2Esdras:7
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And when I had made an end of speaking these words ,
there was sent unto me the angel which had been sent unto me the nights afore :
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And he said unto me ,
Up ,
Esdras ,
and hear the words that I am come to tell thee .
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And I said ,
Speak on ,
my God .
Then said he unto me ,
The sea is set in a wide place ,
that it might be deep and great .
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But put the case the entrance were narrow ,
and like a river ;
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Who then could go into the sea to look upon it ,
and to rule it ?
if he went not through the narrow ,
how could he come into the broad ?
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There is also another thing ;
A city is builded ,
and set upon a broad field ,
and is full of all good things :
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The entrance thereof is narrow ,
and is set in a dangerous place to fall ,
like as if there were a fire on the right hand ,
and on the left a deep water :
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And one only path between them both ,
even between the fire and the water ,
so small that there could but one man go there at once .
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If this city now were given unto a man for an inheritance ,
if he never shall pass the danger set before it ,
how shall he receive this inheritance ?
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And I said ,
It is so ,
Lord .
Then said he unto me ,
Even so also is Israel '
s portion .
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Because for their sakes I made the world :
and when Adam transgressed my statutes ,
then was decreed that now is done .
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Then were the entrances of this world made narrow ,
full of sorrow and travail :
they are but few and evil ,
full of perils ,:
and very painful .
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For the entrances of the elder world were wide and sure ,
and brought immortal fruit .
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If then they that live labour not to enter these strait and vain things ,
they can never receive those that are laid up for them .
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Now therefore why disquietest thou thyself ,
seeing thou art but a corruptible man ?
and why art thou moved ,
whereas thou art but mortal ?
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Why hast thou not considered in thy mind this thing that is to come ,
rather than that which is present ?
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Then answered I and said ,
O Lord that bearest rule ,
thou hast ordained in thy law ,
that the righteous should inherit these things ,
but that the ungodly should perish .
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Nevertheless the righteous shall suffer strait things ,
and hope for wide :
for they that have done wickedly have suffered the strait things ,
and yet shall not see the wide .
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And he said unto me .
There is no judge above God ,
and none that hath understanding above the Highest .
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For there be many that perish in this life ,
because they despise the law of God that is set before them .
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For God hath given strait commandment to such as came ,
what they should do to live ,
even as they came ,
and what they should observe to avoid punishment .
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Nevertheless they were not obedient unto him ;
but spake against him ,
and imagined vain things ;
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And deceived themselves by their wicked deeds ;
and said of the most High ,
that he is not ;
and knew not his ways :
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But his law have they despised ,
and denied his covenants ;
in his statutes have they not been faithful ,
and have not performed his works .
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And therefore ,
Esdras ,
for the empty are empty things ,
and for the full are the full things .
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Behold ,
the time shall come ,
that these tokens which I have told thee shall come to pass ,
and the bride shall appear ,
and she coming forth shall be seen ,
that now is withdrawn from the earth .
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And whosoever is delivered from the foresaid evils shall see my wonders .
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For my son Jesus shall be revealed with those that be with him ,
and they that remain shall rejoice within four hundred years .
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After these years shall my son Christ die ,
and all men that have life .
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And the world shall be turned into the old silence seven days ,
like as in the former judgments :
so that no man shall remain .
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And after seven days the world ,
that yet awaketh not ,
shall be raised up ,
and that shall die that is corrupt
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And the earth shall restore those that are asleep in her ,
and so shall the dust those that dwell in silence ,
and the secret places shall deliver those souls that were committed unto them .
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And the most High shall appear upon the seat of judgment ,
and misery shall pass away ,
and the long suffering shall have an end :
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But judgment only shall remain ,
truth shall stand ,
and faith shall wax strong :
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And the work shall follow ,
and the reward shall be shewed ,
and the good deeds shall be of force ,
and wicked deeds shall bear no rule .
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Then said I ,
Abraham prayed first for the Sodomites ,
and Moses for the fathers that sinned in the wilderness :
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And Jesus after him for Israel in the time of Achan :
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And Samuel and David for the destruction :
and Solomon for them that should come to the sanctuary :
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And Helias for those that received rain ;
and for the dead ,
that he might live :
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And Ezechias for the people in the time of Sennacherib :
and many for many .
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Even so now ,
seeing corruption is grown up ,
and wickedness increased ,
and the righteous have prayed for the ungodly :
wherefore shall it not be so now also ?
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He answered me ,
and said ,
This present life is not the end where much glory doth abide ;
therefore have they prayed for the weak .
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But the day of doom shall be the end of this time ,
and the beginning of the immortality for to come ,
wherein corruption is past ,
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Intemperance is at an end ,
infidelity is cut off ,
righteousness is grown ,
and truth is sprung up .
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Then shall no man be able to save him that is destroyed ,
nor to oppress him that hath gotten the victory .
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I answered then and said ,
This is my first and last saying ,
that it had been better not to have given the earth unto Adam :
or else ,
when it was given him ,
to have restrained him from sinning .
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For what profit is it for men now in this present time to live in heaviness ,
and after death to look for punishment ?
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O thou Adam ,
what hast thou done ?
for though it was thou that sinned ,
thou art not fallen alone ,
but we all that come of thee .
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For what profit is it unto us ,
if there be promised us an immortal time ,
whereas we have done the works that bring death ?
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And that there is promised us an everlasting hope ,
whereas ourselves being most wicked are made vain ?
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And that there are laid up for us dwellings of health and safety ,
whereas we have lived wickedly ?
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And that the glory of the most High is kept to defend them which have led a wary life ,
whereas we have walked in the most wicked ways of all ?
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And that there should be shewed a paradise ,
whose fruit endureth for ever ,
wherein is security and medicine ,
since we shall not enter into it ?
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For we have walked in unpleasant places .)
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And that the faces of them which have used abstinence shall shine above the stars ,
whereas our faces shall be blacker than darkness ?
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For while we lived and committed iniquity ,
we considered not that we should begin to suffer for it after death .
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Then answered he me ,
and said ,
This is the condition of the battle ,
which man that is born upon the earth shall fight ;
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That ,
if he be overcome ,
he shall suffer as thou hast said :
but if he get the victory ,
he shall receive the thing that I say .
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For this is the life whereof Moses spake unto the people while he lived ,
saying ,
Choose thee life ,
that thou mayest live .
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Nevertheless they believed not him ,
nor yet the prophets after him ,
no nor me which have spoken unto them ,
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That there should not be such heaviness in their destruction ,
as shall be joy over them that are persuaded to salvation .
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I answered then ,
and said ,
I know ,
Lord ,
that the most High is called merciful ,
in that he hath mercy upon them which are not yet come into the world ,
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And upon those also that turn to his law ;
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And that he is patient ,
and long suffereth those that have sinned ,
as his creatures ;
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And that he is bountiful ,
for he is ready to give where it needeth ;
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And that he is of great mercy ,
for he multiplieth more and more mercies to them that are present ,
and that are past ,
and also to them which are to come .
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For if he shall not multiply his mercies ,
the world would not continue with them that inherit therein .
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And he pardoneth ;
for if he did not so of his goodness ,
that they which have committed iniquities might be eased of them ,
the ten thousandth part of men should not remain living .
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And being judge ,
if he should not forgive them that are cured with his word ,
and put out the multitude of contentions ,
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There should be very few left peradventure in an innumerable multitude .
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