The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Esdras 15
1 “Behold, speak in the ears of my people
the words of prophecy which I will put in
your mouth,” says the Lord.
2 “Cause them to be written on paper, for
they are faithful and true.
3 Don’t be afraid of their plots against
you. Don’t let the unbelief of those who
speak against you trouble you.
4 For all the unbelievers will
die in their unbelief.
5 “Behold,” says the Lord, “I bring evils
on the whole earth: sword, famine, death,
and destruction.
6 For wickedness has prevailed over every
land, and their hurtful works have
reached their limit.
7 Therefore,” says the Lord,
8 “I will hold my peace no more concerning
their wickedness which they profanely
commit, neither will I tolerate them in
these things, whichthey wickedly practice.
Behold, the innocent and righteous blood
cries to me, and the souls of the righteous
cry out continually.
9 I will surely avenge them,” says the
Lord, “and will receive to me all the
innocent blood from among them.
10 Behold, my people is led like a flock to
the slaughter. I will not allow them now to
dwell in the land of Egypt,
11 but I will bring them out with a mighty
hand and with a high arm, and will strike
Egypt with plagues, as before, and will
destroy all its land.”
12 Let Egypt and its foundations mourn,
for the plague of the chastisement and the
punishment that God will bring upon it.
13 Let the farmers that till the ground
mourn, for their seeds will fail and their
trees will be ruined through the blight and
hail, and a terrible tempest.
14 Woe to the world and those who dwell
in it!
15 For the sword and their destruction
draws near, and nation will rise up against
nation to battle with weapons in their
hands.
16 For there will be sedition among men,
and growing strong against one another.
In their might, they won’t respect their
king or the chief of their great ones.
17 For a man will desire to go into a city,
and will not be able.
18 For because of their pride the cities
will be troubled, the houses will be
destroyed, and men will be afraid.
19 A man will have no pity on his neighbors,
but will assault their houses with the
sword and plunder their goods, because of
the lack of bread, and for great suffering.
20 “Behold,” says God, “I call together all
the kings of the earth to stir up those who
are from the rising of the sun, from the
south, from the east, and Libanus, to turn
themselves one against another, and repay
the things that they have done to them.
21 Just as they do yet this day to my chosen,
so I will do also, and repay into their
bosom.” The Lord God says:
22 “My right hand won’t spare the sinners,
and my sword won’t cease over those who
shed innocent blood on the earth.
23 A fire has gone out from his wrath and
has consumed the foundations ofthe earth
and the sinners, like burnt straw.
24 Woe to those who sin and don’t keep
my commandments!” says the Lord.
25 “I will not spare them. Go your way,
you rebellious children! Don’t defile my
sanctuary!”
26 For the Lord knows all those who
trespass against him, therefore he will deliver
them to death and destruction.
27 For now evils have come upon the
whole earth, and you will remain in them;
for God will not deliver you, because you
have sinned against him.
28 Behold, a horrible sight appearing
from the east!
29 The nations of the dragons of Arabia
will come out with many chariots. From
the day that they set out, their hissing is
carried over the earth, so that all those
who will hear them may also fear and tremble.
30 Also the Carmonians, raging in wrath,
will go out like the wild boars of the forest.
They will come with great power and join
battle with them, and will devastate a portion
of the land of the Assyrians with their
teeth.
31 Then the dragons will have the upper
hand, remembering their nature. If they
will turn themselves, conspiring together
in great power to persecute them,
32 then these will be troubled, and keep
silence through their power, and will turn
and flee.
33 From the land of the Assyrians, an
enemy in ambush will attack them and
destroy one of them. Upon their army
will be fear and trembling, and indecision
upon their kings.
34 Behold, clouds from the east, and from
the north to the south! They are very
horrible to look at, full of wrath and storm.
35 They will clash against one another.
They will pour out a heavy storm on the
earth, even their own storm. There will be
blood from the sword to the horse’s belly,
36 and to the thigh of man, and to the
camel’s hock.
37 There will be fearfulness and great
trembling upon earth. They who see that
wrath will be afraid, and trembling will
seize them.
38 After this, great storms will be stirred
up from the south, from the north, and
another part from the west.
39 Strong winds will arise from the east,
and will shutit up, eventhe cloud whichhe
raised up in wrath; and the storm that was
to cause destruction by the east wind will
be violently driven toward the south and
west.
40 Great and mighty clouds, full of wrath,
will be lifted up with the storm, that they
may destroy all the earth and those who
dwell in it. They will pour out over every
high and lofty one a terrible storm,
41 fire, hail, flying swords, and many
waters, that all plains may be full, and all
rivers, with the abundance of those waters.
42 They will break down the cities and
walls, mountains and hills, trees of the
forest, and grass ofthe meadows, and their
grain.
43 They will go onsteadily toBabylonand
destroy her.
44 They will come to it and surround it.
They will pour out the storm and all wrath
on her. Then the dust and smoke will go up
to the sky, and all those who are around it
will mourn for it.
45 Those who remain will serve those
who have destroyed it.
46 You, Asia, who are partaker in the
beauty of Babylon, and in the glory of her
person
47 woe to you, you wretch, because you
have made yourself like her. You have
decked out your daughters for prostitution,
that they might please and glory in
your lovers, which have always lusted after you!
48 You have followed her who is hateful
in all her works and inventions. Therefore
God says,
49 “I will send evils on you: widowhood,
poverty, famine, sword, and pestilence, to
lay waste your houses and bring you to
destruction and death.
50 The glory of your power will be dried
up like a flower when the heat rises that is
sent over you.
51 You will be weakened like a poor
woman who is beaten and wounded, so
that you won’t be able to receive your
mighty ones and your lovers.
52 Would I have dealt with you with such
jealousy,” says the Lord,
53 “if you had not always slain my chosen,
exalting and clapping of your hands,
andsaying over theirdead, whenyou were drunk?
54 “Beautify your face!
55 The reward of a prostitute will be in
your bosom, therefore you will be repaid.
56 Just as you will do to my chosen,” says
the Lord, “even so God will do to you, and
will deliver you to your adversaries.
57 Your children will die of hunger. You
will fall by the sword. Your cities will be
broken down, and all your people in the
field will perish by the sword.
58 Those who are in the mountains will
die of hunger, eat their own flesh, and
drink their own blood, because of hunger
for bread and thirst for water.
59 You, unhappy above all others, will
come and will again receive evils.
60 In the passage, they will rush on the
hateful city and will destroy some portion
of your land, and mar part of your glory,
and will return again to Babylon that was
destroyed.
61 You will be cast down by them as stubble,
and they will be to you as fire.
62 They will devour you, your cities, your
land, and your mountains. They will burn
all your forests and your fruitfultrees with fire.
63 They will carry your children away
captive, and will plunder your wealth, and
mar the glory of your face.”