Ezra Sutuel

And I slept there the next night as he commanded me.

And it came to pass in the second night I saw a vision: and lo, there came up out of the sea an eagle that was very large in its size, and he had twelve wings and three heads.

And I saw, and lo, he spread his wings over the whole earth, and all the winds of heaven blew on him, and the clouds gathered together to him.

And I saw that from his wings were born small and little and petty wings.

But his heads were at rest; but the middle head was greater than these others; and yet it also was resting with them.

And I saw, and lo, the eagle flew with his wings, that he might reign over the earth and over those who dwell therein.

And I saw that all things under heaven were subject to him, and no man spoke against him, not even one creature upon earth.

And I saw, and lo, the eagle rose upon his talons, and uttered a cry to his wings, saying,

Watch not all at once; sleep each in his own place, and watch by course;

but let the heads be preserved for the last.

And I saw, and lo, the voice went not forth from his heads, but from the midst of his body.

And I counted his contrary wings, and behold, there were eight of them.

And I saw, and lo, on the right side there rose up one wing, and reigned over all the earth.

And it came to pass that when it reigned, its end came, and the place thereof appeared no more; so the next rose up, and reigned, and held sway for a long time.

And it came to pass that when it reigned, its end came also, so that it disappeared like the former.

And I saw, and lo, there came voices to the wings, saying in succession,

Hear me, you that have been over the earth from the beginning; I say to you, before you disappear, let none of you reign after you, unless it be by my appointment.

And I saw, and lo, the one that rose up, after it had reigned, disappeared.

And after this the next came up, and reigned, and also disappeared.

And I saw, and lo, in course of time the remaining wings also rose up one after another, and reigned and disappeared.

And I saw, and lo, in course of time the eight wings rose up on the right side, and reigned; and the other four flew to the right side and also reigned.

And I saw, and lo, the lower wings flew up and became wings of the eight, and reigned over the earth.

And I saw, and lo, the heads rested and the eight wings were the heads.

And I saw, and lo, the wings on the right side grew up and ruled.

And some of them ruled, then disappeared; and others also rose up and ruled, then disappeared.

And I saw, and lo, in course of time the heads also rose up and ruled over the earth.

And I saw, and lo, the head on the right side ruled over the earth, and the people on the left side grieved.

And I saw, and lo, the head on the left side rose up, and the head on the right side said to it, Why are you grieved? And the head on the left side wept.

And the head on the right side said to it, I will be with you, and I will put an end to your grief.

And I saw, and lo, the head on the right side turned and devoured that on the left.

And I saw, and lo, the twelve wings and the two little wings disappeared;

and nothing remained on the eagle's body except the three heads that rested.

And I saw, and lo, the heads also slept, and slept as the wings, and they ruled over the earth and over the inhabitants with great oppression.

And I saw, and lo, after a long time the heads rose up, and the head on the right side was the greatest; and the others were less.

And I saw, and lo, the heads consulted together, and the head on the right side said to the others, Is the oppression over the earth greater than we can bear?

And the others said to it, Your strength is greater than ours; do as seems good to you.

And I saw, and lo, the head on the right side thought that they also should hold the principality; and while they were thinking to rule over the earth, I saw, and lo, one of the heads which were at rest, the middle one, awoke; and it was greater than the two other heads.

And I saw how it took the two with itself; and with the two that were with it, it turned and devoured the two little wings which thought to reign.

But this head held rule over all the earth, and oppressed its inhabitants with much hardship, and wielded power over the inhabited world more than all the wings that had been.

And after this I saw, and lo, suddenly the middle head was destroyed, it also even as the wings.

But there remained two heads, which also ruled over the whole earth, and over its inhabitants.

And I saw, and lo, the head which was upon the right side devoured that upon the left.

And I heard a voice which said to me: Look in front of you, and see what you see at the end.

And I saw, and lo, as it were a lion that was roused out of the wood, crying and roaring. And I heard how he uttered a man's voice to the eagle, and spoke and said to him:

Hear, you eagle, and I will talk to you: The Most High says to you: Are you not it that are left of the four beasts which I had made to reign over my world, and that through them the end of the times might come?

You, however, the fourth, are come, and have overcome all the beasts who are past; and you have wielded power over the world with great hardship, and over the whole inhabited earth with bitter violence; and you have dwelt in the inhabited earth full long with fraud, and have judged the earth, but not with truth.

For you have plundered and robbed the humble and true, and evil entreated the meek; and have hated the upright, and loved the deceitful; and have overthrown the strongholds of such as were flourishing, and laid low the walls of those who did you no harm—

And so your insolence has ascended to the Most High, and your pride to the Mighty One.

And the Most High regarded his times, and lo, they were ended; and his ages were fulfilled.

Therefore shall you be utterly destroyed, you eagle, and your highest wings, and your little and evil wings, and your bitter heads, and your evil talons, and your whole hateful and evil body;

so that the whole earth may be rested and relieved now that she has been freed from violence, that she may hope for the judgment and the mercy of her Maker.

