Lost Books of the Bible (165 page)

31: And then will the dragons have the upper hand, remembering their nature; and if they will turn themselves, conspiring together in great power to persecute them,

32: Then these will be troubled bled, and keep silence through their power, and will flee.

33: And from the land of the Assyrians will the enemy besiege them, and consume some of them, and in their host will be fear and dread, and strife among their kings.

34: Behold clouds from the east and from the north to the south, and they are very horrible to look upon, full of rage and storm.

35: They will strike one upon another, and they will strike down a great multitude of stars upon the earth, even their own star; and blood will be from the sword to the belly,

36: And dung of men to the camel’s hock.

37: And there will be great fearfulness and trembling upon earth and they that see the rage will be afraid, and trembling will come upon them.

38: And then will there come great storms from the south, and from the north, and another section (piece) from the west.

39: And strong winds will arise from the east, and will open it; and the cloud which he raised up in rage, and the star stirred to cause fear toward the east and west wind, will be destroyed.

40: The great and mighty clouds will be puffed up full of rage, and the star, that they may make all the earth afraid, and them that dwell therein; and they will pour out over every high and eminent place an horrible star,

41: Fire, and hail, and flying swords, and many waters, that all fields may be full, and all rivers, with the abundance of great waters.

42: And they will break down the cities and walls, mountains and hills, trees of the wood, and grass of the meadows, and their corn.

43: And they will go steadfastly to Babylon, and make her afraid.

44: They will come to her, and besiege her, the star and all rage will they pour out upon her: then will the dust and smoke go up to the heaven, and all they that be about her will bewail her.

45: And they that remain under her will do service to them that have put her in fear.

46: And you, Asia, that are partaker of the hope of Babylon, and are the glory of her person:

47: Woe be to you, you wretch, because you have made yourself like to her; and have decked your daughters in whoredom, that they might please and glory in your lovers, which have always desired to commit whoredom with you.

48: You have followed her that is hated in all her works and inventions: therefore says God,

49: I will send plagues upon you; widowhood, poverty, famine, sword, and pestilence, to waste your houses with destruction and death.

50: And the glory of your Power will be dried up as a flower, the heat will arise that is sent over you.

51: You will be weakened as a poor woman with stripes, and as one covered with wounds, so that the mighty and lovers will not be able to receive you.

52: Would I with jealousy have so proceeded against you, says the Lord,

53: If you had not always slain my chosen, exalting the stroke of yours hands, and saying over their dead, when you was drunken,

54: Set forth the beauty of your countenance?

55: The reward of your whoredom will be in your bosom, therefore will you receive payment in full.

56: Like as you have done to my chosen, says the Lord, even so will God do to you, and will deliver you into mischief

57: Your children will die of hunger, and you will fall through the sword: your cities will be broken down, and all yours will perish with the sword in the field.

58: They that be in the mountains will die of hunger, and eat their own flesh, and drink their own blood, for very hunger of bread, and thirst of water.

59: You as unhappy will come through the sea, and receive plagues again.

60: And in the passage they will rush on the idle city, and will destroy some portion of your land, and consume part (piece) of your glory, and will return to Babylon that was destroyed.

61: And you will be cast down by them as stubble, and they will be to you as fire;

62: And will consume you, and your cities, your land, and your mountains; all your woods and your fruitful trees will they burn up with fire.

63: Your children will they carry away captive, and, look, what you have, they will spoil it, and mar the beauty of your face.

4 Ezra Chapter 16

1: Woe be to you, Babylon and Asia! Woe be to you, Egypt and Syria!

2: Gird up yourselves with cloths of sack and hair, bewail your children, and be sorry; for your destruction is at hand.

3: A sword is sent upon you, and who may turn it back?

4: A fire is sent among you, and who may quench it?

5: Plagues are sent to you, and what is he that may drive them away?

6: May any man drive away an hungry lion in the wood? Or may any one quench the fire in stubble when it has begun to burn?

7: May one turn again the arrow that is shot of a strong archer?

8: The mighty Lord sends the plagues and who is he that can drive them away?

9: A fire will go forth from his rage and who is he that may quench it?

10: He will cast lightning, and who will not fear? He will thunder and who will not be afraid?

11: The Lord will threaten, and who will not be utterly beaten to powder at his presence?

