2 Esdras 5

How to read these pages: the text itself comes first, verse by verse, in the volume's own translation. Beneath each verse stands its Meaning — a rendering of what the passage's terms name in the inner life, drawn from the correspondences the text itself uses. The text is never altered; the meaning is offered, not imposed.

King James Version

1Nevertheless as coming the tokens, behold, the days shall come, that they which dwell upon earth shall be taken in a great number, and the way of truth shall be hidden, and the land shall be barren of faith.

Nevertheless as coming the tokens — the signs, works in the outer signifying a greater work in the inner — behold, the days shall come, that they which dwell upon earth — the outer life — shall be taken in a great number, and the way of truth shall be hidden, and the land shall be barren of faith.

2But iniquity shall be increased above that which now thou seest, or that thou hast heard long ago.

But iniquity — error acting apart from the order — shall be increased above that which now thou seest, or that thou hast heard long ago.

3And the land, that thou seest now to have root, shalt thou see wasted suddenly.

And the land, that thou seest now to have root, shalt thou see wasted suddenly: even the rooted state, uprooted in a moment when its order fails.

4But if the most High grant thee to live, thou shalt see after the third trumpet that the sun shall suddenly shine again in the night, and the moon thrice in the day:

But if the most High — the Source under His title of height — grant thee to live, thou shalt see after the third trumpet that the sun shall suddenly shine again in the night — the hidden state suddenly lit by the greater light, Divine Love-Wisdom — and the moon — reflected faith — thrice in the day:

5And blood shall drop out of wood, and the stone shall give his voice, and the people shall be troubled:

And blood — the life-stream — shall drop out of wood, and the stone shall give his voice, and the people shall be troubled: signs in which the inanimate seems to speak and bleed, and the faculties are shaken.

6And even he shall rule, whom they look not for that dwell upon the earth, and the fowls shall take their flight away together:

And even he shall rule, whom they look not for that dwell upon the earth, and the fowls — soaring thoughts — shall take their flight away together: an unexpected ruling state arises, and the soaring thoughts depart as one.

7And the Sodomitish sea shall cast out fish, and make a noise in the night, which many have not known: but they shall all hear the voice thereof.

And the Sodomitish sea shall cast out fish, and make a noise in the night, which many have not known: but they shall all hear the voice thereof: the sea of the appetite-state giving up its hidden life, heard by all in the hidden state.

8There shall be a confusion also in many places, and the fire shall be oft sent out again, and the wild beasts shall change their places, and menstruous women shall bring forth monsters:

There shall be a confusion also in many places — Babel-confusion breaking out across the states — and the fire shall be oft sent out again, and the wild beasts — the untamed animal nature — shall change their places, and menstruous women shall bring forth monsters: every faculty out of its appointed place, as in Uriel's similitude.

9And salt waters shall be found in the sweet, and all friends shall destroy one another; then shall wit hide itself, and understanding withdraw itself into his secret chamber,

And salt waters shall be found in the sweet, and all friends shall destroy one another; then shall wit hide itself, and understanding withdraw itself into his secret chamber: bitterness in the sweet current, allies turned destroyers, and understanding — light itself — withdrawn inward, not found in the outer life.

10And shall be sought of many, and yet not be found: then shall unrighteousness and incontinency be multiplied upon earth.

And shall be sought of many, and yet not be found: then shall unrighteousness and incontinency be multiplied upon earth: when understanding hides, disorder multiplies unchecked.

11One land also shall ask another, and say, Is righteousness that maketh a man righteous gone through thee? And it shall say, No.

One land also shall ask another, and say, Is righteousness — right relation to the divine order — that maketh a man righteous gone through thee? And it shall say, No: state asking state for the right-ordered life, and finding it in none.

12At the same time shall men hope, but nothing obtain: they shall labour, but their ways shall not prosper.

At the same time shall men hope, but nothing obtain: they shall labour, but their ways shall not prosper: effort severed from the order bears no fruit.

13To shew thee such tokens I have leave; and if thou wilt pray again, and weep as now, and fast even days, thou shalt hear yet greater things.

