2Esdras:10
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And it so came to pass ,
that when my son was entered into his wedding chamber ,
he fell down ,
and died .
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Then 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 .
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And 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 .
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And 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 .
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Then left I the meditations wherein I was ,
and spake to her in anger ,
saying ,
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Thou foolish woman above all other ,
seest thou not our mourning ,
and what happeneth unto us ?
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How that Sion our mother is full of all heaviness ,
and much humbled ,
mourning very sore ?
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And now ,
seeing we all mourn and are sad ,
for we are all in heaviness ,
art thou grieved for one son ?
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For 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 .
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For 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 .
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Who then should make more mourning than she ,
that hath lost so great a multitude ;
and not thou ,
which art sorry but for one ?
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But 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 ;
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But the earth not so :
for the multitude present in it according to the course of the earth is gone ,
as it came :
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Then 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 .
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Now therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself ,
and bear with a good courage that which hath befallen thee .
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For 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 .
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Go thy way then into the city to thine husband .
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And she said unto me ,
That will I not do :
I will not go into the city ,
but here will I die .
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So I proceeded to speak further unto her ,
and said ,
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Do not so ,
but be counselled .
by me :
for how many are the adversities of Sion ?
be comforted in regard of the sorrow of Jerusalem .
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For thou seest that our sanctuary is laid waste ,
our altar broken down ,
our temple destroyed ;
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Our 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 ;
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And ,
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 .
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And 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 .
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And 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 .
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And ,
behold ,
suddenly she made a great cry very fearful :
so that the earth shook at the noise of the woman .
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And 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 ,
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Where 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 .
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And as I was speaking these words behold ,
he came unto me ,
and looked upon me .
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And ,
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 ,
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What aileth thee ?
and why art thou so disquieted ?
and why is thine understanding troubled ,
and the thoughts of thine heart ?
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And 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 .
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And he said unto me ,
Stand up manfully ,
and I will advise thee .
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Then said I ,
Speak on ,
my lord ,
in me ;
only forsake me not ,
lest I die frustrate of my hope .
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For I have seen that I knew not ,
and hear that I do not know .
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Or is my sense deceived ,
or my soul in a dream ?
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Now therefore I beseech thee that thou wilt shew thy servant of this vision .
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He 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 .
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He hath seen that thy way is right :
for that thou sorrowest continually for thy people ,
and makest great lamentation for Sion .
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This therefore is the meaning of the vision which thou lately sawest :
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Thou sawest a woman mourning ,
and thou begannest to comfort her :
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But now seest thou the likeness of the woman no more ,
but there appeared unto thee a city builded .
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And whereas she told thee of the death of her son ,
this is the solution :
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This woman ,
whom thou sawest is Sion :
and whereas she said unto thee ,
even she whom thou seest as a city builded ,
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Whereas ,
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 .
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But after thirty years Solomon builded the city and offered offerings :
and then bare the barren a son .
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And whereas she told thee that she nourished him with labour :
that was the dwelling in Jerusalem .
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But 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 .
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And ,
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 .
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For 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 :
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And therefore I bade thee remain in the field where no house was builded :
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For I knew that the Highest would shew this unto thee .
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Therefore I commanded thee to go into the field ,
where no foundation of any building was .
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For in the place wherein the Highest beginneth to shew his city ,
there can no man '
s building be able to stand .
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And 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 :
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And then shalt thou hear as much as thine ears may comprehend .
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For thou art blessed above many other ,
and art called with the Highest ;
and so are but few .
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But to morrow at night thou shalt remain here ;
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And 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 .
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