves (that is, from the breasts) milk, the fruit of the breasts, should be supplied, 11so that what has been fashioned may be nourished for a time; and afterward you will still guide it in your mercy. 12You have nurtured it in your righteousness, and instructed it in your law, and reproved it in your wisdom. 13You put it to death as your creation, and make it live as your work. 14If then you will suddenly and quickly destroy what with so great labor was fashioned by your command, to what purpose was it made?
\n15And now I will speak out: About all humankind you know best; but I will speak about your people, for whom I am grieved, 16and about your inheritance, for whom I lament, and about Israel, for whom I am sad, and about the seed of Jacob, for whom I am troubled. 17Therefore I will pray before you for myself and for them, for I see the failings of us who inhabit the earth; 18and now also I have heard of the swiftness of the judgment that is to come. 19Therefore hear my voice and understand my words, and I will speak before you.\u201d<\/p>\n
EZRA\u2019S PRAYER<\/p>\n
The beginning of the words of Ezra\u2019s prayer, before he was taken up. He said: 20\u201cO LORD, you who inhabit eternity, whose eyes are exalted and whose upper chambers are in the air, 21whose throne is beyond measure and whose glory is beyond comprehension, before whom the hosts of angels stand trembling 22and at whose command they are changed to wind and fire, whose word is sure and whose utterances are certain, whose command is strong and whose ordinance is terrible, 23whose look dries up the depths and whose indignation makes the mountains melt away, and whose truth is established forever\u201424hear, O LORD, the prayer of your servant, and give ear to the petition of your creature; attend to my words. 25For as long as I live I will speak, and as long as I have understanding I will answer. 26O do not look on the sins of your people, but on those who serve you in truth. 27Do not take note of the endeavors of those who act wickedly, but of the endeavors of those who have kept your covenants amid afflictions. 28Do not think of those who have lived wickedly in your sight, but remember those who have willingly acknowledged that you are to be feared. 29Do not will the destruction of those who have the ways of cattle, but regard those who have gloriously taught your law. 30Do not be angry with those who are deemed worse than wild animals, but love those who have always put their trust in your glory. 31For we and our ancestors have passed our lives in ways that bring death; but it is because of us sinners that you are called merciful. 32For if you have desired to have pity on us, who have no works of righteousness, then you will be called merciful. 33For the righteous, who have many works laid up with you, shall receive their reward in consequence of their own deeds. 34But what are mortals, that you are angry with them; or what is a corruptible race, that you are so bitter against it? 35For in truth there is no one among those who have been born who has not acted wickedly; among those who have existed there is no one who has not done wrong. 36For in this, O LORD, your righteousness and goodness will be declared, when you are merciful to those who have no store of good works.\u201d<\/p>\n
DISPUTE BETWEEN EZRA AND THE ANGEL<\/p>\n
37He answered me and said, \u201cSome things you have spoken rightly, and it will turn out according to your words. 38For indeed I will not concern myself about the fashioning of those who have sinned, or about their death, their judgment, or their destruction; 39but I will rejoice over the creation of the righteous, over their pilgrimage also, and their salvation, and their receiving their reward. 40As I have spoken, therefore, so it shall be.
\n41\u201cFor just as the farmer sows many seeds in the ground and plants a multitude of seedlings, and yet not all that have been sown will come up in due season, and not all that were planted will take root; so also those who have been sown in the world will not all be saved.\u201d
\n42I answered and said, \u201cIf I have found favor in your sight, let me speak. 43If the farmer\u2019s seed does not come up, because it has not received your rain in due season, or if it has been ruined by too much rain, it perishes. 44But people, who have been formed by your hands and are called your own image because they are made like you, and for whose sake you have formed all things\u2014have you also made them like the farmer\u2019s seed? 45Surely not, O LORD above! But spare your people and have mercy on your inheritance, for you have mercy on your own creation.\u201d
\n46He answered me and said, \u201cThings that are present are for those who live now, and things that are future are for those who will live hereafter. 47For you come far short of being able to love my creation more than I love it. But you have often compared yourself to the unrighteous. Never do so! 48But even in this respect you will be praiseworthy before the Most High, 49because you have humbled yourself, as is becoming for you, and have not considered yourself to be among the righteous. You will receive the greatest glory, 50for many miseries will affect those who inhabit the world in the last times, because they have walked in great pride. 51But think of your own case, and inquire concerning the glory of those who are like yourself, 52because it is for you that paradise is opened, the tree of life is planted, the age to come is prepared, plenty is provided, a city is built, rest is appointed, goodness is established and wisdom perfected beforehand. 53The root of evil is sealed up from you, illness is banished from you, and death is hidden; Hades has fled and corruption has been forgotten; 54sorrows have passed away, and in the end the treasure of immortality is made manifest. 55Therefore do not ask any more questions about the great number of those who perish. 56For when they had opportunity to choose, they despised the Most High, and were contemptuous of his law, and abandoned his ways. 57Moreover, they have even trampled on his righteous ones, 58and said in their hearts that there is no God\u2014though they knew well that they must die. 59For just as the things that I have predicted await you, so the thirst and torment that are prepared await them. For the Most High did not intend that anyone should be destroyed; 60but those who were created have themselves defiled the name of him who made them, and have been ungrateful to him who prepared life for them now. 61Therefore my judgment is now drawing near; 62I have not shown this to all people, but only to you and a few like you.\u201d<\/p>\n
DIRECT PREDICTION OF THE FUTURE BY THE ANGEL<\/p>\n
Then I answered and said, 63\u201cO LORD, you have already shown me a great number of the signs that you will do in the last times, but you have not shown me when you will do them.\u201d
\n9:1He answered me and said, \u201cMeasure carefully in your mind, and when you see that some of the predicted signs have occurred, 2then you will know that it is the very time when the Most High is about to visit the world that he has made. 3So when there shall appear in the world earthquakes, tumult of peoples, intrigues of nations, wavering of leaders, confusion of princes, 4then you will know that it was of these that the Most High spoke from the days that were of old, from the beginning. 5For just as with everything that has occurred in the world, the beginning is evident, and the end manifest; 6so also are the times of the Most High: the beginnings are manifest in wonders and mighty works, and the end in penalties and in signs.
