2 Esdras 15:1-27

Common English Bible

A Christian addition

15 ^[a] Look here, speak in my people’s ears the words of the prophecy that I place in your mouth, says the Lord. ² See to it that they are written down on paper, because they are reliable and true. ³ Don’t be afraid of conspiracies against you, and don’t be confused by what unbelievers say, ⁴ because every unbeliever will die in his unbelief.

⁵ Look, I am bringing disasters over the whole earth—the sword, hunger, death, and destruction, says the Lord, ⁶ because wickedness has covered the whole earth, and their deeds are complete. ⁷ Therefore, says the Lord, ⁸ I will no longer be silent about their wicked deeds, which they do in their godlessness, nor will I tolerate any longer the things they do wickedly. Look, innocent and righteous blood calls out to me, and the souls of the just cry out constantly. ⁹ I will surely avenge them, says the Lord, and I will receive all their innocent blood to myself.

¹⁰ Look, my people are led like sheep to slaughter. I will no longer permit them to live in the land of Egypt, ¹¹ but I will bring them out with a great display of my power,^[b] and I will strike Egypt with plagues as before, and I will destroy all its land.

¹² Let Egypt howl from its very foundations because of the plague of beating and punishment inflicted by the Lord. ¹³ Let the farmers who work the ground howl, because they won’t have enough seed, and their trees will be devastated by blight, hail, and terrible storms. ¹⁴ How terrible it will be for the world and those who live in it! ¹⁵ The sword and distress draw near, and nation will rise against nation to fight with spears in their hands.

¹⁶ Human beings won’t be able to trust each other. As they grow strong against each other, they will pay no respect to their king or to the powerful chief of their great men. ¹⁷ Someone will want to go into the city and won’t be able. ¹⁸ Cities will be thrown into confusion because of their pride. Houses will be destroyed;^[c] people will be afraid. ¹⁹ People will have no mercy on their neighbors. They will cause their neighbors trouble by breaking into their houses with swords, to pillage their property, because they are hungry for bread and in great distress.

²⁰ Look, says the Lord, I am calling together all the kings of the earth, those from the north and from the south, from the east and from Lebanon. I am stirring them up to make them return and restore whatever my people^[d] gave them. ²¹ As they have done to my chosen ones even to this very day, so I will do to them: they will suffer full payback.^[e] This is what the Lord God says: ²² My strong hand won’t spare sinners, nor will my sword stop fighting against those who spill innocent blood on earth. ²³ God’s anger has gone forth like fire to devour the earth’s foundations and sinners like kindled straw. ²⁴ How terrible it will be for those who sin and don’t keep my laws, says the Lord. ²⁵ I won’t spare them. Go away, faithless children! Don’t defile my sanctuary!

²⁶ God knows all who sin against him. Therefore, he will hand them over to death and slaughter. ²⁷ Even now disasters have swept over the world, and you will have to endure them. God won’t deliver you because you sinned against him.