Chapter Esdras 10

And it so came to pass, that when my son was entered into his wedding chamber, he fell down, and died.

²Then we all overthrew the lights, and all my neighbours rose up to comfort me: so I took my rest unto the second day at night.

³And it came to pass, when they had all left off to comfort me, to the end I might be quiet; then rose I up by night and fled, and came hither into this field, as thou seest.

⁴And I do now purpose not to return into the city, but here to stay, and neither to eat nor drink, but continually to mourn and to fast until I die.

⁵Then left I the meditations wherein I was, and spake to her in anger, saying,

⁶Thou foolish woman above all other, seest thou not our mourning, and what happeneth unto us?

⁷How that Sion our mother is full of all heaviness, and much humbled, mourning very sore?

⁸And now, seeing we all mourn and are sad, for we are all in heaviness, art thou grieved for one son?

⁹For ask the earth, and she shall tell thee, that it is she which ought to mourn for the fall of so many that grow upon her.

¹⁰For out of her came all at the first, and out of her shall all others come, and, behold, they walk almost all into destruction, and a multitude of them is utterly rooted out.

¹¹Who then should make more mourning than she, that hath lost so great a multitude; and not thou, which art sorry but for one?

¹²But if thou sayest unto me, My lamentation is not like the earth's, because I have lost the fruit of my womb, which I brought forth with pains, and bare with sorrows;

¹³But the earth not so: for the multitude present in it according to the course of the earth is gone, as it came:

¹⁴Then say I unto thee, Like as thou hast brought forth with labour; even so the earth also hath given her fruit, namely, man, ever since the beginning unto him that made her.

¹⁵Now therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself, and bear with a good courage that which hath befallen thee.

¹⁶For if thou shalt acknowledge the determination of God to be just, thou shalt both receive thy son in time, and shalt be commended among women.

¹⁷Go thy way then into the city to thine husband.

¹⁸And she said unto me, That will I not do: I will not go into the city, but here will I die.

¹⁹So I proceeded to speak further unto her, and said,

²⁰Do not so, but be counselled. by me: for how many are the adversities of Sion? be comforted in regard of the sorrow of Jerusalem.

²¹For thou seest that our sanctuary is laid waste, our altar broken down, our temple destroyed;

²²Our psaltery is laid on the ground, our song is put to silence, our rejoicing is at an end, the light of our candlestick is put out, the ark of our covenant is spoiled, our holy things are defiled, and the name that is called upon us is almost profaned: our children are put to shame, our priests are burnt, our Levites are gone into captivity, our virgins are defiled, and our wives ravished; our righteous men carried away, our little ones destroyed, our young men are brought in bondage, and our strong men are become weak;

²³And, which is the greatest of all, the seal of Sion hath now lost her honour; for she is delivered into the hands of them that hate us.

²⁴And therefore shake off thy great heaviness, and put away the multitude of sorrows, that the Mighty may be merciful unto thee again, and the Highest shall give thee rest and ease from thy labour.

²⁵And it came to pass while I was talking with her, behold, her face upon a sudden shined exceedingly, and her countenance glistered, so that I was afraid of her, and mused what it might be.

²⁶And, behold, suddenly she made a great cry very fearful: so that the earth shook at the noise of the woman.

²⁷And I looked, and, behold, the woman appeared unto me no more, but there was a city builded, and a large place shewed itself from the foundations: then was I afraid, and cried with a loud voice, and said,

²⁸Where is Uriel the angel, who came unto me at the first? for he hath caused me to fall into many trances, and mine end is turned into corruption, and my prayer to rebuke.

²⁹And as I was speaking these words behold, he came unto me, and looked upon me.

³⁰And, lo, I lay as one that had been dead, and mine understanding was taken from me: and he took me by the right hand, and comforted me, and set me upon my feet, and said unto me,

³¹What aileth thee? and why art thou so disquieted? and why is thine understanding troubled, and the thoughts of thine heart?

³²And I said, Because thou hast forsaken me, and yet I did according to thy words, and I went into the field, and, lo, I have seen, and yet see, that I am not able to express.

³³And he said unto me, Stand up manfully, and I will advise thee.

³⁴Then said I, Speak on, my lord, in me; only forsake me not, lest I die frustrate of my hope.

³⁵For I have seen that I knew not, and hear that I do not know.

³⁶Or is my sense deceived, or my soul in a dream?

³⁷Now therefore I beseech thee that thou wilt shew thy servant of this vision.

³⁸He answered me then, and said, Hear me, and I shall inform thee, and tell thee wherefore thou art afraid: for the Highest will reveal many secret things unto thee.

³⁹He hath seen that thy way is right: for that thou sorrowest continually for thy people, and makest great lamentation for Sion.

⁴⁰This therefore is the meaning of the vision which thou lately sawest:

⁴¹Thou sawest a woman mourning, and thou begannest to comfort her:

⁴²But now seest thou the likeness of the woman no more, but there appeared unto thee a city builded.

⁴³And whereas she told thee of the death of her son, this is the solution:

⁴⁴This woman, whom thou sawest is Sion: and whereas she said unto thee, even she whom thou seest as a city builded,

⁴⁵Whereas, I say, she said unto thee, that she hath been thirty years barren: those are the thirty years wherein there was no offering made in her.

⁴⁶But after thirty years Solomon builded the city and offered offerings: and then bare the barren a son.

⁴⁷And whereas she told thee that she nourished him with labour: that was the dwelling in Jerusalem.

⁴⁸But whereas she said unto thee, That my son coming into his marriage chamber happened to have a fail, and died: this was the destruction that came to Jerusalem.

⁴⁹And, behold, thou sawest her likeness, and because she mourned for her son, thou begannest to comfort her: and of these things which have chanced, these are to be opened unto thee.

⁵⁰For now the most High seeth that thou art grieved unfeignedly, and sufferest from thy whole heart for her, so hath he shewed thee the brightness of her glory, and the comeliness of her beauty:

⁵¹And therefore I bade thee remain in the field where no house was builded:

⁵²For I knew that the Highest would shew this unto thee.

⁵³Therefore I commanded thee to go into the field, where no foundation of any building was.

⁵⁴For in the place wherein the Highest beginneth to shew his city, there can no man's building be able to stand.

⁵⁵And therefore fear not, let not thine heart be affrighted, but go thy way in, and see the beauty and greatness of the building, as much as thine eyes be able to see:

⁵⁶And then shalt thou hear as much as thine ears may comprehend.

⁵⁷For thou art blessed above many other, and art called with the Highest; and so are but few.

⁵⁸But to morrow at night thou shalt remain here;

⁵⁹And so shall the Highest shew thee visions of the high things, which the most High will do unto them that dwell upon the earth in the last days. So I slept that night and another, like as he commanded me.