And it came to pass when the lion had spoken these words to the eagle, I saw, and lo, the head that was left was destroyed suddenly.

And then the two wings which went over to it rose up in order to reign; and their principate had an end and was full of uproar.

And I saw that these also were destroyed and the whole body of the eagle was burnt; and the earth was greatly amazed.

But I from great agitation and much fear awoke, and said to my spirit: You have wrought all these things unto me because you search out the ways of the Most High!

And lo, I am enfeebled in my soul, and my spirit is much diminished, nor is there left in me the least strength because of the great fear with which I have been afraid this night.

Therefore now will I beseech the Most High that he will strengthen me to the end.

And I said, O Lord my Lord, if I have found favor before you, and if I am justified above many, and if my prayer has indeed come up before your face,

strengthen me, and show me, your servant, the interpretation and the meaning of this fearful vision, that you may perfectly comfort my soul.

For you have deemed me worthy to show me the end of the times and the last times.

And he said to me: This is the interpretation of the vision:

The eagle which you saw coming up from the sea is the fourth kingdom which appeared in a vision to your brother Daniel.

But it was not explained to him as I now explain it to you.

Behold, the days come, when there shall rise up a kingdom upon earth, and it shall be more terrible than all the kingdoms that have been before it.

And there shall reign over it twelve kings, one after another.

Whereof the second shall begin to reign, and shall have a longer time than the other twelve.

This is the interpretation of the twelve wings which you have seen.

And whereas you did see a voice which spoke and did not emerge from the head of the eagle, but from the midst of his body, this is the meaning: that in the midst of the time of that kingdom there shall be many divisions, and it shall be in danger of falling; and it shall not fall then, but shall be re-established to its former rule.

And whereas you did see eight little wings grow under his wings, this is the meaning: for there shall arise in it eight kings whose times shall be swift and whose periods hurried:

and two of them shall perish when the time shall come that divides, and four shall be kept for the time when its time comes to be ended; but two shall be kept for the consummation.

And whereas you did see in him three heads resting, this is the meaning: at the end of the times the Most High will arouse three kings; and they shall renew many things therein, and shall grind the earth and its inhabitants with much hardship, more than all those that were before them.

Therefore are they called the heads of the eagle; for these are they who shall renew his wickedness, and they shall consummate his end.

And whereas you did see one great head destroyed—it is because only one of them shall die upon his bed, but he also tormented;

but as for the two who are left, the sword shall devour them; because the sword of the one shall devour his companion; nevertheless he also shall fall by the sword at the end.

And whereas you did see two wings go over to the head on the right side, this is the meaning: These are they whom the Most High has set apart for his end, and their kingdom shall have an end, and it shall be full of uproar, as you have seen.

And that you did see the lion that was roused out of the wood, crying and roaring and speaking to the eagle, and that he was reproving him for his iniquity, and all the words, as you have heard:

this is the Messiah whom the Most High has kept for the consummation of the days, who shall spring from the seed of David, and shall come and speak with them; and he shall reprove them for their ungodliness, and for their baseness admonish them, and set in order before them their iniquity.

For he shall station them before me in their judgment, alive; and it shall be when he rebukes them, then he shall destroy them.

But my people who have been left he shall deliver in mercy, even them who have remained within my borders; and he shall make them joyful until the consummation of the Day of Judgment comes concerning which I have spoken with you previously.

This is the vision you have seen, and this is its interpretation.

And you alone have been found worthy to have knowledge of the mystery of the Most High.

Write therefore in a book all these things that you have seen, and put them in a hidden place; and teach them to the wise of your people, even to them whose hearts you know are able, comprehending, to keep these mysteries.

But do you endure here yet seven days more, that there may be revealed to you what the Most High wills to reveal to you!

And he departed from me.

And it came to pass when the people saw that seven days were past, and I not come into the city, all the people gathered themselves together, from the small to the great, and arose and came to me and answered and said to me:

How have we sinned against you, or what evil have we done to you, that you have forsaken us and sit in this place?

For you are left to us of all the prophets as a cluster out of the vintage, and as a light in a dark place, and as a haven of life to a ship when it stands in a storm.

Or are not the evils that have befallen us sufficient, but that you also should forsake us? But if you forsake us, it had been well for us if we also had been consumed in the burning of Zion!

For we are not better than those who perished there. And they wept with a loud voice.

And I answered and said to them: Be of good cheer, Israel, and be not sorrowful, House of Jacob.

For your remembrance is with the Most High, and the Mighty One does not forget you forever.

But I have not forsaken you, and will not forsake you, but I have come to this place to pray for the devastation of Zion, and to ask mercy for our Sanctuary's humiliation.

And now go every one to his own house, and I will come to you after these days.

And the people went into the city as I had bidden them.

But I sat in the field seven days as he had commanded me; and I ate of the flowers of the field only, and of the herbs was my food in those days.