To shew thee such tokens I have leave; and if thou wilt pray again, and weep as now, and fast seven days — seven, completeness of a cycle — thou shalt hear yet greater things: further vision given through prayer, grief, and abstinence completed.

14Then I awaked, and an extreme fearfulness went through all my body, and my mind was troubled, so that it fainted.

Then I awaked, and an extreme fearfulness went through all my body, and my mind was troubled, so that it fainted: the seer returning from vision to the outer life, overwhelmed in body and mind.

15So the angel that was come to talk with me held me, comforted me, and set me up upon my feet.

So the angel — the divine idea ministering — that was come to talk with me held me, comforted me, and set me up upon my feet.

16And in the second night it came to pass, that Salathiel the captain of the people came unto me, saying, Where hast thou been? and why is thy countenance so heavy?

And in the second night — the hidden state again — it came to pass, that Salathiel the captain of the people came unto me, saying, Where hast thou been? And why is thy countenance so heavy? — the leader-faculty of the people questioning the seer's absence.

17Knowest thou not that Israel is committed unto thee in the land of their captivity?

Knowest thou not that Israel — the spiritual man — is committed unto thee in the land of their captivity, consciousness carried away into a foreign ruling state?

18Up then, and eat bread, and forsake us not, as the shepherd that leaveth his flock in the hands of cruel wolves.

Up then, and eat bread — truth-substance — and forsake us not, as the shepherd — the guiding care-faculty — that leaveth his flock in the hands of cruel wolves: the flock of thoughts left to devouring sense-states if the guide withdraws.

19Then said I unto him, Go thy ways from me, and come not nigh me. And he heard what I said, and went from me.

Then said I unto him, Go thy ways from me, and come not nigh me. And he heard what I said, and went from me: the seer, under his charge, refusing interruption until the vision is fulfilled.

20And so I fasted seven days, mourning and weeping, like as Uriel the angel commanded me.

And so I fasted seven days, mourning and weeping, like as Uriel the angel commanded me: the completed cycle of abstinence and grief kept as commanded.

21And after seven days so it was, that the thoughts of my heart were very grievous unto me again,

And after seven days so it was, that the thoughts of my heart were very grievous unto me again,

22And my soul recovered the spirit of understanding, and I began to talk with the most High again,

And my soul recovered the spirit of understanding, and I began to talk with the most High again: understanding — the Breath of comprehension — returning, speech with the Source renewed.

23And said, O Lord that bearest rule, of every wood of the earth, and of all the trees thereof, thou hast chosen thee one only vine:

And said, O Lord that bearest rule, of every wood of the earth, and of all the trees thereof, thou hast chosen thee one only vine — the cultivated spiritual life, one chosen belief-tree from all:

24And of all lands of the whole world thou hast chosen thee one pit: and of all the flowers thereof one lily:

And of all lands of the whole world thou hast chosen thee one pit: and of all the flowers thereof one lily: one dug place and one flower chosen from all — the singleness of the election pressed as a question.

25And of all the depths of the sea thou hast filled thee one river: and of all builded cities thou hast hallowed Sion unto thyself:

And of all the depths of the sea thou hast filled thee one river — one current of life and thought: and of all builded cities thou hast hallowed Sion — Zion, the love-height — unto thyself:

26And of all the fowls that are created thou hast named thee one dove: and of all the cattle that are made thou hast provided thee one sheep:

And of all the fowls — soaring thoughts — that are created thou hast named thee one dove — the pure peace-thought: and of all the cattle — tamed affections — that are made thou hast provided thee one sheep, a gentle, guidable thought:

27And among all the multitudes of people thou hast gotten thee one people: and unto this people, whom thou lovedst, thou gavest a law that is approved of all.

And among all the multitudes of people thou hast gotten thee one people: and unto this people, whom thou lovedst, thou gavest a law — the written order of the divine life — that is approved of all.

28And now, O Lord, why hast thou given this one people over unto many? and upon the one root hast thou prepared others, and why hast thou scattered thy only one people among many?