\n7It shall be that all who will be saved and will be able to escape on account of their works, or on account of the faith by which they have believed, 8will survive the dangers that have been predicted, and will see my salvation in my land and within my borders, which I have sanctified for myself from the beginning. 9Then those who have now abused my ways shall be amazed, and those who have rejected them with contempt shall live in torments. 10For as many as did not acknowledge me in their lifetime, though they received my benefits, 11and as many as scorned my law while they still had freedom, and did not understand but despised it while an opportunity of repentance was still open to them, 12these must in torment acknowledge it after death. 13Therefore, do not continue to be curious about how the ungodly will be punished; but inquire how the righteous will be saved, those to whom the age belongs and for whose sake the age was made.\u201d
\n14I answered and said, 15\u201cI said before, and I say now, and will say it again: there are more who perish than those who will be saved, 16as a wave is greater than a drop of water.\u201d
\n17He answered me and said, \u201cAs is the field, so is the seed; and as are the flowers, so are the colors; and as is the work, so is the product; and as is the farmer, so is the threshing floor. 18For there was a time in this age when I was preparing for those who now exist, before the world was made for them to live in, and no one opposed me then, for no one existed; 19but now those who have been created in this world, which is supplied both with an unfailing table and an inexhaustible pasture, have become corrupt in their ways. 20So I considered my world, and saw that it was lost. I saw that my earth was in peril because of the devices of those who had come into it. 21And I saw and spared some with great difficulty, and saved for myself one grape out of a cluster, and one plant out of a great forest. 22So let the multitude perish that has been born in vain, but let my grape and my plant be saved, because with much labor I have perfected them.<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION AND INJUNCTIONS<\/p>\n
23\u201cNow, if you will let seven days more pass\u2014do not, however, fast during them, 24but go into a field of flowers where no house has been built, and eat only of the flowers of the field, and taste no meat and drink no wine, but eat only flowers, 25and pray to the Most High continually. Then I will come and talk with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Fourth Vision; Introduction<\/p>\n
26So I went, as he directed me, into the field that is called Ardat; there I sat among the flowers and ate of the plants of the field, and the nourishment they afforded satisfied me. 27After seven days, while I lay on the grass, my heart was troubled again as it was before. 28Then my mouth was opened, and I began to speak before the Most High, and said,<\/p>\n
EZRA\u2019S ADDRESS<\/p>\n
29\u201cO LORD, you showed yourself among us, to our ancestors in the wilderness when they came out from Egypt and when they came into the untrodden and unfruitful wilderness; 30and you said, \u2018Hear me, O Israel, and give heed to my words, O descendants of Jacob. 31For I sow my law in you, and it shall bring forth fruit in you, and you shall be glorified through it forever.\u2019 32But though our ancestors received the law, they did not keep it and did not observe the statutes; yet the fruit of the law did not perish\u2014for it could not, because it was yours. 33Yet those who received it perished, because they did not keep what had been sown in them. 34Now this is the general rule that, when the ground has received seed, or the sea a ship, or any dish food or drink, and when it comes about that what was sown or what was launched or what was put in is destroyed, 35they are destroyed, but the things that held them remain; yet with us it has not been so. 36For we who have received the law and sinned will perish, as well as our hearts that received it; 37the law, however, does not perish but survives in its glory.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE FIRST PART OF THE VISION<\/p>\n
38When I said these things in my heart, I looked around, and on my right I saw a woman; she was mourning and weeping with a loud voice, and was deeply grieved at heart; her clothes were torn, and there were ashes on her head. 39Then I dismissed the thoughts with which I had been engaged, and turned to her 40and said to her, \u201cWhy are you weeping, and why are you grieved at heart?\u201d
\n41She said to me, \u201cLet me alone, my lord, so that I may weep for myself and continue to mourn, for I am greatly embittered in spirit and deeply distressed.\u201d
\n42I said to her, \u201cWhat has happened to you? Tell me.\u201d
\n43And she said to me, \u201cYour servant was barren and had no child, though I lived with my husband for thirty years. 44Every hour and every day during those thirty years I prayed to the Most High, night and day. 45And after thirty years God heard your servant, and looked upon my low estate, and considered my distress, and gave me a son. I rejoiced greatly over him, I and my husband and all my neighbors; and we gave great glory to the Mighty One. 46And I brought him up with much care. 47So when he grew up and I came to take a wife for him, I set a day for the marriage feast.
\n10:1\u201cBut it happened that when my son entered his wedding chamber, he fell down and died. 2So all of us put out our lamps, and all my neighbors attempted to console me; I remained quiet until the evening of the second day. 3But when all of them had stopped consoling me, encouraging me to be quiet, I got up in the night and fled, and I came to this field, as you see. 4And now I intend not to return to the town, but to stay here; I will neither eat nor drink, but will mourn and fast continually until I die.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE SECOND PART OF THE VISION<\/p>\n
5Then I broke off the reflections with which I was still engaged, and answered her in anger and said, 6\u201cYou most foolish of women, do you not see our mourning, and what has happened to us? 7For Zion, the mother of us all, is in deep grief and great distress. 8It is most appropriate to mourn now, because we are all mourning, and to be sorrowful, because we are all sorrowing; you are sorrowing for one son, but we, the whole world, for our mother. 9Now ask the earth, and she will tell you that it is she who ought to mourn over so many who have come into being upon her. 10From the beginning all have been born of her, and others will come; and, lo, almost all go to perdition, and a multitude of them will come to doom. 11Who then ought to mourn the more, she who lost so great a multitude, or you who are grieving for one alone? 12But if you say to me, \u2018My lamentation is not like the earth\u2019s, for I have lost the fruit of my womb, which I brought forth in pain and bore in sorrow; 13but it is with the earth according to the way of the earth\u2014the multitude that is now in it goes as it came\u2019; 14then I say to you, \u2018Just as you brought forth in sorrow, so the earth also has from the beginning given her fruit, that is, humankind, to him who made her.\u2019 15Now, therefore, keep your sorrow to yourself, and bear bravely the troubles that have come upon you. 16For if you acknowledge the decree of God to be just, you will receive your son back in due time, and will be praised among women. 17Therefore go into the town to your husband.\u201d
\n18She said to me, \u201cI will not do so; I will not go into the city, but I will die here.\u201d
\n19So I spoke again to her, and said, 20\u201cDo not do that, but let yourself be persuaded\u2014for how many are the adversities of Zion?\u2014and be consoled because of the sorrow of Jerusalem. 21For you see how our sanctuary has been laid waste, our altar thrown down, our temple destroyed; 22our harp has been laid low, our song has been silenced, and our rejoicing has been ended; the light of our lampstand has been put out, the ark of our covenant has been plundered, our holy things have been polluted, and the name by which we are called has been almost profaned; our children have suffered abuse, our priests have been burned to death, our Levites have gone into exile, our virgins have been defiled, and our wives have been ravished; our righteous men have been carried off, our little ones have been cast out, our young men have been enslaved and our strong men made powerless. 23And, worst of all, the seal of Zion has been deprived of its glory, and given over into the hands of those that hate us. 24Therefore shake off your great sadness and lay aside your many sorrows, so that the Mighty One may be merciful to you again, and the Most High may give you rest, a respite from your troubles.\u201d<\/p>\n
A VISION OF THE TRANSFORMED JERUSALEM<\/p>\n
25While I was talking to her, her face suddenly began to shine exceedingly; her countenance flashed like lightning, so that I was too frightened to approach her, and my heart was terrified. While I was wondering what this meant, 26she suddenly uttered a loud and fearful cry, so that the earth shook at the sound. 27When I looked up, the woman was no longer visible to me, but a city was being built, and a place of huge foundations showed itself.<\/p>\n
THE APPEARANCE OF THE ANGEL<\/p>\n
I was afraid, and cried with a loud voice and said, 28\u201cWhere is the angel Uriel, who came to me at first? For it was he who brought me into this overpowering bewilderment; my end has become corruption, and my prayer a reproach.\u201d
\n29While I was speaking these words, the angel who had come to me at first came to me, and when he saw me 30lying there like a corpse, deprived of my understanding, he grasped my right hand and strengthened me and set me on my feet, and said to me, 31\u201cWhat is the matter with you? And why are you troubled? And why are your understanding and the thoughts of your mind troubled?\u201d
\n32I said, \u201cIt was because you abandoned me. I did as you directed, and went out into the field, and lo, what I have seen and can still see, I am unable to explain.\u201d
