2 Esdras 15 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Vengeance on the Wicked

15 ^[a]Speak in the ears of my people the words of the prophecy that I will put in your mouth, says the Lord,^(A)2 and cause them to be written on paper, for they are trustworthy and true.^(B)3 Do not fear the plots against you, and do not be troubled by the unbelief of those who oppose you. ⁴ For all unbelievers shall die in their unbelief.^[b](C)

⁵ Beware, says the Lord, I am bringing evils upon the world, the sword and famine, death and destruction,^(D)6 because iniquity has spread throughout every land, and their harmful doings have reached their limit.^(E)7 Therefore, says the Lord, ⁸ I will be silent no longer concerning their ungodly acts that they impiously commit, neither will I tolerate their wicked practices. Innocent and righteous blood cries out to me, and the souls of the righteous cry out continually.^(F)9 I will surely avenge them, says the Lord, and will receive to myself all the innocent blood from among them. ¹⁰ See, my people are being led like a flock to the slaughter; I will not allow them to live any longer in the land of Egypt,^(G)11 but I will bring them out with a mighty hand and with an uplifted arm and will strike Egypt with plagues, as before, and will destroy all its land.^(H)

¹² Let Egypt mourn and its foundations, because of the plague of chastisement and castigation that the Lord will bring upon it.^(I)13 Let the farmers that who the ground mourn because their seed shall fail to grow^[c] and their trees shall be ruined by blight and hail and by a terrible tempest.^(J)14 Alas for the world and for those who live in it!^(K)15 For the sword and misery draw near them, and nation shall rise up to fight against nation, with swords in their hands.^(L)16 For there shall be unrest among people; growing strong against one another, they shall in their might have no respect for their king or the chief of their leaders.^(M)17 For a person will desire to go into a city and shall not be able to do so. ¹⁸ Because of their pride the cities shall be in confusion, the houses shall be destroyed, and people shall be afraid. ¹⁹ People shall have no pity for their neighbors but shall make an assault upon^[d] their houses with the sword and plunder their goods because of hunger for bread and because of great tribulation.^(N)

²⁰ See how I am calling together all the kings of the earth to turn to me, says God, from the rising sun and from the south, from the east and from Lebanon, to turn and repay what they have given them. ²¹ Just as they have done to my elect until this day, so I will do and will pay it back into their laps. Thus says the Lord God:^(O)22 My right hand will not spare the sinners, and my sword will not cease from those who shed innocent blood on earth.^(P)23 And a fire went forth from his wrath and consumed the foundations of the earth and the sinners, like burnt straw.^(Q)24 Alas for those who sin and do not observe my commandments, says the Lord;^[e]25 I will not spare them. Depart, you faithless children! Do not pollute my sanctuary. ²⁶ For God^[f] knows all who sin against him; therefore he will hand them over to death and slaughter. ²⁷ Already calamities have come upon the whole earth, and you shall remain in them; God^[g] will not deliver you, because you have sinned against him.

A Terrifying Vision of Warfare

²⁸ What a terrifying sight, appearing from the east! ²⁹ The nations of the dragons of Arabia shall come out with many chariots, and from the day that they set out their hissing shall spread over the earth, so that all who hear them will fear and tremble.^(R)30 Also the Carmonians, raging in wrath, shall go forth like wild boars^[h] from the forest, and with great power they shall come and engage them in battle, and with their tusks they shall devastate a portion of the land of the Assyrians with their teeth.^(S)31 And then the dragons,^[i] remembering their origin, shall become still stronger, and if they combine in great power and turn to pursue them, ³² then these shall be disorganized and silenced by their power and shall turn and flee.^[j]33 And from the land of the Assyrians an enemy in ambush shall attack them and destroy one of them, and fear and trembling shall come upon their army and indecision upon their kings.^(T)

Judgment on Babylon

³⁴ See the clouds from the east and from the north to the south! Their appearance is exceedingly threatening, full of wrath and storm.^(U)35 They shall clash against one another and shall pour out a heavy tempest on the earth and their own tempest,^[k] and there shall be blood from the sword as high as a horse’s belly^(V)36 and a man’s thigh and a camel’s hock. ³⁷ And there shall be fear and great trembling on the earth; those who see that wrath shall be horror-stricken, and they shall be seized with trembling. ³⁸ After that, heavy storm clouds shall be stirred up from the south and from the north and another part from the west.^(W)39 But the winds from the east shall prevail over the cloud that was^[l] raised in wrath and shall dispel it, and the tempest^[m] that was to cause destruction by the east wind shall be driven violently toward the south and west.^(X)40 Great and mighty clouds full of wrath and tempest^[n] shall rise and destroy all the earth and its inhabitants and shall pour out upon every high and lofty place^[o] a terrible tempest,^[p](Y)41 fire and hail and flying swords and floods of water, so that all the fields and all the streams shall be filled with the abundance of those waters. ⁴² They shall destroy cities and walls, mountains and hills, trees of the forests, and grass of the meadows and their grain. ⁴³ They shall go on steadily to Babylon and blot it out.^(Z)44 They shall come to it and surround it; they shall pour out on it the tempest^[q] and all its fury;^[r] then the dust and smoke shall reach the sky, and all who are around it shall mourn for it.^(AA)45 And those who survive shall serve those who have destroyed it.

