there was a young man of a high stature, taller than all the rest, and upon every one of their heads he set crowns, and was more exalted; which I marvelled at greatly.
[44] So I asked the angel, and said, Sir, what are these?
[45] He answered and said unto me, These be they that have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal, and have confessed the name of God: now are they crowned, and receive palms.
[46] Then said I unto the angel, What young person is it that crowneth them, and giveth them palms in their hands?
[47] So he answered and said unto me, It is the Son of God, whom they have confessed in the world. Then began I greatly to commend them that stood so stiffly for the name of the Lord.
[48] Then the angel said unto me, Go thy way, and tell my people what manner of things, and how great wonders of the Lord thy God, thou hast seen.

4Ezra.3

[1] In the thirtieth year after the ruin of the city I was in Babylon, and lay troubled upon my bed, and my thoughts came up over my heart:
[2] For I saw the desolation of Sion, and the wealth of them that dwelt at Babylon.
[3] And my spirit was sore moved, so that I began to speak words full of fear to the most High, and said,
[4] O Lord, who bearest rule, thou spakest at the beginning, when thou didst plant the earth, and that thyself alone, and commandedst the people,
[5] And gavest a body unto Adam without soul, which was the workmanship of thine hands, and didst breathe into him the breath of life, and he was made living before thee.
[6] And thou leadest him into paradise, which thy right hand had planted, before ever the earth came forward.
[7] And unto him thou gavest commandment to love thy way: which he transgressed, and immediately thou appointedst death in him and in his generations, of whom came nations, tribes, people, and kindreds, out of number.
[8] And every people walked after their own will, and did wonderful things before thee, and despised thy commandments.
[9] And again in process of time thou broughtest the flood upon those that dwelt in the world, and destroyedst them.
[10] And it came to pass in every of them, that as death was to Adam, so was the flood to these.
[11] Nevertheless one of them thou leftest, namely, Noah with his household, of whom came all righteous men.
[12] And it happened, that when they that dwelt upon the earth began to multiply, and had gotten them many children, and were a great people, they began again to be more ungodly than the first.
[13] Now when they lived so wickedly before thee, thou didst choose thee a man from among them, whose name was Abraham.
[14] Him thou lovedst, and unto him only thou shewedst thy will:
[15] And madest an everlasting covenant with him, promising him that thou wouldest never forsake his seed.
[16] And unto him thou gavest Isaac, and unto Isaac also thou gavest Jacob and Esau. As for Jacob, thou didst choose him to thee, and put by Esau: and so Jacob became a great multitude.
[17] And it came to pass, that when thou leadest his seed out of Egypt, thou broughtest them up to the mount Sinai.
[18] And bowing the heavens, thou didst set fast the earth, movedst the whole world, and madest the depths to tremble, and troubledst the men of that age.
[19] And thy glory went through four gates, of fire, and of earthquake, and of wind, and of cold; that thou mightest give the law unto the seed of Jacob, and diligence unto the generation of Israel.
[20] And yet tookest thou not away from them a wicked heart, that thy law might bring forth fruit in them.
[21] For the first Adam bearing a wicked heart transgressed, and was overcome; and so be all they that are born of him.
[22] Thus infirmity was made permanent; and the law (also) in the heart of the people with the malignity of the root; so that the good departed away, and the evil abode still.
[23] So the times passed away, and the years were brought to an end: then didst thou raise thee up a servant, called David:
[24] Whom thou commandedst to build a city unto thy name, and to offer incense and oblations unto thee therein.
[25] When this was done many years, then they that inhabited the city forsook thee,
[26] And in all things did even as Adam and all his generations had done: for they also had a wicked heart:
[27] And so thou gavest thy city over into the hands of thine enemies.
[28] Are their deeds then any better that inhabit Babylon, that they should therefore have the dominion over Sion?
[29] For when I came thither, and had seen impieties without number, then my soul saw many evildoers in this thirtieth year, so that my heart failed me.
[30] For I have seen how thou sufferest them sinning, and hast spared wicked doers: and hast destroyed thy people, and hast preserved thine enemies, and hast not signified it.
[31] I do not remember how this way may be left: Are they then of Babylon better than they of Sion?
[32] Or is there any other people that knoweth thee beside Israel? or what generation hath so believed thy covenants as Jacob?
[33] And yet their reward appeareth not, and their labour hath no fruit: for I have gone here and there through the heathen, and I see that they flow in wealth, and think not upon thy commandments.
[34] Weigh thou