The Sibyl · a new plain-English translation from the original language
When God at last had stilled the all-wise song,
who had begged him much, and again in my breast
he set the joyous voice of inspired words.
Struck through my whole frame, I follow after these; for I do not know
what I say, but God bids me proclaim each thing.
But whenever upon the earth violent quakings and raging thunderbolts,
and thunders and lightnings . . . and blight upon the earth,
and madness of jackals and of wolves, and slaughters of men,
and deaths of men, or of lowing oxen too,
of four-footed cattle and of toiling mules,
and of goats and sheep — then the barren field,
left much untended, will come from neglect,
and the crops will fail, and free men will be sold into bondage
among most mortals, and temple-robbing of shrines.
Then also, after these things, the tenth generation
of men will appear, when the earth-shaking thunderbolt-hurler
shatters the people's zeal for idols and shakes
the people of seven-hilled Rome, and great wealth will perish,
burned in much fire by the flame of Hephaestus.
And then, blood-red, descending from the heavens —
but the whole world of countless men,
raging, will slay one another, and in the tumult
God will loose hunger and pestilence and bolts of fire
upon men who judge their statutes apart from justice.
There will be a diminishing of men throughout the whole world,
so that, if one should see a footprint on the earth, he would marvel
at a man. Then again the great God dwelling in the sky
will become in all things the savior of pious men.
And then there will be deep peace and understanding,
and the fruit-bearing earth will bear yet more abundant fruits again,
neither divided up nor any longer enslaved.
Every harbor, every haven will be free
to men, as it was before, and shamelessness will perish.
And then indeed God will afterward make a great sign:
for a star like a bright crown will shine,
brilliant, all-radiant, from the glorious heaven,
for not a few days; then to men a crown
he will display from heaven for those contending in the games,
and . . . (corrupt); for there will be a great entrance-contest
into the heavenly city, and it will be open to all people
of the world, holding the glory of immortality.
And then all the people, for immortal prizes,
will contend for a most beautiful victory; for no one there
can shamelessly purchase the crown with silver.
For holy Christ will award them just judgments
and will crown the approved, and will give the prize to the witnesses,
immortal, to those who make the contest even unto death.
And to virgins who have run well he will give an incorruptible prize
of that contest, and to those who deal out justice,
to all men and to peoples of foreign nations.