Then there came a voice to me: Come hither and die, Esdras, my beloved; give that which hath been entrusted to thee.
2And the prophet said: And whence can you bring forth my soul?
3And the angels said: We can put it forth through the mouth.
4And the prophet said: Mouth to mouth have I spoken with God, and it comes not forth thence.
5And the angels said: Let us bring it out through thy nostrils.
6And the prophet said: My nostrils have smelled the sweet savour of the glory of God.
7And the angels said: We can bring it out through thine eyes.
8And the prophet said: Mine eyes have seen the back parts of God.
9And the angels said: We can bring it out through the crown of thy head.
10And the prophet said: I walked about with Moses also on the mountain, and it comes not forth thence.
11And the angels said: We can put it forth through the points of thy nails.
12And the prophet said: My feet also have walked about on the altar.
13And the angels went away without having done anything, saying: Lord, we cannot get his soul.
14Then He says to His only begotten Son: Go down, my beloved Son, with a great host of angels, and take the soul of my beloved Esdras.
15For the Lord, having taken a great host of angels, says to the prophet: Give me the trust which I entrusted to thee; the crown has been prepared for thee.
16And the prophet said: Lord, if Thou take my soul from me, who will be left to plead with Thee for the race of men?
17And God said: As thou art mortal, and of the earth, do not plead with me.
18And the prophet said: I will not cease to plead.
19And God said: Give up just now the trust; the crown has been prepared for thee.
20Come and die, that thou mayst obtain it.
21Then the prophet began to say with tears: O Lord, what good have I done pleading with Thee, and I am going to fall down into the earth?
22Woe's me, woe's me, that I am going to be eaten up by worms!
23Weep, all ye saints and ye righteous, for me, who have pleaded much, and who am delivered up to death.
24Weep for me, all ye saints and ye righteous, because I have gone to the pit of Hades.
25And God said to him: Hear, Esdras, my beloved.
26I, who am immortal, endured a cross; I tasted vinegar and gall; I was laid in a tomb, and I raised up my chosen ones; I called Adam up out of Hades, that I might save the race of men.
27Do not therefore be afraid of death: for that which is from me--that is to say, the soul--goes to heaven; and that which is from the earth--that is to say, the body--goes to the earth, from which it was taken.
28And the prophet said: Woe's me! woe's me! what shall I set about? what shall I do?
29I know not. And then the blessed Esdras began to say: O eternal God, the Maker of the whole creation, who hast measured the heaven with a span, and who holdest the earth as a handful, who ridest upon the cherubim, who didst take the prophet Elias to the heavens in a chariot of fire, who givest food to all flesh, whom all things dread and tremble at from the face of Thy power,--listen to me, who have pleaded much, and give to all who transcribe this book, and have it, and remember my name, and honour my memory, give them a blessing from heaven; and bless him in all things, as Thou didst bless Joseph at last, and remember not his former wickedness in the day of his judgment.
30And as many as have not believed this book shall be burnt up like Sodom and Gomorrah.
31And there came to him a voice, saying: Esdras, my beloved, all things whatever thou hast asked will I give to each one.
32And immediately he gave up his precious soul with much honour, in the month of October, on the twenty-eighth.
33And they prepared him for burial with incense and psalms; and his precious and sacred body dispenses strength of soul and body perpetually to those who have recourse to him from a longing desire.
34To whom is due glory, strength, honour, and adoration,--to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to ages of ages.
35Amen.