Judgment on Asia

⁴⁶ And you, Asia, who share in the splendor of Babylon and the glory of her person,^(AB)47 woe to you, miserable wretch! For you have made yourself like her; you have decked out your daughters for prostitution to please and glory in your lovers, who have always lusted after you. ⁴⁸ You have imitated that hateful one in all her deeds and devices.^[s] Therefore, God^[t] says, ⁴⁹ I will send evils upon you: widowhood, poverty, famine, sword, and pestilence, bringing ruin to your houses, bringing destruction and death.^(AC)50 And the glory of your strength shall wither like a flower when the heat shall rise that is sent upon you.^(AD)51 You shall be weakened like a wretched woman who is beaten and wounded, so that you cannot receive your mighty lovers. ⁵² Would I have dealt with you so violently, says the Lord, ⁵³ if you had not killed my chosen people continually, exulting and clapping your hands and talking about their death when you were drunk?^(AE)

⁵⁴ Beautify your face!^(AF)55 The reward of a prostitute is in your lap; therefore you shall receive your recompense. ⁵⁶ As you will do to my chosen people, says the Lord, so God will do to you and will hand you over to adversities. ⁵⁷ Your children shall die of hunger, and you shall fall by the sword; your cities shall be wiped out, and all your people who are in the open country shall fall by the sword. ⁵⁸ Those who are in the mountains and highlands^[u] shall perish of hunger, and they shall eat their own flesh in hunger for bread and drink their own blood in thirst for water.^(AG)59 Unhappy above all others, you shall come and suffer fresh miseries. ⁶⁰ As they pass by they shall crush the hateful^[v] city and shall destroy a part of your land and abolish a portion of your glory, when they return from devastated Babylon. ⁶¹ You shall be broken down by them like stubble,^[w] and they shall be like fire to you.^(AH)62 They shall devour you and your cities, your land and your mountains; they shall burn with fire all your forests and your fruitful trees. ⁶³ They shall carry your children away captive, plunder your wealth, and mar the glory of your face.^(AI)

Footnotes

1. 15.1Chapters 15 and 16 (except 15.57–59, which has been found in Greek) are extant only in Lat
2. 15.4Other ancient authorities add and all who believe shall be saved by their faith
3. 15.13Lat lacks to grow
4. 15.19Cn: Lat shall empty
5. 15.24Other ancient authorities read God
6. 15.26Other ancient authorities read the Lord
7. 15.27Other ancient authorities read the Lord
8. 15.30Other ancient authorities lack like wild boars
9. 15.31Cn: Lat dragon
10. 15.32Other ancient authorities read turn their face to the north
11. 15.35Meaning of Lat uncertain
12. 15.39Lat that he
13. 15.39Lat star
14. 15.40Lat star
15. 15.40Or eminent person
16. 15.40Lat star
17. 15.44Lat star
18. 15.44Other ancient authorities add until they destroy it to its foundations
19. 15.48Other ancient authorities read devices, and you have followed after that one about to gratify her magnates and leaders so that you may be made proud and be pleased by her fornications
20. 15.48Other ancient authorities read the Lord
21. 15.58Gk: Lat omits and highlands
22. 15.60Other ancient authorities read idle or tranquil
23. 15.61Other ancient authorities read like dry straw

Cross references

1. 15.1 : Num 23.5
2. 15.2 : Rev 22.6
3. 15.4 : Ezek 3.19; Jn 3.36
4. 15.5 : Ezek 14.21
5. 15.6 : Mt 23.32
6. 15.8 : Gen 4.10; Rev 6.10; 19.2
7. 15.10 : Ps 44.22
8. 15.11 : Deut 4.34; Wis 16.16
9. 15.12 : Isa 19.1–15; Ezek 32.2–16; 2 Esd 16.1
10. 15.13 : vv 35, 40
11. 15.14 : Rev 8.13; 12.12
12. 15.15 : Isa 19.2; 2 Esd 13.31
13. 15.16 : v 33
14. 15.19 : Deut 28.54, 55
15. 15.21 : vv 53, 56; Ps 79.12
16. 15.22 : v 8
17. 15.23 : Deut 32.22; 2 Esd 16.9, 15
18. 15.29 : Isa 30.6
19. 15.30 : Ps 80.13
20. 15.33 : v 16
21. 15.34 : v 40
22. 15.35 : vv 13, 39, 40; Rev 14.20
23. 15.38 : Dan 7.2
24. 15.39 : vv 13, 34, 35, 40
25. 15.40 : vv 13, 34, 35; Rev 8.7
26. 15.43 : v 60; Rev 18.2
27. 15.44 : v 40; Rev 18.9; 19.3
28. 15.46 : 2 Esd 16.1; Rev 17.4
29. 15.49 : Rev 18.7, 8
30. 15.50 : Job 15.30; Ps 90.6; Jas 1.11
31. 15.53 : v 56; Rev 17.6
32. 15.54 : Jer 4.30; 2 Esd 16.50
33. 15.58 : Deut 28.53; Isa 9.20; 49.26
34. 15.61 : Isa 47.14; 2 Esd 16.6
35. 15.63 : Rev 18.15–17