\n33He said to me, \u201cStand up like a man, and I will instruct you.\u201d
\n34I said, \u201cSpeak, my lord; only do not forsake me, so that I may not die before my time. 35For I have seen what I did not know, and I hear what I do not understand 36\u2014or is my mind deceived, and my soul dreaming? 37Now therefore I beg you to give your servant an explanation of this bewildering vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION<\/p>\n
38He answered me and said, \u201cListen to me, and I will teach you, and tell you about the things that you fear; for the Most High has revealed many secrets to you. 39He has seen your righteous conduct, and that you have sorrowed continually for your people and mourned greatly over Zion. 40This therefore is the meaning of the vision. 41The woman who appeared to you a little while ago, whom you saw mourning and whom you began to console 42(you do not now see the form of a woman, but there appeared to you a city being built) 43and who told you about the misfortune of her son\u2014this is the interpretation: 44The woman whom you saw is Zion, which you now behold as a city being built. 45And as for her telling you that she was barren for thirty years, the reason is that there were three thousand years in the world before any offering was offered in it. 46And after three thousand years Solomon built the city, and offered offerings; then it was that the barren woman bore a son. 47And as for her telling you that she brought him up with much care, that was the period of residence in Jerusalem. 48And as for her saying to you, \u2018My son died as he entered his wedding chamber,\u2019 and that misfortune had overtaken her, this was the destruction that befell Jerusalem. 49So you saw her likeness, how she mourned for her son, and you began to console her for what had happened. 50For now the Most High, seeing that you are sincerely grieved and profoundly distressed for her, has shown you the brilliance of her glory, and the loveliness of her beauty. 51Therefore I told you to remain in the field where no house had been built, 52for I knew that the Most High would reveal these things to you. 53Therefore I told you to go into the field where there was no foundation of any building, 54because no work of human construction could endure in a place where the city of the Most High was to be revealed.<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION AND INJUNCTIONS<\/p>\n
55\u201cTherefore do not be afraid, and do not let your heart be terrified; but go in and see the splendor or the vastness of the building, as far as it is possible for your eyes to see it, 56and afterward you will hear as much as your ears can hear. 57For you are more blessed than many, and you have been called to be with the Most High as few have been. 58But tomorrow night you shall remain here, 59and the Most High will show you in those dream visions what the Most High will do to those who inhabit the earth in the last days.\u201d So I slept that night and the following one, as he had told me.<\/p>\n
The Fifth Vision; Description of the Vision<\/p>\n
11:1On the second night I had a dream: I saw rising from the sea an eagle that had twelve feathered wings and three heads. 2I saw it spread its wings over the whole earth, and all the winds of heaven blew upon it, and the clouds were gathered around it. 3I saw that out of its wings there grew opposing wings; but they became little, puny wings. 4But its heads were at rest; the middle head was larger than the other heads, but it too was at rest with them. 5Then I saw that the eagle flew with its wings, and it reigned over the earth and over those who inhabit it. 6And I saw how all things under heaven were subjected to it, and no one spoke against it\u2014not a single creature that was on the earth. 7Then I saw the eagle rise upon its talons, and it uttered a cry to its wings, saying, 8\u201cDo not all watch at the same time; let each sleep in its own place, and watch in its turn; 9but let the heads be reserved for the last.\u201d
\n10I looked again and saw that the voice did not come from its heads, but from the middle of its body. 11I counted its rival wings, and there were eight of them. 12As I watched, one wing on the right side rose up, and it reigned over all the earth. 13And after a time its reign came to an end, and it disappeared, so that even its place was no longer visible. Then the next wing rose up and reigned, and it continued to reign a long time. 14While it was reigning its end came also, so that it disappeared like the first. 15And a voice sounded, saying to it, 16\u201cListen to me, you who have ruled the earth all this time; I announce this to you before you disappear. 17After you no one shall rule as long as you have ruled, not even half as long.\u201d
\n18Then the third wing raised itself up, and held the rule as the earlier ones had done, and it also disappeared. 19And so it went with all the wings; they wielded power one after another and then were never seen again. 20I kept looking, and in due time the wings that followed also rose up on the right side, in order to rule. There were some of them that ruled, yet disappeared suddenly; 21and others of them rose up, but did not hold the rule.
\n22And after this I looked and saw that the twelve wings and the two little wings had disappeared, 23and nothing remained on the eagle\u2019s body except the three heads that were at rest and six little wings. 24As I kept looking I saw that two little wings separated from the six and remained under the head that was on the right side; but four remained in their place. 25Then I saw that these little wings planned to set themselves up and hold the rule. 26As I kept looking, one was set up, but suddenly disappeared; 27a second also, and this disappeared more quickly than the first. 28While I continued to look the two that remained were planning between themselves to reign together; 29and while they were planning, one of the heads that were at rest (the one that was in the middle) suddenly awoke; it was greater than the other two heads. 30And I saw how it allied the two heads with itself, 31and how the head turned with those that were with it and devoured the two little wings that were planning to reign. 32Moreover this head gained control of the whole earth, and with much oppression dominated its inhabitants; it had greater power over the world than all the wings that had gone before.
\n33After this I looked again and saw the head in the middle suddenly disappear, just as the wings had done. 34But the two heads remained, which also in like manner ruled over the earth and its inhabitants. 35And while I looked, I saw the head on the right side devour the one on the left.
\n36Then I heard a voice saying to me, \u201cLook in front of you and consider what you see.\u201d 37When I looked, I saw what seemed to be a lion roused from the forest, roaring; and I heard how it uttered a human voice to the eagle, and spoke, saying, 38\u201cListen and I will speak to you. The Most High says to you, 39\u2018Are you not the one that remains of the four beasts that I had made to reign in my world, so that the end of my times might come through them? 40You, the fourth that has come, have conquered all the beasts that have gone before; and you have held sway over the world with great terror, and over all the earth with grievous oppression; and for so long you have lived on the earth with deceit. 41You have judged the earth, but not with truth, 42for you have oppressed the meek and injured the peaceable; you have hated those who tell the truth, and have loved liars; you have destroyed the homes of those who brought forth fruit, and have laid low the walls of those who did you no harm. 43Your insolence has come up before the Most High, and your pride to the Mighty One. 44The Most High has looked at his times; now they have ended, and his ages have reached completion. 45Therefore you, eagle, will surely disappear, you and your terrifying wings, your most evil little wings, your malicious heads, your most evil talons, and your whole worthless body, 46so that the whole earth, freed from your violence, may be refreshed and relieved, and may hope for the judgment and mercy of him who made it.\u2019 \u201d
\n12:1While the lion was saying these words to the eagle, I looked 2and saw that the remaining head had disappeared. The two wings that had gone over to it rose up and set themselves up to reign, and their reign was brief and full of tumult. 3When I looked again, they were already vanishing. The whole body of the eagle was burned, and the earth was exceedingly terrified.<\/p>\n
THE SEER\u2019S RESPONSE<\/p>\n
12:3bThen I woke up in great perplexity of mind and great fear, and I said to my spirit, 4\u201cYou have brought this upon me, because you search out the ways of the Most High. 5I am still weary in mind and very weak in my spirit, and not even a little strength is left in me, because of the great fear with which I have been terrified tonight. 6Therefore I will now entreat the Most High that he may strengthen me to the end.\u201d
\n7Then I said, \u201cO sovereign LORD, if I have found favor in your sight, and if I have been accounted righteous before you beyond many others, and if my prayer has indeed come up before your face, 8strengthen me and show me, your servant, the interpretation and meaning of this terrifying vision so that you may fully comfort my soul. 9For you have judged me worthy to be shown the end of the times and the last events of the times.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE INTERPRETATION<\/p>\n
10He said to me, \u201cThis is the interpretation of this vision that you have seen: 11The eagle that you saw coming up from the sea is the fourth kingdom that appeared in a vision to your brother Daniel. 12But it was not explained to him as I now explain to you or have explained it. 13The days are coming when a kingdom shall rise on earth, and it shall be more terrifying than all the kingdoms that have been before it. 14And twelve kings shall reign in it, one after another. 15But the second that is to reign shall hold sway for a longer time than any other one of the twelve. 16This is the interpretation of the twelve wings that you saw.
