6
And one shall reign whom those who dwell on earth do not expect, and the birds shall fly away together;
7
and the sea of Sodom shall cast up fish; and one whom the many do not know shall make his voice heard by night, and all shall hear his voice.
8
There shall be chaos also in many places, and fire shall often break out, and the wild beasts shall roam beyond their haunts, and menstruous women shall bring forth monsters.
9
And salt waters shall be found in the sweet, and all friends shall conquer one another; then shall reason hide itself, and wisdom shall withdraw into its chamber,
10
and it shall be sought by many but shall not be found, and unrighteousness and unrestraint shall increase on earth.
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And one country shall ask its neighbor, `Has righteousness, or any one who does right, passed through you?' And it will answer, `No.'
12
And at that time men shall hope but not obtain; they shall labor but their ways shall not prosper.
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These are the signs which I am permitted to tell you, and if you pray again, and weep as you do now, and fast for seven days, you shall hear yet greater things than these."
14
Then I awoke, and my body shuddered violently, and my soul was so troubled that it fainted.
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But the angel who had come and talked with me held me and strengthened me and set me on my feet.
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Now on the second night Phaltiel, a chief of the people, came to me and said, "Where have you been? And why is your face sad?
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Or do you not know that Israel has been entrusted to you in the land of their exile?
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Rise therefore and eat some bread, so that you may not forsake us, like a shepherd who leaves his flock in the power of cruel wolves."
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Then I said to him, "Depart from me and do not come near me for seven days, and then you may come to me." He heard what I said and left me.
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So I fasted seven days, mourning and weeping, as Uriel the angel had commanded me.
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And after seven days the thoughts of my heart were very grievous to me again.
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Then my soul recovered the spirit of understanding, and I began once more to speak words in the presence of the Most High.
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And I said, "O sovereign Lord, from every forest of the earth and from all its trees thou hast chosen one vine,
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and from all the lands of the world thou hast chosen for thyself one region, and from all the flowers of the world thou hast chosen for thyself one lily,
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and from all the depths of the sea thou hast filled for thyself one river, and from all the cities that have been built thou hast consecrated Zion for thyself,
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and from all the birds that have been created thou hast named for thyself one dove, and from all the flocks that have been made thou hast provided for thyself one sheep,
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and from all the multitude of peoples thou hast gotten for thyself one people; and to this people, whom thou hast loved, thou hast given the law which is approved by all.
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And now, O Lord, why hast thou given over the one to the many, and dishonored the one root beyond the others, and scattered thine only one among the many?
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And those who opposed thy promises have trodden down those who believed thy covenants.
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If thou dost really hate thy people, they should be punished at thy own hands."
31
When I had spoken these words, the angel who had come to me on a previous night was sent to me,
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and he said to me, "Listen to me, and I will instruct you; pay attention to me, and I will tell you more."
33
And I said, "Speak, my lord." And he said to me, "Are you greatly disturbed in mind over Israel? Or do you love him more than his Maker does?"
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And I said, "No, my lord, but because of my grief I have spoken; for every hour I suffer agonies of heart, while I strive to understand the way of the Most High and to search out part of his judgment."
35
And he said to me, "You cannot." And I said, "Why not, my lord? Why then was I born? Or why did not my mother's womb become my grave, that I might not see the travail of Jacob and the exhaustion of the people of Israel?"
36
He said to me, "Count up for me those who have not yet come, and gather for me the scattered raindrops, and make the withered flowers bloom again for me;