2 Esdras 13:3-13

3 As I kept looking the wind made something like the figure of a man come up out of the heart of the sea. And I saw that this man flew with the clouds of heaven; and wherever he turned his face to look, everything under his gaze trembled,
4 and whenever his voice issued from his mouth, all who heard his voice melted as wax melts when it feels the fire.
5 After this I looked and saw that an innumerable multitude of people were gathered together from the four winds of heaven to make war against the man who came up out of the sea.
6 And I looked and saw that he carved out for himself a great mountain, and flew up on to it.
7 And I tried to see the region or place from which the mountain was carved, but I could not.
8 After this I looked and saw that all who had gathered together against him, to wage war with him, were filled with fear, and yet they dared to fight.
9 When he saw the onrush of the approaching multitude, he neither lifted his hand nor held a spear or any weapon of war;
10 but I saw only how he sent forth from his mouth something like a stream of fire, and from his lips a flaming breath, and from his tongue he shot forth a storm of sparks.
11 All these were mingled together, the stream of fire and the flaming breath and the great storm, and fell on the onrushing multitude that was prepared to fight, and burned up all of them, so that suddenly nothing was seen of the innumerable multitude but only the dust of ashes and the smell of smoke. When I saw it, I was amazed.
12 After this I saw the same man come down from the mountain and call to himself another multitude that was peaceable.
13 Then many people came to him, some of whom were joyful and some sorrowful; some of them were bound, and some were bringing others as offerings. Then I woke up in great terror, and prayed to the Most High, and said,

Footnotes 5

  • [a]. Syr: Lat lacks [the wind . . . I saw]
  • [b]. Syr Ethiop Arab Arm: Lat [grew strong]
  • [c]. Syr: Lat [burned as the earth rests]
  • [d]. Meaning of Lat uncertain
  • [e]. Lat Syr Arab 2 literally [the faces of many people]
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.