1And he said unto me, In the beginning, when the earth was made, before the outgoings of the world were fixed, or ever the gatherings of the winds blew,

2before the voices of the thunder sounded and before the flashes of the lightning shone, or ever the foundations of paradise were laid,

3before the fair flowers were seen, or ever the powers of the earthquake were established, before the innumerable hosts of angels were gathered together,

4or ever the heights of the air were lifted up, before the measures of the firmament were named, or ever the footstool of Sion ⁴²was established,

5and ere the present years were sought out, and or ever the imaginations of them that now sin were estranged, before they were sealed that have gathered faith for a treasure:

6then did I consider these things, and they all were made through me alone, and through none other: as by me also they shall be ended, and by none other.

7Then answered I and said, what shall be the parting asunder of the times? or when shall be the end of the first, and the beginning of it that followeth?

8And he said unto me, From ⁴³Abraham unto ⁴⁴Abraham, inasmuch as Jacob and Esau were born of him, for Jacob’s hand held the heel of Esau from the beginning.

9For Esau is the end of this world, and Jacob is the beginning of it that followeth.

10⁴⁵The beginning of a man is his hand, and the end of a man is his heel; between the heel and the hand seek thou nought else, Esdras.

11I answered then and said, O Lord that bearest rule, If I have found favour in thy sight,

12I beseech thee, shew thy servant the end of thy tokens, whereof thou shewedst me part the last night.

13So he answered and said unto me, Stand up upon thy feet, and thou shalt hear a mighty sounding voice;

14and if the place whereon thou standest be greatly moved,

15when it speaketh be thou not afraid: for the word is of the end, and the foundations of the earth shall understand,

16that the speech is of them: they shall tremble and be moved: for they know that their end must be changed.

17And it happened, that when I had heard it I stood up upon my feet, and hearkened, and, behold, there was a voice that spake, and the sound of it was like the sound of many waters.

18And it said, Behold, the days come, and it shall be that when I draw nigh to visit them that dwell upon the earth,

19and when I shall make inquisition of them that have done hurt unjustly with their unrighteousness, and when the affliction of Sion shall be fulfilled,

20and when the seal shall be set upon the world that is to pass away, then will I shew these tokens: the books shall be opened before the firmament, and all shall see together:

21and the children of a year old shall speak with their voices, the women with child shall bring forth untimely children at three or four months, and they shall live, and dance.

22And suddenly shall the sown places appear unsown, the full storehouses shall suddenly be found empty:

23and the trumpet shall give a sound, which when every man heareth, they shall be suddenly afraid.

24At that time shall friends make war one against another like enemies, and the earth shall stand in fear with those that dwell therein, the springs of the fountains shall stand still, so that for three hours they shall not run.

25And it shall be that whosoever remaineth after all these things that I have told thee of, he shall be saved, and shall see my salvation, and the end of my world.

26And they shall see the men that have been taken up, who have not tasted death from their birth: and the heart of the inhabitants shall be changed, and turned into another meaning.

27For evil shall be blotted out, and deceit shall be quenched;

28and faith shall flourish, and corruption shall be overcome, and the truth, which hath been so long without fruit, shall be declared.

29And when he talked with me, behold, by little and little the place whereon I stood ⁴⁶rocked to and fro.

30And he said unto me, These things came I to shew thee ⁴⁷this night.

31If therefore thou wilt pray yet again, and fast seven days more, I shall yet ⁴⁸tell thee greater things than these.

32For thy voice hath surely been heard before the Most High: for the Mighty hath seen thy righteous dealing, he hath seen aforetime also thy chastity, which thou hast had ever since thy youth.

33And therefore hath he sent me to shew thee all these things, and to say unto thee, Be of good comfort, and fear not.

34And be not hasty in regard of the former times, to think vain things, that thou mayest not hasten in the latter times.

35And it came to pass after this, that I wept again, and fasted seven days in like manner, that I might fulfil the three weeks which he told me.

36And in the eighth night was my heart vexed within me again, and I began to speak before the Most High.

37For my spirit was greatly set on fire, and my soul was in distress.

38And I said, O Lord, of a truth thou spakest at the beginning of the creation, upon the first day, and saidst thus; Let heaven and earth be made; and thy word perfected the work.

39And then was the spirit hovering, and darkness and silence were on every side; the sound of man’s voice was not yet. ⁴⁹

40Then commandest thou a ray of light to be brought forth of thy treasures, that then thy works might appear.

41Upon the second day again thou madest the spirit of the firmament and commandedst it to part asunder, and to make a division betwixt the waters, that the one part might go up, and the other remain beneath.

42Upon the third day thou didst command that the waters should be gathered together in the seventh part of the earth: six parts didst thou dry up, and keep them, to the intent that of these some being both planted and tilled might serve before thee.

43For as soom as thy word went forth the work was done.

44For immediately there came forth great and innumerable fruit, and manifold pleasures for the taste, and flowers of inimitable colour, and odours of most exquisite smell: and this was done the third day.

45Upon the fourth day thou commandedst that the sun should shine, and the moon give her light, and the stars should be in their order:

46and gavest them a charge to do service unto man, that was to be made.

47Upon the fifth day thou saidst unto the seventh part, where the water was gathered together, that it should bring forth living creatures, fowls and fishes: and so it came to pass,

48that the dumb water and without life brought forth living things as it was bidden, that the peoples might therefore praise thy wondrous works.

49Then didst thou preserve two living creatures, the one thou calledst Behemoth, and the other thou calledst Leviathan:

50and thou didst separate the one from the other: for the seventh part, namely, where the water was gathered together, might not hold them both.

51Unto Behemoth thou gavest one part, which was dried up on the third day, that he should dwell in the same, wherein are a thousand hills:

52but unto Leviathan thou gavest the seventh part, namely, the moist; and thou hast kept them to be devoured of whom thou wilt, and when.

53But upon the sixth day thou gavest commandment unto the earth, that it should bring forth before thee cattle, beasts, and creeping things:

54and over these Adam, whom thou ordainest lord over all the works that thou hast made: of him come we all, the people whom thou hast chosen.

55All this have I spoken before thee, O Lord, because thou hast said that for our sakes thou madest ⁵⁰this world.

56As for the other nations, which also come of Adam, thou hast said that they are nothing, and are like unto spittle: and thou hast likened the abundance of them unto a drop that falleth from a vessel.

57And now, O Lord, behold these nations, which are reputed as nothing, be lords over us, and devour us.

58But we thy people, whom thou hast called thy firstborn, thy only begotten, and thy fervent lover, are given into their hands.

59If the world now be made for our sakes, why do we not possess for an inheritance our world? How long shall this endure?