2 Esdras 7:110-120

110 Hezekiah prayed for the people during the time of Sennacherib. And there are many other examples. 1
111 If righteous people prayed for the unrighteous during such times when corruption increased and injustice multiplied, why won't the same thing happen at the Judgment Day?"
112 "The present age is not the end of everything," the angel answered. "Even in this age, the glorious presence of God is not always seen. That is why the strong have prayed for the weak during this age.
113 But the Judgment Day will be the end of the present age and the beginning of the future age. Then all corruption will end,
114 self-indulgence and disloyalty will be eliminated. Righteousness and truth will reach their full maturity.
115 So on Judgment Day, no one will be able to have mercy on those who have been condemned, and no one will be able to harm those who have been acquitted."
116 I answered, "I made this point before, and I will make it again. It would have been better if the earth had never produced Adam, or when it had done so, if it had made him so that he could not sin.
117 What good is it for any of us to have life in the present age, when it is full of misery and when all we can look forward to after death is punishment?
118 O Adam, what have you done? Your sin was not only your own downfall; it was also the downfall of all of us who are your descendants.
119 What good is it to us that we have the promise of immortal life, when we have committed sins that condemn us to death?
120 What good is the hope of eternity, when we find ourselves in such a completely hopeless situation?

Cross References 1

  • 1. 7.110 2 Kings 19.15-19.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. [Some ancient translations] is not; [Latin] is.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.