Fourth Ezra

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

Then I overturned the lamps, and all the people of my city arose to comfort me; and I remained silent until the next day and until night.

And after they had all fallen asleep, thinking that I also was asleep, I arose in the night and fled, and came, as you see, to this field.

And I intend not to enter the city again, but to remain here, and neither eat nor drink, but continually mourn and fast until I die."

The woman whom you saw, this is Zion, whom you now see being built as a city.

Then I dismissed these thoughts that I had been thinking, and I answered in anger and said to her,

"You are the most foolish of all women! Do you not see our mourning and what has happened to us?

For behold, Zion, the mother of us all, is in great distress and is humbled with great humiliation.

Now it is right to mourn; we are all mourning. For you grieve for one son, but we, the whole world, for our mother.

Ask the earth, and she will tell you; for it is she that ought to mourn, because many are those who have come into being upon her.

And from the beginning, all who were upon her and others who are to come, behold, they all go to destruction, and their multitude is destined for corruption.

Who, then, ought to mourn more: she who has lost this whole multitude, or you, who mourn for one?

And if you should say to me, 'My mourning is not like that of the earth, for I

the fruit

of my womb have lost, which I bore in travail and brought up in pain;'

for the earth, according to the nature of the earth, the multitude departed which came to it just as it came—then I say to you again:

'Just as you bore in toil, so also the earth has given its fruit from the beginning, humankind, to him who made it.'

Now therefore, keep your sorrow to yourself, and bear with strength the misfortune that has befallen you.

For if you acknowledge the decree of the Most High to be just, you will also receive your son in time, and you will be praised among women.

Go, then, into the city to your husband." And she answered and said to me,

"I will not do so, and I will not enter the city, nor go to my husband, but here I will die."

And I continued further to speak with her, and said to her:

No, woman, no, woman! Do not do this thing; but be persuaded by the misfortune of Zion, and be comforted because of the pain of Jerusalem.

For behold, you have seen our sanctuaries that are desolated, and our altars that are overthrown, and our temple that is demolished,

and our service that has ceased, and our praise that has been taken away, and our boast that has fallen, and the light of our lampstand that is extinguished, and the ark of the covenant that has been plundered, and our holy things that are defiled, and the name that was called upon us that has been profaned, and our freeborn who have been dishonored, and our priests who have been burned with fire, and our Levites who have gone into captivity, and our virgins who have been defiled, and our wives who have been ravished by force, and our seers who have been snatched away,

and our righteous

have been scattered, and our young men have been enslaved, and our strong men have been made feeble.

And what is greater than all these is the seal of Zion, for the seal of her glory has now been taken away, and she has been delivered into the hands of those who hate us.

You, therefore, cast away from yourself the multitude of your pains, so that the Mighty One may be reconciled to you, and the Most High may give you rest from the pains of your toil.

And it happened that while I was speaking with her, behold, her face shone exceedingly, and the appearance of her countenance became like the likeness of lightning. And I was very afraid to approach her, and my heart was greatly astonished. And while I was wondering what this vision was,

suddenly she cried out with a loud and fearful voice, so that the whole earth shook at her voice.

And I looked, and behold, the woman was no longer visible to me, but a city that was being built, and a place was visible as with great foundations. And I was afraid, and I cried out with a loud voice and said:

"Where is Uriel the angel, who came to me from the first day? For he caused me to come into the multitude of this trembling, and my end has become destruction, and my prayer a reproach."

And while I was speaking these words, lying like a dead man upon the earth, the angel came to me, who had come to me before; and he saw me

lying upon the earth like a dead man, and my mind was confused. And he took me by my right hand, strengthened me, set me on my feet, and said to me:

"What is the matter with you? And why are you shaken? And why is your understanding disturbed, and the perception of your heart?" And I said to him:

"Because you have forsaken me. For I did as you told me, and

went out

into the field; and behold, I have seen and still see what I am unable to explain." And he answered and said to me:

"Stand upon your feet, and I will make it known to you." And I said to him:

"Speak, my lord; only do not forsake me, lest I die before my time.

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

Or is my mind deceiving me, and my soul seeing a dream?

Now therefore I beg you, my lord, make known to your servant concerning this fearful vision."

And he answered and said to me: "Listen to me, and I will teach you, and reveal to you concerning the things of which you are afraid; because the Most High has revealed many mysteries to you.

For he has seen your uprightness, that you grieve greatly over your people, and mourn greatly over your people, and mourn greatly over Zion.

This, therefore, is the matter: The woman who appeared to you a little while ago,

who was mourning, and you began

to comfort her,

and who now no longer appears to you as a woman, but appeared to you as a city being built,

and who recounted to you concerning the misfortune of her son—this is the interpretation:

And as for her telling you concerning herself that she was barren for thirty years, it is because there were three thousand years in the world when no offering was offered in her.

And it happened after three thousand years that Solomon built the city and offered an offering in it; then it was that the barren woman bore a son.

And as for her telling you that she reared him

in the world, this

was the habitation of Jerusalem.

And as for her telling you, 'My son entered into his bridal chamber and died,' this was the downfall and misfortune of Jerusalem.

And as you saw her likeness, how she was mourning over her sons, and you began to comfort her concerning what had happened to her;

and now the Most High has seen that with all your soul you are grieving, and with all your heart you are pained over her; and he has shown you the light of the glory and the beauty

of her splendor.

For this reason I told you to wait for me in the field, where no house has been built.

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

For this reason I told you to come to a place where there is no foundation of a building.

For no work of human hands could endure in a place where the city of the Most High was going to be revealed.

Therefore do not be afraid, and let not your heart be terrified; but go in and see the light of her glory and the greatness of her building, as much as the sight of your eyes is able to see.

And after these things you will hear as much as the hearing of your ears is able to hear.

For you are blessed beyond many, and have been named before the Most High as few are.

Tomorrow night, therefore, remain here,

and the Most High will show you the vision of revelations—those things which the Most High will do to the inhabitants of the earth in the last days."

And I slept there that night and the next, as he had commanded me.