The Sibyl · a new plain-English translation from the original language
on the chosen ones, but on the lawless he will bring fire for ages.
and then he will heal the sick and those held in reproach,
all who place their faith in him.
the blind will see, and the lame will walk,
the deaf will hear, and those who could not speak will talk.
he will drive out demons, and there will be a rising of the dead;
he will walk on the waves, and in a lonely place
from five loaves and a fish out of the sea
he will feed five thousand full, and of what remains
he will fill twelve baskets, for the hope of the peoples. — —
and then Israel, drunk, will not understand,
nor again will it hear, its ears grown heavy and dull.
but when the wrath of the Most High comes upon the Hebrews,
maddened with frenzy, and takes their faith away from them,
because they did outrage to the heavenly son of God,
then indeed with blows and with venomous spitting
Israel will assail him with its filthy lips.
for food they will give him gall, and for drink unmixed vinegar,
impiously, struck by their evil frenzy,
in breast and heart, yet seeing nothing with their eyes,
blinder than moles, more fearsome than crawling
venomous beasts, bound fast in heavy sleep.
but when he stretches out his hands and measures all things
and wears the crown of thorns, and they pierce his side
with reeds, for whose sake, in the space of three hours,
there will be monstrous darkness, night at midday,
and then the temple of Solomon will show mankind
a great sign, when to the house of Hades
he goes, proclaiming resurrection to the dead.
but when after three days he comes again to the light
and shows mortals the pattern, and teaches them all things,
mounting upon the clouds he will journey to the house of heaven,
leaving to the world the covenant of good tidings.
of him a new shoot will flower in his name,
out of the nations led by the law of the Great One.
but after this there will also be wise guides,
and then afterward there will be a ceasing of prophets.
from then, when the Hebrews reap the evil harvest,
a Roman king will carry off much gold
and silver besides. and after him other kingships
will follow one on another as kingdoms perish,
and they will oppress mortals. and great will be the fall
for those men, when they begin their unjust arrogance.
but when the temple of Solomon, in the holy land,
falls, cast down by men of barbarous speech
clad in bronze armor, the Hebrews will be driven from the land,
wandering, plundered, and much darnel
they will mix into the grain; evil discord will befall
all men; and the cities, outraged at every turn,
will weep for one another, since they took upon themselves
an evil deed, receiving the great wrath of God into their bosoms.