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Some men are driven out of their minds on account of a woman, and others become slaves for the sake of a woman.
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Others have been put to death, have ruined their lives, or have committed crimes because of a woman.
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So now do you believe me? "The emperor's power is certainly great - no nation has the courage to attack him.
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But once I saw him with Apame, his concubine, the daughter of the famous Bartacus. While sitting at the emperor's right,
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she took his crown off his head, put it on her own, and then slapped his face with her left hand.
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All the emperor did was look at her with his mouth open. Whenever she smiles at him, he smiles back; and when she gets angry with him, he flatters her and teases her until she is in a good mood again.
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Gentlemen, if women can do all that, surely there can be nothing stronger in the world."
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The emperor and his officials just looked at one another. Then Zerubbabel began to speak about truth.
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"Yes, gentlemen," he said, "women are very strong. But think of how big the earth is, how high the sky is; think how fast the sun moves, as it rapidly circles the whole sky in a single day.
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If the sun can do this, it is certainly great. But truth is greater and stronger than all of these things.
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Everyone on earth honors truth; heaven praises it; all creation trembles in awe before it. "There is not the slightest injustice in truth.