2 Esdras 10

¹“But it happened that when my son entered his wedding chamber, he fell down and died.

²Then we all put out the lamps, and all my neighbors attempted to console me; and I remained quiet until evening of the second day.[#10.2 Literally all my fellow citizens]

³But when they all had stopped consoling me, that I might be quiet, I got up in the night and fled, and came to this field, as you see.

⁴And now I intend not to return to the city, but to stay here, and I will neither eat nor drink, but without ceasing mourn and fast until I die.”

⁵Then I broke off the reflections with which I was still engaged, and answered her in anger and said,

⁶“You most foolish of women, do you not see our mourning, and what has happened to us?

⁷For Zion, the mother of us all, is in deep grief and great affliction.

⁸It is most appropriate to mourn now, because we are all mourning, and to be sorrowful, because we are all sorrowing; you are sorrowing for one son, but we, the whole world, for our mother.[#10.8 Compare Syr: Latin is corrupt]

⁹Now ask the earth, and she will tell you that it is she who ought to mourn over so many who have come into being upon her.

¹⁰And from the beginning all have been born of her, and others will come; and behold, almost all go to perdition, and a multitude of them are destined for destruction.

¹¹Who then ought to mourn the more, she who lost so great a multitude, or you who are grieving for one?[#10.11 Syr]

¹²But if you say to me, ‘My lamentation is not like the earth's, for I have lost the fruit of my womb, which I brought forth in pain and bore in sorrow;

¹³but it is with the earth according to the way of the earth—the multitude that is now in it goes as it came’;

¹⁴then I say to you, ‘As you brought forth in sorrow, so the earth also has from the beginning given her fruit, that is, man, to him who made her.’

¹⁵Now, therefore, keep your sorrow to yourself, and bear bravely the troubles that have come upon you.

¹⁶For if you acknowledge the decree of God to be just, you will receive your son back in due time, and will be praised among women.

¹⁷Therefore go into the city to your husband.”

¹⁸She said to me, “I will not do so; I will not go into the city, but I will die here.”

¹⁹So I spoke again to her, and said,

²⁰“Do not say that, but let yourself be persuaded because of the troubles of Zion, and be consoled because of the sorrow of Jerusalem.

²¹For you see that our sanctuary has been laid waste, our altar thrown down, our temple destroyed;

²²our harp has been laid low, our song has been silenced, and our rejoicing has been ended; the light of our lampstand has been put out, the ark of our covenant has been plundered, our holy things have been polluted, and the name by which we are called has been profaned; our free men have suffered abuse, our priests have been burned to death, our Levites have gone into captivity, our virgins have been defiled, and our wives have been ravished; our righteous men have been carried off, our little ones have been cast out, our young men have been enslaved and our strong men made powerless.[#10.22 Or children]

²³And, what is more than all, the seal of Zion—for she has now lost the seal of her glory, and has been given over into the hands of those that hate us.

²⁴Therefore shake off your great sadness and lay aside your many sorrows, so that the Mighty One may be merciful to you again, and the Most High may give you rest, a relief from your troubles.”

²⁵While I was talking to her, behold, her face suddenly shone exceedingly, and her countenance flashed like lightning, so that I was too frightened to approach her, and my heart was terrified. While I was wondering what this meant,[#10.25 Syr Ethiop Arab 1: Latin omits]

²⁶behold, she suddenly uttered a loud and fearful cry, so that the earth shook at the sound.

²⁷And I looked, and behold, the woman was no longer visible to me, but there was an established city, and a place of huge foundations showed itself. Then I was afraid, and cried with a loud voice and said,[#10.27 Syr Ethiop Arab: Lat a city was being built]

²⁸“Where is the angel Uriel, who came to me at first? For it was he who brought me into this overpowering bewilderment; my end has become corruption, and my prayer a reproach.”

²⁹As I was speaking these words, behold, the angel who had come to me at first came to me, and he looked upon me;

³⁰and behold, I lay there like a corpse and I was deprived of my understanding. Then he grasped my right hand and strengthened me and set me on my feet, and said to me,

³¹“What is the matter with you? And why are you troubled? And why are your understanding and the thoughts of your mind troubled?”

³²I said, “Because you have forsaken me! I did as you directed, and went out into the field, and behold, I saw, and still see, what I am unable to explain.”

³³He said to me, “Stand up like a man, and I will instruct you.”

³⁴I said, “Speak, my lord; only do not forsake me, lest I die before my time.[#10.34 Syr Ethiop Arab: Lat die to no purpose]

³⁵For I have seen what I did not know, and I have heard what I do not understand.

³⁶Or is my mind deceived, and my soul dreaming?

³⁷Now therefore I entreat you to give your servant an explanation of this bewildering vision.”

³⁸He answered me and said, “Listen to me and I will inform you, and tell you about the things which you fear, for the Most High has revealed many secrets to you.

³⁹For he has seen your righteous conduct, that you have sorrowed continually for your people, and mourned greatly over Zion.

⁴⁰This therefore is the meaning of the vision.

⁴¹The woman who appeared to you a little while ago, whom you saw mourning and began to console—

⁴²but you do not now see the form of a woman, but an established city has appeared to you—[#10.42 Syr Ethiop Arab: Lat a city to be built]

⁴³and as for her telling you about the misfortune of her son, this is the interpretation:

⁴⁴This woman whom you saw, whom you now behold as an established city, is Zion.[#10.44 Syr Ethiop Arab Arm: Latin is corrupt]

⁴⁵And as for her telling you that she was barren for thirty years, it is because there were three thousand years in the world before any offering was offered in it.[#10.45 Syr Ethiop Arab Arm: Latin is corrupt; #10.45 Cn: Lat Syr Arab Arm her]

⁴⁶And after three thousand years Solomon built the city, and offered offerings; then it was that the barren woman bore a son.[#10.46 Syr Ethiop Arab Arm: Latin is corrupt]

⁴⁷And as for her telling you that she brought him up with much care, that was the period of residence in Jerusalem.

⁴⁸And as for her saying to you, ‘When my son entered his wedding chamber he died,’ and that misfortune had overtaken her, that was the destruction which befell Jerusalem.[#10.48 Or him]

⁴⁹And behold, you saw her likeness, how she mourned for her son, and you began to console her for what had happened.[#10.49 Most Latin manuscripts and Arab 2 add these were the things to be opened to you]

⁵⁰For now the Most High, seeing that you are sincerely grieved and profoundly distressed for her, has shown you the brilliance of her glory, and the loveliness of her beauty.

⁵¹Therefore I told you to remain in the field where no house had been built,

⁵²for I knew that the Most High would reveal these things to you.

⁵³Therefore I told you to go into the field where there was no foundation of any building,

⁵⁴for no work of man's building could endure in a place where the city of the Most High was to be revealed.

⁵⁵“Therefore do not be afraid, and do not let your heart be terrified; but go in and see the splendor and vastness of the building, as far as it is possible for your eyes to see it,

⁵⁶and afterward you will hear as much as your ears can hear.

⁵⁷For you are more blessed than many, and you have been called before the Most High, as but few have been.

⁵⁸But tomorrow night you shall remain here,

⁵⁹and the Most High will show you in those dream visions what the Most High will do to those who dwell on earth in the last days.”

So I slept that night and the following one, as he had commanded me.