2 Esdras 10
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1BVt when my sonne went into his chamber, he fell downe, and dyed. 2Then we all ouerthrewe the lights, & all my neighbours rose vp to comfort me: so I rested vntil the seconde day at night. 3And when thei had all left of to comfort me, that I shulde be quiet, then I rose vp by 4And am not purposed to returne into the citie, but to remaine here, and nether to eat nor drinke, but continually to mourne & fast, vntil I dye. 5Then left I my purpose wherein I was, and spake to her angerly, and said, 6Thou foolish woman aboue all other, seest thou not our heauines, and what cometh vnto vs? 7For Sion our mother is all woful and is sore afflicted, and mourneth extremely. 8Seing we be all now in heauines, and make our mone(for we be all sorowful)art thou sorie for one sonne? 9Demande the earth, and she shal tell thee that it is she which oght to mourne for the fall of so manie that growe vpon her. 10For from the beginning all men are borne of her, and other shal come, and beholde, they walke almoste all into destruction, & the multitude of them shalbe destroyed. 11Who shulde then rather mourne, she that hathe lost so great a multitude, or thou which art sorie but for one? 12But if thou woldest say vnto me, My mourning is not like the mourning of the earth(for I haue lost the frute of my wombe, which I broght forthe with heauines, & bare with sorowes, 13But the earth is according to the maner of the earth, and the present multitude returneth into her as it came) 14Then say I vnto thee, As thou hast borne with trauail, so the earth also from the beginning giueth her frute vnto man, euen to him that labored her. 15Now therefore withholde thy sorow in thy self, and beare constantly that which cometh vnto thee. 16For if thou allowest Gods purpose, and receiuest his counsel in time, thou shalt be commended therein. 17Go thy way then into the citie to thine housband. 18¶Then she said vnto me, I wil not, I wil not go into the citie, but here wil I dye. 19So I continued to speake more with her, and said, 20Do not so, but be counseled: for how manie falles hathe Sion? Be of good comfort because of the sorowe of Ierusalem. 21For thou seest that our Sanctuarie is layed waste: our altar is broken downe: our Temple is destroyed. 22Our psalterion fainteth, and the song ceaseth, and our mirth is vanished away, and the light of our candelsticke is quenched, and the Arke of our couenant is taken away, and our holie things are defiled, and the Name that is called vpon ouer vs, is almoste dishonored, and our children are put to shame, and our Priests are burnt, & our Leuites are caryed into captiuitie, and our virgines are defiled, and our wiues rauished, and our righteous men spoyled, & our children destroyed, and our yong men are broght in bondage, and our strong men are become weake, 23And, which is the greatest of all, Sion the seale hathe lost her worship: for she is deliuered into the hands of them that hate vs. 24And therefore shake of thy great heauines, and put away the multitude of sorowes, that the Almightie may be merciful vnto thee, and that the moste High may giue thee rest and ease from thy labour. 25And when I was talking with her, her face and beautie shined suddenly, and her countenance was bright, so that I was afrayed of her & mused what it might be. 26And beholde, immediatly she cast out a great voyce, very fearful, so that the earth shoke at the noyce of the woman. 27And I loked, and beholde, the woman appeared vnto me nomore: but there was a citie buylded, and a place was shewed from the grounde and fundacion. Then was I afrayed, and cryed with a loude voyce, and said, 28Where is Vriel the Angel which came to me at the first? for he hathe caused me to come into manie and depe consideracions, and mine end is turned into corruption, and my prayer to rebuke. 29And as I was speaking these wordes, beholde, he came vnto me, and loked vpon me. 30And lo, I laye as one dead, and mine vnderstanding was altered, and he toke me by the right hand and comforted me, and set me vpon my feete, and said vnto me, 31What aileth thee? and why is thine vnderstanding vexed? and the vnderstanding of thine heart? & wherefore art thou sorie? 32And I said, Because thou hast forsaken me, and I haue done according vnto thy wordes: I went into the field, and there haue I sene things, & se that I am not able to expresse. 33Then said he vnto me, Stand vp manly, and I wil giue thee exhortacion. 34Then said I, Speake vnto me, my lord, and forsake me not, lest I dye through rashnes. 35For I haue sene that I knewe not, and heare that I do not knowe. 36Or is mine vnderstanding disceiued, or doeth my minde, being hautie, erre? 37Now therefore I beseche thee that thou wilt shewe thy seruant of this wondre. 38Then he answered me, and said, Heare me, and I wil informe thee, & tel thee where- 39He hath sene thy good purpose, that thou art sorie continually for thy people, and makest great lamentacion for Sion. 40This therefore is the vnderstanding of the vision, which appeared vnto thee a litle while ago. 41Thou sawest a woman mourning, & thou begannest to comfort her: 42But now seest thou the lickenes of the woman no more, but there appeared vnto thee a citie buylded. 43And where as she tolde thee of the death of her sonne, this is the solution, 44This woman, which thou sawest, she is Sion: and where as she tolde thee (euen she which thou seest now as a citie buylded) 45And as touching that she said vnto thee, that she was baren thirtie yeres, this was concerning that, there was euen thirtie yeres wherein there was no offring offred in her. 46But after thirtie yeres, Salomon buylt the citie, and offred offrings: then bare the baren a sonne. 47And where as she tolde thee, that she nourished him with labour, that was the inhabiting of Ierusalem. 48But where as she tolde thee that her sonne, as his chance was, dyed when she came into her chamber, that is the fall that is come to Ierusalem. 49And when thou sawest her like one that mourned for her sonne, thou begannest to comfort her: of these things which haue chanced these are to be opened vnto thee. 50For now the moste High seeth, that thou art sorie in thy mind, & because thou suffrest with all thine heart for her, he shewed thee the clerenes of her glorie, and the fairenes of her beautie. 51And therefore I bad thee remaine in the field where no house was buylt. 52For I knewe that the moste High wolde shewe these things vnto thee. 53Therefore I commanded thee to go into the field, where no fundacion nor buylding is. 54For the worke of mans buylding can not stand in that place where the citie of the moste High shulde be shewed. 55And therefore feare not, nether let thine heart be afrayed, but go in, and se the beautie & greatnes of the buylding as muche as thou art able to se with thine eyes. 56And after this shalt thou heare, as muche as thine eares may comprehende. 57For thou art blessed aboue manie, & art called with the moste High among the few. 58But to morow at night thou shalt remaine here, 59And the moste High shal shewe thee visions of high things, which the moste High wil do vnto them that dwell vpon earth, in the last dayes. So I slept the same night & another, as he had commanded me.