2 Esdras 1:4-37

Revised Standard Version

Ezra’s Prophetic Call

⁴ The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁵ “Go and declare to my people their evil deeds, and to their children the iniquities which they have committed against me, so that they may tell their children’s children ⁶ that the sins of their parents have increased in them, for they have forgotten me and have offered sacrifices to strange gods. ⁷ Was it not I who brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage? But they have angered me and despised my counsels. ⁸ Pull out the hair of your head and hurl all evils upon them, for they have not obeyed my law—they are a rebellious people. ⁹ How long shall I endure them, on whom I have bestowed such great benefits? ¹⁰ For their sake I have overthrown many kings: I struck down Pharaoh with his servants, and all his army. ¹¹ I have destroyed all nations before them, and scattered in the east the people of two provinces, Tyre and Sidon; I have slain all their enemies.

God’s Mercies to Israel

¹² “But speak to them and say, Thus says the Lord: ¹³ Surely it was I who brought you through the sea, and made safe highways for you where there was no road; I gave you Moses as leader and Aaron as priest; ¹⁴ I provided light for you from a pillar of fire, and did great wonders among you. Yet you have forgotten me, says the Lord.

¹⁵ “Thus says the Lord Almighty: The quails were a sign to you; I gave you camps for your protection, and in them you complained. ¹⁶ You have not exulted in my name at the destruction of your enemies, but to this day you still complain. ¹⁷ Where are the benefits which I bestowed on you? When you were hungry and thirsty in the wilderness, did you not cry out to me, ¹⁸ saying, ‘Why hast thou led us into this wilderness to kill us? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in this wilderness.’ ¹⁹ I pitied your groanings and gave you manna for food; you ate the bread of angels. ²⁰ When you were thirsty, did I not cleave the rock so that waters flowed in abundance? Because of the heat I covered you with the leaves of trees. ²¹ I divided fertile lands among you; I drove out the Canaanites, the Per′izzites, and the Philistines before you. What more can I do for you? says the Lord. ²² Thus says the Lord Almighty: When you were in the wilderness, at the bitter stream, thirsty and blaspheming my name, ²³ I did not send fire upon you for your blasphemies, but threw a tree into the water and made the stream sweet.

Israel’s Disobedience and Rejection

²⁴ “What shall I do to you, O Jacob? You would not obey me, O Judah. I will turn to other nations and will give them my name, that they may keep my statutes. ²⁵ Because you have forsaken me, I also will forsake you. When you beg mercy of me, I will show you no mercy. ²⁶ When you call upon me, I will not listen to you; for you have defiled your hands with blood, and your feet are swift to commit murder. ²⁷ It is not as though you had forsaken me; you have forsaken yourselves, says the Lord.

²⁸ “Thus says the Lord Almighty: Have I not entreated you as a father entreats his sons or a mother her daughters or a nurse her children, ²⁹ that you should be my people and I should be your God, and that you should be my sons and I should be your father? ³⁰ I gathered you as a hen gathers her brood under her wings. But now, what shall I do to you? I will cast you out from my presence. ³¹ When you offer oblations to me, I will turn my face from you; for I have rejected your feast days, and new moons, and circumcisions of the flesh. ³² I sent to you my servants the prophets, but you have taken and slain them and torn their bodies in pieces; their blood I will require of you, says the Lord.

³³ “Thus says the Lord Almighty: Your house is desolate; I will drive you out as the wind drives straw; ³⁴ and your sons will have no children, because with you they have neglected my commandment and have done what is evil in my sight. ³⁵ I will give your houses to a people that will come, who without having heard me will believe. Those to whom I have shown no signs will do what I have commanded. ³⁶ They have seen no prophets, yet will recall their former state.^{[a] 37} I call to witness the gratitude of the people that is to come, whose children rejoice with gladness; though they do not see me with bodily eyes, yet with the spirit they will believe the things I have said.