And now, O Lord, why hast thou given this one people over unto many? And upon the one root hast thou prepared others, and why hast thou scattered thy only one people among many? — the chosen one state dispersed among the many states that do not keep the order.

29And they which did gainsay thy promises, and believed not thy covenants, have trodden them down.

And they which did gainsay thy promises, and believed not thy covenants, have trodden them down: the states that denied the covenant — the law of relationship — trampling what they refused to believe.

30If thou didst so much hate thy people, yet shouldest thou punish them with thine own hands.

If thou didst so much hate thy people, yet shouldest thou punish them with thine own hands: correction, if it must come, asked from the Source's own hand, not from enemy states — for the Source does not author evil, and its own correction restores.

31Now when I had spoken these words, the angel that came to me the night afore was sent unto me,

Now when I had spoken these words, the angel that came to me the night afore was sent unto me,

32And said unto me, Hear me, and I will instruct thee; hearken to the thing that I say, and I shall tell thee more.

And said unto me, Hear me, and I will instruct thee; hearken to the thing that I say, and I shall tell thee more.

33And I said, Speak on, my Lord. Then said he unto me, Thou art sore troubled in mind for Israel’s sake: lovest thou that people better than he that made them?

And I said, Speak on, my Lord. Then said he unto me, Thou art sore troubled in mind for Israel's sake: lovest thou that people better than he that made them? — the seer's love measured against the Maker's: no faculty loves a state more than its Source.

34And I said, No, Lord: but of very grief have I spoken: for my reins pain me every hour, while I labour to comprehend the way of the most High, and to seek out part of his judgment.

And I said, No, Lord: but of very grief have I spoken: for my reins pain me every hour, while I labour to comprehend the way of the most High, and to seek out part of his judgment — the divine order confronting a state all at once, sought in part.

35And he said unto me, Thou canst not. And I said, Wherefore, Lord? whereunto was I born then? or why was not my mother’s womb then my grave, that I might not have seen the travail of Jacob, and the wearisome toil of the stock of Israel?

And he said unto me, Thou canst not. And I said, Wherefore, Lord? Whereunto was I born then? Or why was not my mother's womb then my grave, that I might not have seen the travail of Jacob — the striving intellect — and the wearisome toil of the stock of Israel, the spiritual man?

36And he said unto me, Number me the things that are not yet come, gather me together the dross that are scattered abroad, make me the flowers green again that are withered,

And he said unto me, Number me the things that are not yet come, gather me together the dross that are scattered abroad, make me the flowers green again that are withered: tasks as impossible for the faculty as numbering the unborn future.

37Open me the places that are closed, and bring me forth the winds that in them are shut up, shew me the image of a voice: and then I will declare to thee the thing that thou labourest to know.

Open me the places that are closed, and bring me forth the winds that in them are shut up, shew me the image of a voice: and then I will declare to thee the thing that thou labourest to know.

38And I said, O Lord that bearest rule, who may know these things, but he that hath not his dwelling with men?

And I said, O Lord that bearest rule, who may know these things, but he that hath not his dwelling with men? — only a faculty not bound to the sense-life could know them.

39As for me, I am unwise: how may I then speak of these things whereof thou askest me?

As for me, I am unwise: how may I then speak of these things whereof thou askest me?

40Then said he unto me, Like as thou canst do none of these things that I have spoken of, even so canst thou not find out my judgment, or in the end the love that I have promised unto my people.

Then said he unto me, Like as thou canst do none of these things that I have spoken of, even so canst thou not find out my judgment, or in the end the love that I have promised unto my people: the limit confessed is itself the answer — judgment and promised love exceed the faculty's finding out.

41And I said, Behold, O Lord, yet art thou nigh unto them that be reserved till the end: and what shall they do that have been before me, or we that be now, or they that shall come after us?

And I said, Behold, O Lord, yet art thou nigh unto them that be reserved till the end: and what shall they do that have been before me, or we that be now, or they that shall come after us? — every generation of states asking its place in the order.

42And he said unto me, I will liken my judgment unto a ring: like as there is no slackness of the last, even so there is no swiftness of the first.