\n17\u201cAs for your hearing a voice that spoke, coming not from the eagle\u2019s heads but from the midst of its body, this is the interpretation: 18In the midst of the time of that kingdom great struggles shall arise, and it shall be in danger of falling; nevertheless it shall not fall then, but shall regain its former power. 19As for your seeing eight little wings clinging to its wings, this is the interpretation: 20Eight kings shall arise in it, whose times shall be short and their years swift; 21two of them shall perish when the middle of its time draws near; and four shall be kept for the time when its end approaches, but two shall be kept until the end.
\n22\u201cAs for your seeing three heads at rest, this is the interpretation: 23In its last days the Most High will raise up three kings, and they shall renew many things in it, and shall rule the earth 24and its inhabitants more oppressively than all who were before them. Therefore they are called the heads of the eagle, 25because it is they who shall sum up his wickedness and perform his last actions. 26As for your seeing that the large head disappeared, one of the kings shall die in his bed, but in agonies. 27But as for the two who remained, the sword shall devour them. 28For the sword of one shall devour him who was with him; but he also shall fall by the sword in the last days.
\n29As for your seeing two little wings passing over to the head which was on the right side, 30this is the interpretation: It is these whom the Most High has kept for the eagle\u2019s end; this was the reign which was brief and full of tumult, as you have seen. 31\u201cAnd as for the lion whom you saw rousing up out of the forest and roaring and speaking to the eagle and reproving him for his unrighteousness, and as for all his words that you have heard, 32this is the messiah whom the Most High has kept until the end of days, who will arise from the offspring of David, and will come and speak with them. He will denounce them for their ungodliness and for their wickedness, and will display before them their contemptuous dealings. 33For first he will bring them alive before his judgment seat, and when he has reproved them, then he will destroy them. 34But in mercy he will set free the remnant of my people, those who have been saved throughout my borders, and he will make them joyful until the end comes, the day of judgment, of which I spoke to you at the beginning. 35This is the dream that you saw, and this is its interpretation. 36And you alone were worthy to learn this secret of the Most High.<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION AND INJUNCTIONS<\/p>\n
37Therefore write all these things that you have seen in a book, put it in a hidden place; 38and you shall teach them to the wise among your people, whose hearts you know are able to comprehend and keep these secrets. 39But as for you, wait here seven days more, so that you may be shown whatever it pleases the Most High to show you.\u201d Then he left me.<\/p>\n
THE SEER COMFORTS THOSE WHO WERE GRIEVED BECAUSE OF HIS ABSENCE<\/p>\n
40When all the people heard that the seven days were past and I had not returned to the city, they all gathered together, from the least to the greatest, and came to me and spoke to me, saying, 41\u201cHow have we offended you, and what harm have we done you, that you have forsaken us and sit in this place? 42For of all the prophets you alone are left to us, like a cluster of grapes from the vintage, and like a lamp in a dark place, and like a haven for a ship saved from a storm. 43Are not the disasters that have befallen us enough? 44Therefore if you forsake us, how much better it would have been for us if we also had been consumed in the burning of Zion. 45For we are no better than those who died there.\u201d And they wept with a loud voice.
\nThen I answered them and said, 46\u201cTake courage, O Israel; and do not be sorrowful, O house of Jacob; 47for the Most High has you in remembrance, and the Mighty One has not forgotten you in your struggle. 48As for me, I have neither forsaken you nor withdrawn from you; but I have come to this place to pray on account of the desolation of Zion, and to seek mercy on account of the humiliation of our sanctuary. 49Now go to your homes, every one of you, and after these days I will come to you.\u201d 50So the people went into the city, as I told them to do. 51But I sat in the field seven days, as the angel had commanded me; and I ate only of the flowers of the field, and my food was of plants during those days.<\/p>\n
The Sixth Vision; Description of the Vision<\/p>\n
13:1After seven days I dreamed a dream in the night. 2And lo, a wind arose from the sea and stirred up all its waves. 3As I kept looking the wind made something like the figure of a man come up out of the heart of the sea. And I saw that this man flew with the clouds of heaven; and wherever he turned his face to look, everything under his gaze trembled, 4and whenever his voice issued from his mouth, all who heard his voice melted as wax melts when it feels the fire.
\n5After this I looked and saw that an innumerable multitude of people were gathered together from the four winds of heaven to make war against the man who came up out of the sea. 6And I looked and saw that he carved out for himself a great mountain, and flew up on to it. 7And I tried to see the region or place from which the mountain was carved, but I could not.
\n8After this I looked and saw that all who had gathered together against him, to wage war with him, were filled with fear, and yet they dared to fight. 9When he saw the onrush of the approaching multitude, he neither lifted his hand nor held a spear or any weapon of war; 10but I saw only how he sent forth from his mouth something like a stream of fire, and from his lips a flaming breath, and from his tongue he shot forth a storm of sparks. 11All these were mingled together, the stream of fire and the flaming breath and the great storm, and fell on the onrushing multitude that was prepared to fight, and burned up all of them, so that suddenly nothing was seen of the innumerable multitude but only the dust of ashes and the smell of smoke. When I saw it, I was amazed.
\n12After this I saw the same man come down from the mountain and call to himself another multitude that was peaceable. 13aThen many people came to him, some of whom were joyful and some sorrowful; some of them were bound, and some were bringing others as offerings.<\/p>\n
THE SEER PRAYS THAT GOD WILL INTERPRET THE VISION TO HIM<\/p>\n
13bThen I woke up in great terror, and prayed to the Most High, and said, 14\u201cFrom the beginning you have shown your servant these wonders, and have deemed me worthy to have my prayer heard by you; 15now show me the interpretation of this dream also. 16For as I consider it in my mind, alas for those who will be left in those days! And still more, alas for those who are not left! 17For those who are not left will be sad 18because they understand the things that are reserved for the last days, but cannot attain them. 19But alas for those also who are left, and for that very reason! For they shall see great dangers and much distress, as these dreams show. 20Yet it is better to come into these things, though incurring peril, than to pass from the world like a cloud, and not to see what will happen in the last days.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE INTERPRETATION<\/p>\n
He answered me and said, 21\u201cI will tell you the interpretation of the vision, and I will also explain to you the things that you have mentioned. 22As for what you said about those who survive, and concerning those who do not survive, this is the interpretation: 23The one who brings the peril at that time will protect those who fall into peril, who have works and faith toward the Almighty. 24Understand therefore that those who are left are more blessed than those who have died.
