10
From the beginning all have been born of her, and others will come; and, lo, almost all go to perdition, and a multitude of them will come to doom.
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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;
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';
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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.'
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Now, therefore, keep your sorrow to yourself, and bear bravely the troubles that have come upon you.
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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.
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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."
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So I spoke again to her, and said,
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"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.
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For you see how our sanctuary has been laid waste, our altar thrown down, our temple destroyed;
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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 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 have been carried off, our little ones have been cast out, our young men have been enslaved and our strong men made powerless.
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And, worst of all, the seal of Zion has been deprived of its glory, and given over into the hands of those that hate us.
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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 I was wondering what this meant,
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she suddenly uttered a loud and fearful cry, so that the earth shook at the sound.
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When I looked up, the woman was no longer visible to me, but a city was being built, and a place of huge foundations showed itself. I was afraid, and cried with a loud voice and said,
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"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."
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While I was speaking these words, the angel who had come to me at first came to me, and when he saw me
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lying there like a corpse, deprived of my understanding, he grasped my right hand and strengthened me and set me on my feet, and said to me,
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"What is the matter with you? And why are you troubled? And why are your understanding and the thoughts of your mind troubled?"
32
I said, "It was because you abandoned me. I did as you directed, and went out into the field, and lo, what I have seen and can still see, I am unable to explain."
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He said to me, "Stand up like a man, and I will instruct you."
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I said, "Speak, my lord; only do not forsake me, so that I may not die before my time.
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For I have seen what I did not know, and I hear what I do not understand
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—or is my mind deceived, and my soul dreaming?
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Now therefore I beg you to give your servant an explanation of this bewildering vision."
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He answered me and said, "Listen to me, and I will teach you, and tell you about the things that you fear; for the Most High has revealed many secrets to you.
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He has seen your righteous conduct, and that you have sorrowed continually for your people and mourned greatly over Zion.
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This therefore is the meaning of the vision.
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The woman who appeared to you a little while ago, whom you saw mourning and whom you began to console
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(you do not now see the form of a woman, but there appeared to you a city being built)
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and who told you about the misfortune of her son—this is the interpretation:
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The woman whom you saw is Zion, which you now behold as a city being built.
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And as for her telling you that she was barren for thirty years, the reason is that there were three thousand years in the world before any offering was offered in it.
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And after three thousand years Solomon built the city, and offered offerings; then it was that the barren woman bore a son.
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And as for her telling you that she brought him up with much care, that was the period of residence in Jerusalem.