以斯拉記（吉茲語／衣索比亞版） 第 11 章

And then, when the Merciful One had spoken this word to that eagle,

that head which remained also vanished; and those wings that had gone over to it rose up to reign, but their reign was troubled and shaken.

And then these also vanished, and all their body was burned up, and the earth was greatly terrified; and I too was terrified by the intensity of the searching, and I awoke in great fear.

And I said to my soul, You have brought all this upon me by searching out the ways of the Most High.

And my soul grew faint, and my spirit was utterly wearied, and I had no strength at all, because of the great fear with which I had been terrified that night.

And now I will pray to the Most High, that He may strengthen me to the end.

And I said, O Lord my Lord, if I have found favor before Your eyes, and if I have brought much before You, and if my prayer has gone up before Your face,

save me and strengthen me, and show Your servant the interpretation of this fearful dream, that my soul may rejoice fully.

For You have made me blessed, in that You have shown me the last days, and the consummation of the times of the world.

And He said to me, This is the interpretation of that dream which you saw:

The eagle that you saw coming up from the sea is the fourth kingdom, which appeared to Daniel your brother in a dream;

but it was not interpreted to him as I now interpret it to you.

Behold, the days are coming when there shall arise upon the earth a kingdom more terrible than all the kingdoms that were before it.

And twelve kings shall reign in it.

And the one who reigns second shall be the one who holds power, and his times shall be longer than any of the twelve.

And this is the interpretation of those twelve wings that you saw.

And as for the one you saw who uttered a voice that came not from his head, but from the midst of his body—

this is its meaning: from the midst of the body of that kingdom great tumults shall arise, and it shall be in peril of falling; yet it shall not fall at that time, but shall be restored to its dominion.

And as for those you saw, the heads that came forth out of his wings—

this is its meaning: eight kings shall arise in it, whose times shall be evil and their days short; and two of them shall perish quickly in the midst of their reign.

But four kingdoms shall be kept until the time of their consummation draws near; and two shall be kept for the very end.

And as for the three heads that you saw at rest—

this is its meaning: in the last days the Most High shall raise up three kings, and they shall renew many things in it, and shall oppress the earth,

and those who dwell in it with great affliction, more than all who were before them; and for this cause they are called the heads of the eagle.

For these are the heads of the kingdom; they are the consummation of the kingdom.

And as for the one head you saw, the greater one, that vanished—this means that one of them, even he alone, shall die upon his bed, yet in torment.

But as for the two that remained, they shall be slain by the sword.

And the one … the last, he too shall be slain by the sword.

And as for the two heads you saw that passed over to the head on the right side—

this is its meaning: these are they whom the Most High has kept for the end; theirs shall be the beginning of the consummation, and there shall be much tumult, just as you saw.

And the lion you saw rousing up out of the forest, roaring and speaking to the eagle, and rebuking it for its unrighteousness, with all these words that you heard—

this is he whom the Most High has kept for the end of days, of the seed of David; and he shall come forth and speak to them, declaring to them their sins, rebuking them for their iniquities, and laying their reproaches before them.

For he shall first set them alive before the judgment seat; and when he has rebuked them, then he shall destroy them.

But the rest of my people who are found within my borders, those who have escaped, he shall deliver in mercy, and shall make them rejoice, until the day of judgment comes, of which I spoke to you at the beginning.

This is the dream that you saw, and this is its interpretation.

And to you alone has the Most High granted to know this mystery.

Therefore write in a book all this that you have seen, and lay it up in a hidden place,

and teach it to the wise among the people, those whom you know are able to keep this mystery in their hearts.

But as for you, remain here yet seven days more, that you may see whatever the Most High wishes to show you.

And then he departed from me. And when all the people heard that those seven days had passed, and that I had not yet entered the city, they all gathered together, small and great, and came to me and said,

What have we sinned against you, and how have we wronged you, that you forsake us and dwell in this place?

For you alone are left to us of all the prophets, like a single cluster left from all that is gleaned, like a lamp in a dark place, and like a haven for a ship saved from the storm.

Have not the evils that have befallen us been enough?

And if you also forsake us, how much better it would have been for us to have perished in the burning of Zion!

For we are no better than those who died there. And they wept with a loud voice.

And I answered them and said, Take courage, O house of Jacob, and do not grieve;

for our remembrance is before the Most High, and the Mighty One has not forgotten us.

And as for me, I will not forsake you, nor depart from you; but I have come to this place to pray concerning the desolation of Zion, and to seek mercy for the humiliation of our joy.

Now go, all of you, to your houses, and after these days I will come to you.

So the people went to their houses, as I had told them.

But I remained in that place, in the field, seven days, as he had commanded me; and I ate only of the fruit of the field, and of the plants of the field I ate in those days.