\n25\u201cThis is the interpretation of the vision: As for your seeing a man come up from the heart of the sea, 26this is he whom the Most High has been keeping for many ages, who will himself deliver his creation;and he will direct those who are left. 27And as for your seeing wind and fire and a storm coming out of his mouth, 28and as for his not holding a spear or weapon of war, yet destroying the onrushing multitude that came to conquer him, this is the interpretation: 29The days are coming when the Most High will deliver those who are on the earth. 30And bewilderment of mind shall come over those who inhabit the earth. 31They shall plan to make war against one another, city against city, place against place, people against people, and kingdom against kingdom. 32When these things take place and the signs occur that I showed you before, then my Son will be revealed, whom you saw as a man coming up from the sea.
\n33\u201cThen, when all the nations hear his voice, all the nations shall leave their own lands and the warfare that they have against one another; 34and an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together, as you saw, wishing to come and conquer him. 35But he shall stand on the top of Mount Zion. 36And Zion shall come and be made manifest to all people, prepared and built, as you saw the mountain carved out without hands. 37Then he, my Son, will reprove the assembled nations for their ungodliness (this was symbolized by the storm), 38and will reproach them to their face with their evil thoughts and the torments with which they are to be tortured (which were symbolized by the flames), and will destroy them without effort by means of the law (which was symbolized by the fire).
\n39\u201cAnd as for your seeing him gather to himself another multitude that was peaceable, 40these are the nine tribes that were taken away from their own land into exile in the days of King Hoshea, whom Shalmaneser, king of the Assyrians, made captives; he took them across the river, and they were taken into another land. 41But they formed this plan for themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the nations and go to a more distant region, where no human beings had ever lived, 42so that there at least they might keep their statutes that they had not kept in their own land. 43And they went in by the narrow passages of the Euphrates river. 44For at that time the Most High performed signs for them, and stopped the channels of the river until they had crossed over. 45Through that region there was a long way to go, a journey of a year and a half; and that country is called Arzareth.
\n46\u201cThen they lived there until the last times; and now, when they are about to come again, 47the Most High will stop the channels of the river again, so that they may be able to cross over. Therefore you saw the multitude gathered together in peace. 48But those who are left of your people, who are found within my holy borders, shall be saved. 49Therefore when he destroys the multitude of the nations that are gathered together, he will defend the people who remain. 50And then he will show them very many wonders.\u201d
\n51I said, \u201cO sovereign LORD, explain this to me: Why did I see the man coming up from the heart of the sea?\u201d
\n52He said to me, \u201cJust as no one can explore or know what is in the depths 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. 53This is the interpretation of the dream that you saw. And you alone have been enlightened about this, 54because you have forsaken your own ways and have applied yourself to mine, and have searched out my law; 55for you have devoted your life to wisdom, and called understanding your mother.<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION AND INJUNCTIONS<\/p>\n
56Therefore I have shown you these things; for there is a reward laid up with the Most High. For it will be that after three more days I will tell you other things, and explain weighty and wondrous matters to you.\u201d
\n57Then I got up and walked in the field, giving great glory and praise to the Most High for the wonders that he does from time to time, 58and because he governs the times and whatever things come to pass in their seasons. And I stayed there three days.<\/p>\n
The Seventh Vision<\/p>\n
14:1On the third day, while I was sitting under an oak, suddenly a voice came out of a bush opposite me and said, \u201cEzra, Ezra!\u201d 2And I answered, \u201cHere I am, LORD,\u201d and I rose to my feet.
\n3Then he said to me, \u201cI revealed myself in a bush and spoke to Moses when my people were in bondage in Egypt; 4and I sent him and led my people out of Egypt; and I led him up on Mount Sinai, where I kept him with me many days. 5I told him many wondrous things, and showed him the secrets of the times and declared to him the end of the times. Then I commanded him, saying, 6\u2018These words you shall publish openly, and these you shall keep secret.\u2019 7And now I say to you: 8Lay up in your heart the signs that I have shown you, the dreams that you have seen, and the interpretations that you have heard; 9for you shall be taken up from among humankind, and henceforth you shall live with my Son and with those who are like you, until the times are ended. 10The age has lost its youth, and the times begin to grow old. 11For the age is divided into twelve parts, and nine of its parts have already passed, 12as well as half of the tenth part; so two of its parts remain, besides half of the tenth part. 13Now therefore, set your house in order, and reprove your people; comfort the lowly among them, and instruct those that are wise. And now renounce the life that is corruptible, 14and put away from you mortal thoughts; cast away from you the burdens of humankind, and divest yourself now of your weak nature; 15lay to one side the thoughts that are most grievous to you, and hurry to escape from these times. 16For evils worse than those that you have now seen happen shall take place hereafter. 17For the weaker the world becomes through old age, the more shall evils be increased upon its inhabitants. 18Truth shall go farther away, and falsehood shall come near. For the eagle that you saw in the vision is already hurrying to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
EZRA\u2019S PRAYER FOR INSPIRATION TO RESTORE THE HOLY SCRIPTURES IS GRANTED<\/p>\n
19Then I answered and said, \u201cLet me speak in your presence, LORD. 20For I will go, as you have commanded me, and I will reprove the people who are now living; but who will warn those who will be born hereafter? For the world lies in darkness, and its inhabitants are without light. 21For your law has been burned, and so no one knows the things which have been done or will be done by you. 22If then I have found favor with you, send the holy spirit into me, and I will write everything that has happened in the world from the beginning, the things that were written in your law, so that people may be able to find the path, and that those who want to live in the last days may do so.\u201d
\n23He answered me and said, \u201cGo and gather the people, and tell them not to seek you for forty days. 24But prepare for yourself many writing tablets, and take with you Sarea, Dabria, Selemia, Ethanus, and Asiel\u2014these five, who are trained to write rapidly; 25and you shall come here, and I will light in your heart the lamp of understanding, which shall not be put out until what you are about to write is finished. 26And when you have finished, some things you shall make public, and some you shall deliver in secret to the wise; tomorrow at this hour you shall begin to write.\u201d<\/p>\n
EZRA REPROVES THE PEOPLE<\/p>\n
27Then I went as he commanded me, and I gathered all the people together, and said, 28\u201cHear these words, O Israel. 29At first our ancestors lived as aliens in Egypt, and they were liberated from there 30and received the law of life, which they did not keep, which you also have transgressed after them. 31Then land was given to you for a possession in the land of Zion; but you and your ancestors committed iniquity and did not keep the ways that the Most High commanded you. 32And since he is a righteous judge, in due time he took from you what he had given. 33And now you are here, and your people are farther in the interior. 34If you, then, will rule over your minds and discipline your hearts, you shall be kept alive, and after death you shall obtain mercy. 35For after death the judgment will come, when we shall live again; and then the names of the righteous shall become manifest, and the deeds of the ungodly shall be disclosed. 36But let no one come to me now, and let no one seek me for forty days.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE REVELATION OF SCRIPTURES<\/p>\n
37So I took the five men, as he commanded me, and we proceeded to the field, and remained there. 38And on the next day a voice called me, saying, \u201cEzra, open your mouth and drink what I give you to drink.\u201d 39So I opened my mouth, and a full cup was offered to me; it was full of something like water, but its color was like fire. 40I took it and drank; and when I had drunk it, my heart poured forth understanding, and wisdom increased in my breast, for my spirit retained its memory, 41and my mouth was opened and was no longer closed. 42Moreover, the Most High gave understanding to the five men, and by turns they wrote what was dictated, using characters that they did not know. They sat forty days;they wrote during the daytime, and ate their bread at night. 43But as for me, I spoke in the daytime and was not silent at night. 44So during the forty days, ninety-four books were written.
