1 And it so came to passe, that when my sonne was entred into his wedding chamber, he fell downe and died.
2 Then we all ouerthrew the lights, and all my neighbours rose vp to comfort me, so I tooke my rest vnto the second day at night.
3 And it came to passe when they had all left off to comfort me, to the end I might be quiet: then rose I vp by night and fled, and came hither into this field, as thou seest.
4 And I doe now purpose not to returne into the citie, but here to stay, and neither to eate nor drinke, but continually to mourne, & to fast vntil I die.
5 Then left I the meditations wherein I was, and spake to her in anger, saying,
6 Thou foolish woman aboue all other, seest thou not our mourning, and what happeneth vnto vs?
7 How that Sion our mother is full of all heauinesse, and much humbled, mourning very sore?
8 And now seeing we all mourne, and are sad, for we are all in heauinesse, art thou grieued for one sonne?
9 For aske the earth, and she shall tell thee, that it is she, which ought to mourne, for the fall of so many that grow vpon her.
10 For out of her came all at the first, and out of her shal all others come: and behold they walke almost all into destruction, and a multitude of them is vtterly rooted out.
11 Who then should make more mourning, then she that hath lost so great a multitude, and not thou which art sory but for one?
12 But if thou sayest vnto me, My lamentation is not like the earths, because I haue lost the fruit of my womb, which I brought foorth with paines, and bare with sorrowes.
13 But the earth not so: for the multitude present in it, according to the course of the earth, is gone, as it came.
14 Then say I vnto thee, Like as thou hast brought foorth with labour: euen so the earth also hath giuen her fruit, namely man, euer sithence the beginning, vnto him that made her.
15 Now therefore keepe thy sorrow to thy selfe, and beare with a good courage that which hath befallen thee.
16 For if thou shalt acknowledge the determination of God to be iust, thou shalt both receiue thy sonne in time, and shalt be commended amongst women.
17 Goe thy way then into the citie, to thine husband.
18 And she said vnto me, That will I not doe: I will not goe into the city, but here will I die.
19 So I proceeded to speake further vnto her, and said,
20 Doe not so, but bee counselled by me: for how many are the aduersities of Sion? Bee comforted in regard of the sorow of Ierusalem.
21 For thou seest that our Sanctuary is laid waste, our Altar broken downe, our Temple destroyed.
22 Our Psaltery is laid on þe ground, our song is put to silence, our reioycing is at an end, the light of our candlesticke is put out, the Arke of our Couenant is spoiled, our holy things are defiled, and the Name that is called vpon vs, is almost prophaned: our children are put to shame, our priests are burnt, our Leuites are gone into captiuitie, our virgines are defiled, and our wiues rauished, our righteous men caried away, our litle ones destroyed, our yong men are brought in bondage, and our strong men are become weake.
23 And which is the greatest of all, the seale of Sion hath now lost her honour: for she is deliuered into the hands of them that hate vs.
24 And therefore shake off thy great heauinesse, and put away the multitude of sorrowes, that the mighty may be mercifull vnto thee againe, and the highest shal giue thee rest, and ease from thy labour.
25 And it came to passe while I was talking with her, behold her face vpon a sudden shined exceedingly, & her countenance glistered, so that I was afraid of her, and mused what it might be.
26 And behold suddenly, she made a great cry very fearful: so that the earth shooke at the noise of the woman.
27 And I looked, and beholde, the woman appeared vnto me no more, but there was a city builded, and a large place shewed it selfe from the foundations: then was I afraid, and cried with a lowd voice, and said,
28 Where is Uriel the Angel, who came vnto mee at the first? for hee hath caused me to fall into many traunces, and mine end is turned into corruption, and my prayer to rebuke.
29 And as I was speaking these wordes, behold, he came vnto me, and looked vpon me.
30 And loe, I lay as one that had bene dead, & mine vnderstanding was taken from me, and he tooke me by the right hand, and comforted mee, and set me vpon my feet, and said vnto me,
31 What aileth thee? and why art thou so disquieted, and why is thine vnderstanding troubled, & the thoughts of thine heart?
32 And I said, because thou hast forsaken me, and yet I did according to thy words, and I went into the field, and loe I haue seene, and yet see, that I am not able to expresse.
33 And hee said vnto me, Stand vp manfully, and I wil aduise thee.
34 Then said I, Speake on, my lord in me, onely forsake me not, lest I die frustrate of my hope.
35 For I haue seene, that I knew not, and heare that I do not know.
36 Or, is my sense deceiued, or my soule in a dreame?
37 Now therfore, I beseech thee, that thou wilt shew thy seruant of this visiō.
38 He answered me then, & said, Heare me, and I shall enforme thee, and tell thee wherefore thou art afraid: for the highest will reueile many secret things vnto thee.
39 Hee hath seene that thy way is right: for that thou sorrowest continually for thy people, and makest great lamentation for Sion.
40 This therefore is the meaning of the vision which thou lately sawest.
41 Thou sawest a woman mourning, and thou beganst to comfort her:
42 But now seest thou the likenesse of the woman no more, but there appeared vnto thee a city builded.
43 And whereas she told thee of the death of her sonne, this is the solution.
44 This woman whom thou sawest, is Sion: and whereas she said vnto thee (euen she whom thou seest as a city builded.)
45 Whereas I say, she said vnto thee, that she hath bene thirty yeres barren: those are the thirty yeeres wherein there was no offering made in her.
46 But after thirtie yeeres, Solomon builded the city, & offered offrings: and then bare the barren a sonne.
47 And whereas she told thee that shee nourished him with labour: that was the dwelling in Hierusalem.
48 But whereas she said vnto thee, That my sonne comming into his marriage chamber, happened to haue a fall, and died, this was the destruction that came to Hierusalem.
49 And behold, thou sawest her likenesse, and because she mourned for her sonne, thou beganst to comfort her, and of these things which haue chaunced, these are to be opened vnto thee.
50 For now the most High seeth, that thou art grieued vnfainedly, & sufferest from thy whole heart for her, so hath he shewed thee the brightnes of her glory, and the comelinesse of her beautie.
51 And therfore I bad thee remaine in þe field, where no house was builded.
52 For I knew that the Highest would shew this vnto thee.
53 Therefore I commanded thee to goe into the field, where no foundation of any building was.
54 For in the place wherein the Highest beginneth to shew his city, ther can no mans building be able to stand.
55 And therfore feare not, let not thy heart be afrighted, but goe thy way in, and see the beautie and greatnesse of the building, as much as thine eyes be able to see:
56 And then shalt thou heare as much as thine eares may comprehend.
57 For thou art blessed aboue many other, and art called with the highest, and so are but few.
58 But to morrow at night thou shalt remaine here.
59 And so shall the highest shew thee visions of the high things, which the most high will do vnto them, that dwel vpon earth in the last dayes. So I slept that night and another, like as he commanded me.