12: The earthquakes, and the foundations thereof; the sea rises up with waves from the deep, and the waves of it are troubled, and the fishes thereof also, before the Lord, and before the glory of his power:

13: For strong is his right hand that bends the bow, his arrows that he shoots are sharp and will not miss when they are shot into the ends of the world.

14: Behold, the plagues are sent, and will not return again, until they come upon the earth.

15: The fire is kindled, and will not be put out, till it consume the foundation of the earth.

16: Like as an arrow which is shot of a mighty archer returns not backward: even so the plagues that will be sent upon earth will not return again.

17: Woe is me! woe is me! Who will deliver me in those days?

18: The beginning of sorrows and great mourning; the beginning of famine and great death; the beginning of wars, and the powers will stand in fear; the beginning of evils! What will I do when these evils will come?

19: Behold, famine and plague, tribulation and anguish, are sent as scourges for amendment.

20: But for all these things they will not turn from their wickedness, nor be always mindful of the scourges.

21: Behold, victuals will be so good and cheap upon earth, that they will think themselves to be in good case, and even then will evils grow upon earth, sword, famine, and great confusion.

22: For many of them that dwell upon earth will perish of famine; and the other, that escape the hunger, will the sword destroy.

23: And the dead will be cast out as dung, and there will be no man to comfort them: for the earth will be wasted, and the cities will be cast down.

24: There will be no man left to till the earth, and to sow it

25: The trees will give fruit, and who will gather them?

26: The grapes will ripen, and who will tread them? For all places will be desolate of men;

27: So that one man will desire to see another, and to hear his voice.

28: For of a city there will be ten left, and two of the field, which will hide themselves in the thick groves, and in the clefts of the rocks.

29: As in an orchard of olives upon every tree there are left three or four olives;

30: Or as when a vineyard is gathered, there are left some clusters of them that diligently seek through the vineyard.

31: Even so in those days there will be three or four left by them that search their houses with the sword.

32: And the earth will be laid waste, and the fields thereof will wax old, and her ways and all her paths will grow full of thorns, because no man will travel through it.

33: The virgins will mourn, having no bridegrooms; the women will mourn, having no husbands; their daughters will mourn, having no helpers.

34: In the wars will their bridegrooms be destroyed and their husbands will perish of famine.

35: Hear now these things and understand them, you servants of the Lord.

36: Behold, the word of the Lord, receive it and believe not the gods of whom the Lord spoke.

37: Behold, the plagues draw near, and are not slack.

38: As when a woman with child in the ninth month brings forth her son, with two or three hours of her birth great pains compass her womb, which pains, when the child cometh forth, they slack not a moment.

39: Even so will not the plagues be slack to come upon the earth, and the world will mourn, and sorrows will come upon it on every side.

40: O my people, hear my word and make you ready to your battle, and in those evils be even as pilgrims upon the earth.

41: He that sells, let him be as he that runs away and he that buys, as one that will lose.

42: He that occupies merchandise, as he that has no profit by it, and he that builds, as he that will not dwell therein.

43: He that sows, as if he should not reap so also he that plants the vineyard, as he that will not gather the grapes.

44: They that marry, as they that will get no children; and they that marry not, as the widowers.

45: And therefore they that labor do so in vain;

46: For strangers will reap their fruits, and spoil their goods, overthrow their houses, and take their children captives, for in captivity and famine will they get children.

47: And they that occupy their merchandise with robbery, the more they deck their cities, their houses, their possessions, and their own persons;

48: The more will I be angry with them for their sin, says the Lord.

49: Like as a whore envies a right honest and virtuous woman;

50: So will righteousness hate iniquity, when she covers herself, and will accuse her to her face, when he cometh that will defend him that diligently searches out every sin upon earth.

51: And therefore be you not like thereto, nor to the works thereof.

52: For yet a little, and iniquity will be taken away out of the earth, and righteousness will reign among you.

53: Let not the sinner say that he has not sinned, for God will burn coals of fire upon his head, which says before the Lord God and his glory, I have not sinned.

54: Behold, the Lord knows all the works of men, their imaginations, their thoughts, and their hearts;

55: Which spoke but the word, Let the earth be made and it was made; Let the heaven be made and it was created.

56: In his word were the stars made, and he knows the number of them.

57: He searches the deep, and the treasures thereof; he has measured the sea, and what it contains.