\n45And when the forty days were ended, the Most High spoke to me, saying, \u201cMake public the twenty-four books that you wrote first, and let the worthy and the unworthy read them; 46but keep the seventy that were written last, in order to give them to the wise among your people. 47For in them is the spring of understanding, the fountain of wisdom, and the river of knowledge.\u201d 48And I did so.
\n49In the seventh year of the sixth week, five thousand years and three months and twelve days after creation. 50At that time Ezra was caught up, and taken to the place of those who are like him, after he had written all these things. And he was called the scribe of knowledge of the Most High forever and ever.<\/p>\n
Testaments<\/p>\n
Testaments form a special subcategory of writings attributed to biblical figures. As the name suggests, these are deathbed speeches\u2014living wills put in the mouths of various patriarchs, who thus predict the future lives and characters of their descendants. Like other attributed writings, the Testaments may become a vehicle for connecting instructions for living through the tribulations of the writer\u2019s present with the authority of the patriarchal past.<\/p>\n
Testament of Abraham<\/p>\n
Annette Yoshiko Reed<\/p>\n
The Testament of Abraham is an expansive account of the events leading up to Abraham\u2019s death. The title identifies it as a \u201ctestament,\u201d a genre featuring deathbed speeches. Yet the text plays with the conventions of the genre. It also draws from other genres, including the Jewish Apocalypse and the Greco-Roman novel. By means of an engaging narrative, it offers a thoughtful reflection on mortality.
\nThe story begins when God sends the archangel Michael to tell Abraham of his impending death. After experiencing the patriarch\u2019s legendary hospitality, Michael finds himself unable to carry out the task. God thus sends a dream to Isaac, so that Abraham has time to settle his affairs. Abraham, however, forestalls dying. He asks to see all of God\u2019s creation. After this vision, he promises he will die willingly. Michael takes him on a tour of otherworldly realms, and Abraham learns all about afterlife judgment. When he returns to earth, God sends Death to him. Abraham distracts Death by asking to see all of his faces. According to one version of the Testament, Abraham resists God\u2019s decree until the very end, and Death must use trickery to take his soul.
\nThe Testament concludes with Abraham\u2019s soul being sent to paradise. Unlike the heroes of most testaments, however, he does not pass on his wisdom in a farewell address. He is so busy avoiding death that he never takes the time to distribute his property or bless his children. According to the Testament, Abraham is preeminently righteous, and he dies having already learned about afterlife judgment. He knows that his soul will dwell in paradise. Yet he fears dying and does everything in his power to escape it.<\/p>\n
Authorship and History<\/p>\n
Most scholars hold that the Testament of Abraham was written in the 1st or 2nd century CE, likely in Egypt. Some have speculated about a Hebrew original, but most have held that it was composed in Greek. More than thirty Greek manuscripts survive. It was also translated into Coptic, Arabic, Ethiopic, Slavonic, and Romanian. Most of the translations were the work of Christian scribes. The Falasha version of the Ethiopic translation, however, suggests Jewish interest in the text as well.
\nThe Testament is not the creation of a single author but the product of a long process of formation. Early on in this process, two different versions emerged: a longer version (A) and a shorter version (B). The two tell the same basic story, with somewhat different scope, order, and emphasis. The relationship between them remains in debate. Most scholars believe that B is an abridgement of some form of A. After the split in the tradition, both versions underwent further changes. Thus, while A is generally closest to the original text, B preserves some early elements. Here, a translation of A is provided, with important differences in B noted in the commentary.
\nLike most non-biblical texts from the Second Temple period, the Testament owes its preservation almost wholly to Christian scholars. There is no direct evidence for any pre-Christian Jewish version. All known forms of the text bear the marks of Christian editorial activity. Its style and vocabulary also find their closest counterparts in Christian literature. Parallels with the New Testament and late antique Christian literature are copious.
\nOvertly Christian material, however, is minor in scope and incidental to the plot and main themes of the Testament. Some details in the text contradict common Christian beliefs, and references to Christ are absent in places where one might expect to find them. The account of afterlife judgment, for instance, involves only Adam, Abel, the twelve tribes of Israel, and God. For these reasons, it is common in scholarship to suggest that the original \u201ccore\u201d of the Testament was Jewish.
\nEven in its present form, the Testament\u2018s continuities with Judaism remain significant. Its worldview and theology are close to those of Hellenistic Jewish literature. Its descriptions of Abraham echo portraits of the patriarch in the Book of Jubilees, the Genesis Apocryphon, and the writings of Philo and Josephus, while its image of heaven recalls apocalypses like 1 Enoch, 2 Enoch, and 4 Ezra. Perhaps most striking are the resonances with Rabbinic Judaism. The plot of the Testament is similar to traditions about the death of Moses found in works like Sifre Deuteronomy and Devarim Rabbah. The text\u2019s treatment of Abraham, God, divine justice, and death also resonate with classical Rabbinic traditions. Like Rabbinic midrash, the Testament often uses humor to express profound truths.<\/p>\n
Significance<\/p>\n
The Testament of Abraham provides important evidence for post-biblical beliefs about death and the afterlife. Gen. 25:7\u20139 reports that Abraham \u201cbreathed his last\u201d at the age of 175. He \u201cdied in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his ancestors,\u201d after which he was buried by Isaac and Ishmael in the cave of Machpelah. This description is typical of the attitude toward death in the Torah\u2014namely, that a good death is a well-deserved rest after a long life.
\nIn contrast to the Torah, the literature of Second Temple Judaism brims with detailed dreams and visions related to the afterlife. Some ask when the end of the world will come; others describe where the dead will be punished and rewarded. The Testament extends this trajectory. It is unusual, however, in focusing on how souls are judged. Version A places this judgment in heaven, whereas version B locates it at the edge of the earth. In both versions, Adam sits enthroned at the crossroads between the narrow path of the righteous and the wide path of the wicked. In between the paths, Abel oversees angels who weigh and test the souls of the dead. In version B, he is joined by Enoch, who records their deeds. Abraham is told that this elaborate process is only the first of three judgments. Everyone will also be judged at the end of time by the twelve tribes of Israel and, finally, by God.
\nPerhaps the most distinctive element of the Testament is its portrait of Abraham. Although the Torah allows for the fallibility of its heroes, later exegetes tended to treat biblical patriarchs and prophets as ethical exemplars. Abraham and Moses, in particular, were elevated and idealized. The biblical references to their flaws were often explained away. Along these same lines, the Testament lauds Abraham as righteous, hospitable, and pious. Yet it emphasizes the patriarch\u2019s humanity. He is depicted as an old man who fears death. This comes through most clearly in version A, where Abraham audaciously resists the divine decree of death. He prolongs his life through the ruse of asking to see all of creation, and he reneges on the deal to die willingly thereafter. When faced with his own mortality, he exploits the special treatment afforded to him. Even the angels seem surprised by Abraham\u2019s departure from his characteristic obedience.