And he said unto me, I will liken my judgment unto a ring: like as there is no slackness of the last, even so there is no swiftness of the first: judgment as a closed ring — the last not delayed, the first not hurried; the order confronts each state in its exact turn.

43So I answered and said, Couldest thou not make those that have been made, and be now, and that are for to come, at once; that thou mightest shew thy judgment the sooner?

So I answered and said, Couldest thou not make those that have been made, and be now, and that are for to come, at once; that thou mightest shew thy judgment the sooner?

44Then answered he me, and said, The creature may not haste above the maker; neither may the world hold them at once that shall be created therein.

Then answered he me, and said, The creature may not haste above the maker; neither may the world hold them at once that shall be created therein: states unfold in sequence, as they are given; the world cannot contain its whole order in one moment.

45And I said, As thou hast said unto thy servant, that thou, which givest life to all, hast given life at once to the creature that thou hast created, and the creature bare it: even so it might now also bear them that now be present at once.

And I said, As thou hast said unto thy servant, that thou, which givest life to all, hast given life at once to the creature that thou hast created, and the creature bare it: even so it might now also bear them that now be present at once.

46And he said unto me, Ask the womb of a woman, and say unto her, If thou bringest forth children, why dost thou it not together, but one after another? pray her therefore to bring forth ten children at once.

And he said unto me, Ask the womb of a woman, and say unto her, If thou bringest forth children, why dost thou it not together, but one after another? Pray her therefore to bring forth ten children at once: birth itself teaches sequence — states are born one after another, by distance of time.

47And I said, She cannot: but must do it by distance of time.

And I said, She cannot: but must do it by distance of time.

48Then said he unto me, Even so have I given the womb of the earth to those that be sown in it in their times.

Then said he unto me, Even so have I given the womb of the earth — the outer life as a bearing womb — to those that be sown in it in their times: each seed-state brought forth in its season.

49For like as a young child may not bring forth the things that belong to the aged, even so have I disposed the world which I created.

For like as a young child may not bring forth the things that belong to the aged, even so have I disposed the world which I created: each degree of consciousness bears only what belongs to its degree.

50And I asked, and said, Seeing thou hast now given me the way, I will proceed to speak before thee: for our mother, of whom thou hast told me that she is young, draweth now nigh unto age.

And I asked, and said, Seeing thou hast now given me the way, I will proceed to speak before thee: for our mother, of whom thou hast told me that she is young, draweth now nigh unto age: the mother-state that bore the faculties, young at the first, now nearing its aged measure.

51He answered me, and said, Ask a woman that beareth children, and she shall tell thee.

He answered me, and said, Ask a woman that beareth children, and she shall tell thee.

52Say unto her, Wherefore are unto they whom thou hast now brought forth like those that were before, but less of stature?

Say unto her, Wherefore are unto they whom thou hast now brought forth like those that were before, but less of stature?

53And she shall answer thee, They that be born in the strength of youth are of one fashion, and they that are born in the time of age, when the womb faileth, are otherwise.

And she shall answer thee, They that be born in the strength of youth are of one fashion, and they that are born in the time of age, when the womb faileth, are otherwise: later states are born smaller because the bearing state itself is past its strength.

54Consider thou therefore also, how that ye are less of stature than those that were before you.

Consider thou therefore also, how that ye are less of stature than those that were before you: the present order of states measures less than the former, by the same law of the bearing womb.

55And so are they that come after you less than ye, as the creatures which now begin to be old, and have passed over the strength of youth.

And so are they that come after you less than ye, as the creatures which now begin to be old, and have passed over the strength of youth: each succeeding order less, as the present world ages toward its end.

56Then said I, Lord, I beseech thee, if I have found favour in thy sight, shew thy servant by whom thou visitest thy creature.

Then said I, Lord, I beseech thee, if I have found favour in thy sight, shew thy servant by whom thou visitest thy creature: by what ministering faculty the Source visits — confronts and cares for — its own creation.

Companion volume to The Why Bible — the King James Apocrypha, rendered in its spiritual meanings. First final edition, October 2026.