2 Esdras 9:38-10:28

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Vision of a Weeping Woman

³⁸ When I said these things in my heart, I looked around,^[a] and on my right I saw a woman; she was mourning and weeping with a loud voice and was deeply grieved at heart; her clothes were torn, and there were ashes on her head.^{(A) 39} Then I dismissed the thoughts with which I had been engaged and turned to her^{(B) 40} and said to her, “Why are you weeping, and why are you grieved at heart?”

⁴¹ She said to me, “Let me alone, my lord, so that I may weep for myself and continue to mourn, for I am greatly embittered in spirit and deeply distressed.”

⁴² I said to her, “What has happened to you? Tell me.”

⁴³ And she said to me, “Your servant was barren and had no child, though I lived with my husband for thirty years.^{(C) 44} Every hour and every day during those thirty years I prayed to the Most High, night and day.^{(D) 45} And after thirty years God heard your servant and looked upon my low estate and considered my distress and gave me a son. I rejoiced greatly over him, I and my husband and all my neighbors,^[b] and we gave great glory to the Mighty One.^{(E) 46} And I brought him up with much care. ⁴⁷ So when he grew up and I came to take a wife for him, I set a day for the marriage feast.^(F)

10 “But it happened that, when my son entered his wedding chamber, he fell down and died. ² So all of us put out our lamps, and all my neighbors^[c] attempted to console me; I remained quiet until the evening of the second day.^{(G) 3} But when all of them had stopped consoling me, encouraging me to be quiet, I got up in the night and fled, and I came to this field, as you see. ⁴ And now I intend not to return to the town but to stay here; I will neither eat nor drink but will mourn and fast continually until I die.”^(H)

⁵ Then I broke off the reflections with which I was still engaged and answered her in anger and said,^{(I) 6} “You most foolish of women, do you not see our mourning and what has happened to us? ⁷ For Zion, the mother of us all, is in deep grief and great distress.^{(J) 8} It 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.^{[d] 9} Now 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.^{(K) 10} From the beginning all have been born of her, and others will come, and, behold, almost all walk to perdition, and a multitude of them will come to doom.^{(L) 11} Who, then, ought to mourn the more: she who lost so great a multitude or you who are grieving for one alone? ¹² But 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,^{(M) 13} but it is with the earth according to the way of the earth: the multitude that is now in it goes as it came,’ ¹⁴ then I say to you, ‘Just as you brought forth in sorrow, so the earth also has from the beginning given her fruit, that is, humankind, to him who made her.’^{(N) 15} Now, therefore, keep your sorrow to yourself, and bear bravely the troubles that have come upon you. ¹⁶ For 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.^{(O) 17} Therefore go into the town to your husband.”

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

¹⁹ So I spoke again to her and said, ²⁰ “Do not do that, but let yourself be persuaded—for how many are the adversities of Zion?—and be consoled because of the sorrow of Jerusalem. ²¹ For you see how our sanctuary has been laid waste, our altar thrown down, our temple destroyed;^{(Q) 22} our 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 almost profaned; our children^[e] have suffered abuse, our priests have been burned to death, our Levites have gone into exile, our virgins have been defiled, and our wives have been ravished; our righteous men^[f] have been carried off, our little ones have been cast out, our young men have been enslaved and our strong men made powerless.^{(R) 23} And, worst of all, the seal of Zion has been deprived of its glory and given over into the hands of those who hate us.^{(S) 24} Therefore 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 respite from your troubles.”

²⁵ While I was talking to her, her face suddenly began to shine exceedingly; her countenance flashed like lightning, so that I was too frightened to approach her, and my heart was terrified. While^[g] I was wondering what this meant, ²⁶ she suddenly uttered a loud and fearful cry so that the earth shook at the sound. ²⁷ When I looked up, the woman was no longer visible to me, but a city was being built,^[h] and a place of huge foundations showed itself. I was afraid and cried with a loud voice and said,^{(T) 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.”^(U)