\nThis characterization of the aged Abraham stands in contrast to the idealized patriarch of post-biblical tradition. The closest parallel is found in Rabbinic traditions about the death of Moses. The Testament\u2018s depiction of Abraham may have been influenced by early forms of these traditions. Alternately, tales about the deaths of Abraham and Moses may have developed in tandem.<\/p>\n
GUIDE TO READING<\/p>\n
Modern readers rarely expect to find humor in ancient religious texts. Likewise, some may be surprised at the Testament\u2018s irreverent portrait of Abraham. These elements are downplayed in version B, but they are central to understanding version A, which is likely closer to the original. Version A almost seems to satirize post-biblical approaches to Abraham that elevate the patriarch at the expense of his humanity. In the process, it recovers the poignantly flawed patriarch of Gen. 12\u201336, painting a vivid portrait of a great man at the end of his life.
\nSome readers may also be surprised at the Testament\u2018s boldness in departing from Genesis. For the most part, it \u201cfills gaps\u201d left by the Torah. Even where it departs from it, however, it assumes that its readers are intimately familiar with biblical traditions. In a manner reminiscent of Rabbinic midrash, it interprets and supplements the Torah, so as to draw out a broader message.<\/p>\n
SUGGESTED READING<\/p>\n
Allison, Dale C., Jr. Testament of Abraham (Commentaries on Early Jewish Literature). Walter de Gruyter, 2003. Sanders, E. P. \u201cTestament of Abraham.\u201d In OTP 1:871\u2013902.
\nReed, Annette Y. \u201cThe Construction and Subversion of Patriarchal Perfection: Abraham and Exemplarity in Philo, Josephus, and the Testament of Abraham.\u201d Journal for the Study of Judaism 40.2 (2009) 185\u2013212.<\/p>\n
TRANSLATION<\/p>\n
1:1. Abraham lived the measure of his life, 995 years. Having lived all the years of his life in quietness, gentleness, and righteousness, the righteous man was exceedingly hospitable. 2. Pitching his tent at the crossroads of the oak of Mamre, he received everyone\u2014rich and poor, kings and rulers, the maimed and the helpless, friends and strangers, neighbors and travelers. All alike did the devout, all-holy, righteous, and hospitable Abraham entertain. 3. But, even upon this man, there came the common, inexorable, bitter lot of death and the uncertain end of life. 4. Now Master God, summoning his archangel Michael, said to him: \u201cGo down, commander-in-chief Michael, to Abraham, and speak to him concerning his death, so that he may set his affairs in order. 5. For I have blessed him as the stars of heaven and as the sand by the sea shore. He has a prosperous life and many possessions, and he is exceedingly rich. Yet, above all people, he has been righteous in every goodness, hospitable and loving to the end of his life. 6. You, archangel Michael, go to Abraham, my beloved friend. Announce his death to him, and assure him in this manner: 7. \u2018At this time, you are about to depart from this vain world and about to quit the body, and you shall go to your own Master among the good.\u2019 \u201d
\n2:1. The commander-in-chief left the presence of God and went down to Abraham at the oak of Mamre. He found the righteous Abraham in the field nearby, sitting beside yokes of oxen for ploughing, together with the sons of Masek and other servants numbering twelve. Behold, the commander-in-chief came to him. 2. Upon seeing the commander-in-chief Michael coming from afar, like a handsome warrior, Abraham arose and met him, as was his custom to meet and entertain all strangers. 3. The commander-in-chief saluted him and said: \u201cHail, most honored father, righteous soul chosen by God, true son of the Heavenly One!\u201d 4. Abraham said to the commander-in-chief: \u201cHail, most honored warrior, bright as the sun and more beautiful than all the sons of men! You are welcome. 5. Therefore I implore your presence. Tell me whence comes the youthfulness of your stature. Teach me, your supplicant, whence and from what army and from what journey your beauty has come here.\u201d 6. The commander-in-chief said: \u201cRighteous Abraham, I come from the great city. I have been sent by the great King to [see to the orderly departure] of a good friend of His, for the King has summoned him.\u201d 7. Abraham said: \u201cCome, my lord; go with me as far as my field.\u201d The commander-in-chief said: \u201cI am coming.\u201d 8. Going into the field of the ploughing, they sat down beside the company. 9. Abraham said to his servants, the sons of Masek: \u201cGo to the herd of horses, and bring two horses, quiet, gentle, and tame, so that I and this stranger may ride on them.\u201d 10. But the commander-in-chief said: \u201cNo, my lord Abraham, let them not bring horses; for I abstain from ever riding upon any four-footed beast. 11. Is not my King rich in many possessions, having authority over both people and all kinds of cattle? [Yet] I abstain from ever sitting upon any four-footed beast. 12. Let us go, then, righteous soul, walking lightly until we reach your house.\u201d Abraham said, \u201cAmen. May it be so.\u201d
\n3:1. As they went from the field toward his house, 2. beside that path there stood a cypress tree.3. By the command of the LORD, the tree called out with a human voice, saying \u201cHoly, holy, holy is the LORD God who calls to those who love Him.\u201d 4. But Abraham hid the mystery, thinking that the commander-in-chief had not heard the voice of the tree. 5. Coming now to the house, they sat down in the court. Isaac, upon seeing the face of the angel, said to Sarah his mother: \u201cMother, behold! The man sitting with my father Abraham is not a son of the race of those who dwell on the earth!\u201d 6. Isaac ran and bowed down to him. He fell at the feet of the incorporeal one. The incorporeal one blessed him and said: \u201cThe LORD God will grant you His promise that he made to your father Abraham and to his seed, and He will also grant you the precious vow of your father and your mother.\u201d 7. Abraham said to Isaac his son: \u201cMy son Isaac, draw water from the well, and bring it me in the vessel, so that we may wash the feet of this stranger; for he is tired, having come to us from a long journey.\u201d 8. Isaac ran to the well and drew water in the vessel and brought it to them. 9. Abraham went up and washed the feet of the commander-in-chief Michael. Abraham\u2019s heart was moved, and he wept over the stranger. 10. Isaac, upon seeing his father weeping, wept also. And the chief captain, upon seeing them weeping, wept with them as well. The tears of the commander-in-chief fell upon the vessel into the water of the basin and became precious stones. 11. Abraham, seeing the marvel and being astonished, took the stones secretly, and he hid the mystery, keeping it to himself in his heart.
