4 Esdras (2 Esdras) 10

And it came to pass, when my son entered his bridal chamber, he fell down and died.

And we all put out the lights, and all my fellow citizens rose up to comfort me; and I kept still until the next day, until the night.

And it came to pass, when they had all grown quiet, to comfort me that I might rest, I rose up in the night and fled, and came, as you see, into this field;

and now I think to return no more into the city, but to remain here, neither eating nor drinking, but mourning without ceasing, and fasting until I die.

And I left off the matters in which I had been engaged, and answered her in anger, and said,

O most foolish of all women, do you not see our mourning, and the things that have befallen us?

For Zion, our mother, is grieved with all sorrow, and humbled with all humiliation, and mourns most bitterly.

And now, since we all mourn and are sorrowful, since we all are grieved, are you grieved for one son alone?

For ask the earth, and it will tell you that it is she who ought to mourn the fall of so many who spring up upon her.

And from her, from the beginning, all were born, and others shall come; and behold, almost all walk into destruction, and their multitude comes to annihilation.

And who then ought to mourn the more, except she who has lost so great a multitude, rather than you who grieve for one? But if you say to me,

My mourning is not like the earth's; for I have lost the fruit of my womb, whom I bore with sorrows, and brought forth with pains;

but the earth is according to the way of the earth, and the present multitude has gone into it, just as it came forth. And I say to you,

as you have brought forth with labour, so the earth also has given its fruit, that is, man, from the beginning to him who made it.

Now therefore keep your grief to yourself, and bear bravely the misfortunes that have befallen you.

For if you acknowledge the decree of God to be just, you shall receive your son again in due time, and shall be praised among such women.

Go therefore into the city to your husband. And she said to me,

I will not do so, neither will I enter the city, but here I will die.

And I continued to speak to her, and said,

Do not say this thing, but let yourself be persuaded by him who counsels you. For how many are the calamities of Zion? Be comforted because of the sorrow of Jerusalem.

For you see that our sanctuary has been made desolate, and our altar has been demolished, and our temple has been destroyed,

and our psaltery has been brought low, and the hymn is silenced, and our rejoicing is broken up, and the light of our lampstand is put out, and the ark of our covenant is plundered, and our holy things are defiled, and the name that was called upon us is well nigh profaned; and our children have suffered insult, and our priests have been burned, and our Levites have gone into captivity, and our virgins have been defiled, and our women have suffered violence, and our righteous ones have been carried off, and our little ones have perished, and our young men have been enslaved, and our strong men have been made weak;

and what is greater than all, the seal of Zion, for she has been unsealed from her glory. For she too has been delivered into the hands of those who hate us.

You therefore, shake off your great sorrow, and lay aside from yourself the multitude of griefs, that the Mighty One may again be gracious to you, and that the Most High may give you rest, a respite from your labours.

And it came to pass, while I was speaking to her, that her face suddenly shone exceedingly, and her countenance flashed like lightning, so that I was greatly afraid of her, and pondered what this might be.

And behold, suddenly she uttered a great voice full of fear, so that the earth was shaken by the woman's voice. And I saw,

and behold, the woman appeared to me no more, but a city was being built, and a place was shown of mighty foundations; and I was afraid, and cried with a loud voice, and said,

Where is Uriel the angel, who came to me at the first? For he himself caused me to come into this great bewilderment of mind, and my end has become corruption, and my prayer a reproach.

And while I was speaking these things, behold, he came to me, and saw me.

And behold, I lay as one dead, and my understanding was estranged; and he held my right hand, and strengthened me, and set me upon my feet, and said to me,

What ails you? And why is your understanding troubled, and the thoughts of your heart? And why are you so disturbed? And I said,

Because you forsook me; and yet I did according to your words, and went out into the field; and behold, I saw, and I see what I cannot describe. And he said to me,

Stand up like a man, and I will instruct you. And I said,

Speak, my lord, in me; do not forsake me, that I may not die in vain.

For I have seen what I did not know, and I hear what I do not understand.

Or is my sense deceived, and my soul dreaming?

Now therefore I beseech you to show your servant concerning this bewilderment. And he answered me and said,

Hear me, and I will teach you, and tell you of the things you fear; for the Most High has revealed many mysteries to you.

He has seen your right way, because you grieved without ceasing for your people, and mourned greatly for Zion.

This then is the meaning of the vision which appeared to you a little while ago.

You saw a woman mourning, and you began to comfort her;

but now you see the appearance of the woman no longer, but there appeared to you a city being built;

and as she told you about the death of her son, this is the explanation.

This woman whom you saw, this is Zion; and as she told you, whom even now you behold as a city built,

and as she told you that she was barren thirty years, this is because there were thirty years in which no offering was yet offered in her.

And it came to pass after thirty years, that Solomon built the city, and offered sacrifices; this was when the barren woman bore a son.

And what she told you, that she nourished him with labour, this was the dwelling in Jerusalem.

And as she told you that her son, coming into his bridal chamber, died, and a calamity befell him, this was the destruction that came upon Jerusalem.

And behold, you saw her likeness; and because she mourned for her son, you began to comfort her; and concerning the things that have happened, these were the things to be opened to you.

And now the Most High sees that you are grieved from the heart, and that with your whole heart you suffer for her; therefore he has shown you the brightness of her glory, and the beauty of her loveliness.

For this reason I told you to remain in the field, where no house is built.

For I knew that the Most High was about to show you these things.

Therefore I told you to come into the field where there is no foundation of any building.

For the work of man's building could not be sustained in the place where the city of the Most High was about to be shown.

You therefore, do not be afraid, nor let your heart be dismayed; but enter, and behold the splendour and greatness of the building, as far as the sight of your eyes is able to behold;

and after this you shall hear as much as the hearing of your ears is able to hear.

For you are blessed above many, and you are called by the Most High, as are but few.

But on the night that is to come tomorrow, you shall remain here;

and the Most High will show you those visions of the highest things, which the Most High will do to those who dwell upon the earth in the last days.

And I slept that night and another, as he had told me.