\n4:1. Abraham said to Isaac his son: \u201cGo, my beloved son, into the inner chamber of the house and beautify it. Spread for us there two couches, one for me and one for this man who is a guest with us today. 2. Prepare for us there a seat and a candlestick and a table with abundance of every good thing. Beautify the chamber, my son, and spread under us linen and purple and fine linen. Burn there every precious and excellent incense, and bring sweet-smelling plants from the garden and fill our house with them. 3. Kindle seven lamps full of oil, so that we may rejoice, for this man that is our guest this day is more glorious than kings or rulers, and his appearance surpasses all the sons of men.\u201d 4. Isaac prepared all things well. Abraham, taking the archangel Michael, went into the chamber. They both sat down upon the couches, and between them he placed a table with abundance of every good thing. 5. Then the chief captain arose and went out, as if by constraint of his belly to make issue of water, and he ascended to heaven in the twinkling of an eye. 6. He stood before the LORD and said to him: \u201cMaster, LORD, let your power know that I am unable to remind that righteous man of his death! For I have not seen upon the earth a man like him\u2014merciful, hospitable, righteous, truthful, devout, refraining from every evil deed. Know now, LORD, that I cannot remind him of his death!\u201d 7. The LORD said: \u201cGo down, commander-in-chief Michael, to my friend Abraham. Whatever he says to you, do this too, and whatever he eats, also eat with him. 8. I will send my holy spirit upon his son Isaac. I will put the remembrance of his death into the heart of Isaac, so that he will see his father\u2019s death in a dream. [Then] Isaac will relate the dream, and you shall interpret it, and he himself [i.e., Abraham] will know his end.\u201d 9. And the commander-in-chief said, \u201cLORD, all the heavenly spirits are incorporeal, and neither eat nor drink. This man has set before me a table with abundance of all good things earthly and corruptible. Now, LORD, what shall I do? How shall I escape him, sitting at one table with him?\u201d 10. The LORD said: \u201cGo down to him, and take no thought for this. When you sit down with him, I will send upon you a devouring spirit, and it will consume out of your hands and through your mouth all that is on the table. Rejoice together with him in everything. 11. Only interpret well the things of the vision, so that Abraham may know the sickle of death and the uncertain end of life and so that he may make disposal of all his possessions; for I have blessed him above the sand of the sea and as the stars of heaven.\u201d
\n5:1. Then the chief captain went down to Abraham\u2019s house. He sat down with him at the table, and Isaac served them. 2. When dinner ended, Abraham prayed after his custom, and the commander-in-chief prayed together with him. Each lay down to sleep upon his couch. 3. Isaac said to his father: \u201cFather, I would also like to sleep with you in this chamber, so that I may hear your discourse. For I love to hear the excellence of this virtuous man\u2019s conversation.\u201d 4. Abraham said: \u201cNo, my son, go to your own chamber, and sleep on your own couch, lest we be troublesome to this man.\u201d 5. Then Isaac, having received the prayer from them and having blessed them, went to his own chamber and lay down upon his couch. 6. But the LORD cast the thought of death into Isaac\u2019s heart as in a dream. 7. Around the third hour of the night, Isaac awoke. He rose up from his couch and came running to the chamber in which his father was sleeping together with the archangel. 8. Upon reaching the door, Isaac cried out, saying, \u201cMy father Abraham, arise and open to me quickly, so that I may enter and hang upon your neck and embrace you before they take you away from me!\u201d 9. Abraham arose and opened to him. Isaac entered and hung upon his neck, and began to weep with a loud voice. 10. Abraham, being moved at heart, also wept with a loud voice, and the commander-in-chief, seeing them weeping, wept also. 11. Sarah being in her room, heard their weeping, and came running to them, and found them embracing and weeping. 12. Sarah said with weeping, \u201cMy lord Abraham, why do you weep? Tell me, my lord. 13. Has this brother who has been entertained by us this day brought you tidings of Lot, your brother\u2019s son, that he is dead? Is it for this that you grieve thus?\u201d 14. The commander-in-chief answered and said to her, \u201cNo, my sister Sarah, it is not as you say, but your son Isaac beheld a dream and came to us weeping. Seeing him, we were moved in our hearts and wept.\u201d
\n6:1. Sarah, hearing the excellence of the conversation of the commander-in-chief, immediately knew that it was an angel of the LORD who spoke. 2. Sarah therefore signaled to Abraham to come out toward the door, and she said to him: \u201cMy lord Abraham, do you know who this man is?\u201d 3. Abraham said: \u201cI do not know.\u201d 4. Sarah said: \u201cYou know, my lord, the three men from heaven who were entertained by us in our tent beside the oak of Mamre, when you killed the kid without blemish and set a table before them. 5. After the flesh had been eaten, the kid rose again and sucked its mother with great joy. Do you not know, my lord Abraham, that by promise they gave to us Isaac as the fruit of the womb? This is one of those three holy men!\u201d 6. Abraham said: \u201cSarah, in this you speak the truth! Glory and praise from our God and Father; for, late in the evening when I washed his feet in the basin, I said in my heart: \u2018These are the feet of one of the three men that I washed then.\u2019 7. His tears that fell into the basin then became precious stones.\u201d Shaking them out from his lap, he gave them to Sarah, saying: \u201cIf you do not believe me, look at these.\u201d 8. Receiving them, Sarah bowed down and saluted and said, \u201cGlory to God who shows us wonderful things! Now know, my lord Abraham, that there is among us the revelation of some thing, whether it is evil or good.\u201d
\n7:1. Abraham left Sarah, and he went into the chamber and said to Isaac: \u201cCome here, my beloved son. Tell me the truth, what it was you saw and what befell you that you came so hastily to us.\u201d 2. Answering, Isaac began to speak; \u201cI saw, my lord, in this night the sun and the moon above my head, surrounding me with its rays and giving me light. 3. As I gazed at this and rejoiced, I saw the heaven opened, and a man bearing light descend from it, shining more than seven suns. 4. This man like the sun came and took away the sun from my head, and he went up into the heavens from whence he came, but I was greatly grieved that he took away the sun from me. 5. After a little, as I was still sorrowing and sore troubled, I saw this man come forth from heaven a second time, and he took away from me the moon also from off my head. 6. I wept greatly and called upon that man of light, and said, \u2018Do not, my LORD, take away my glory from me. Have mercy upon me and hear me, and if you take away the sun from me, then leave the moon to me.\u2019 7. He said, \u2018Suffer them to be taken up to the King above, for he wishes them there.\u2019 And he took them away from me, but he left the rays upon me.\u201d 8. The commander-in-chief said: \u201cHear, righteous Abraham, the sun that your son saw is you, his father, and the moon likewise is Sarah his mother. The man bearing light who descended from heaven, this is the one sent from God who is to take your righteous soul from you. 9. Now know, O most honored Abraham, that at this time you shall leave this worldly life, and remove to God.\u201d 10. Abraham said to the chief captain, \u201cO strangest of marvels!Now are you he who shall take my soul from me?\u201d 11. The commander-in-chief said to him, \u201cI am the commander-in-chief Michael, who stands before the LORD, and I was sent to you to remind you of your death, and then I shall depart to Him as I was commanded.\u201d 12. Abraham said, \u201cNow I know that you are an angel of the LORD and were sent to take my soul. I will not go with you, but do you whatever you are commanded!\u201d
\n8:1. The commander-in-chief, hearing these words, immediately vanished. Ascending into heaven, he stood before God and told all that he had seen in the house of Abraham. 2. The commander-in-chief said this also to his LORD, \u201cThus says your friend Abraham: \u2018I will not go with you, but do you whatever you are commanded!\u2019 3. And now, LORD Almighty, does your glory and everlasting kingdom order anything?\u201d 4. God said to the commander-in-chief Michael: \u201cGo to my friend Abraham once again and speak to him thus: 5. Thus says the LORD your God, who brought you into the Promised Land, who blessed you above the sand of the sea and above the stars of heaven, 6. who opened the womb of the barrenness of Sarah and granted you Isaac as the fruit of the womb in old age: 7. truly I say to you that blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your seed, and I will give you all that you shall ask from me; for I am the LORD your God, and besides me there is no other. 8. Tell me why you have rebelled against me and why there is grief in you and why you rebelled against my archangel Michael! 9. Do you not know that all who have come from Adam and Eve have died and that none of the prophets<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
uncovered. 32They howl and shout before their gods as some do at a funeral banquet. 33The priests take some of the clothing of their gods to clothe their wives and children. 34Whether one does evil to them or good, they will not be able to repay it. They cannot set up a king or depose … <\/p>\n