The second prayseth the excellencie of a king: 13. The third (which is
Zorobabel) commendeth wemen: 33. but preferreth truth aboue al. 41.
VVhich is so approued, and he is rewarded. 42. The king moreouer at his
request restoreth the holie vessels of the temple, and granteth meanes
to build the citie of Ierusalem, and the temple.
AND the next began to speake, he that spake of the strength of a king.
2 O ye men doe not the men excel, which obteyne land and sea, and al
thinges that are in them? 3 But a king excelleth aboue al thinges, and
hath dominion ouer them: and euerie thing whatsoeuer he shal say to
them, they doe. 4 And if he send them to warryers, they goe, and throw
downe mountaines, and the walles, and towers. 5 They kil, and are
killed: and the kinges word they transgresse not. For if they shal
ouercome, they bring to the king al thinges whatsoeuer they haue taken
for a praye. 6 In like maner also al others, for so many as are not
souldiars, nor fight, but til the ground: when they shal reape, againe
they bring tributes to the king. 7 And he being one onlie if he say:
Kil ye, they kil: say he: forgeue, the forgeue. 8 say he: strike: they
strike: say he, destroy, they destroy: say he build, they build. 9 say
he, cut downe, they cut downe, say he plant, they plant: 10 and al the
people, & potestates here him, and beside this he sitteth downe, and
drinketh, and sleepeth. 11 And others gard him round about, and can not
goe euerie one, and doe their owne workes, but at a word are obedient
to him. 12 O ye men, how doth not a king excel that is so renowmed? And
he held his peace. 13 The third that spake of wemen and truth, this is
Zorobabel, began to speake. 14 O ye men, not the great king, & many
men, neither is it wine that dothe excel. Who is it then that hath the
dominion of them? 15 Haue not wemen brought forth the king, and al the
people, that ruleth ouer land & sea: 16 and were they not borne of
them, and did not they bring vp them which planted the vineyardes,
whereof wine is made? 17 And they make the garmentes of al men, & they
doe honor to al men, and men can not be separed from wemen. 18 If they
haue gathered gold and siluer, and euerie beutiful thing, & see a woman
comelie and fayre, 19 leauing al these thinges they fixe their looke
vpon her, & with open mouth beholde her, and allure her more then gold
and siluer, and euerie precious thing. 20 Man forsaketh his father that
brought him vp, and his countrie, and ioyneth himself to a woman. 21
And with a woman he refresheth his soul: and neither doth he remember
father, nor mother, nor countrie. 22 And hereby you must know that
wemen rule ouer you. Are you not sorie? 23 And a man taketh his sword,
& goeth into the way to commit theftes and murders, & to sayle seas &
riuers, 24 and seeth a lyon, and goeth in darkenes: and when he hath
committed theft, and fraude, and spoyles, he bringeth it to his
beloued. 25 And againe, man loueth his wife more then father or mother.
26 And many haue become madde for their wiues: and haue been made
bondmen for them: 27 and many haue perished and bene slayne, and haue
sinned for wemen. 28 And now beleue me, that the king is great in his
powre: because al countries are afrayd to touch him. 29 Neuertheles I
saw Apemes the daughter of Bezaces the concubine of a meruelous king,
sitting by the king at his right hand, 30 and taking of the crowne from
his head, and putting it vpon her self, and with the palme of her left
hand she stroke the king. 31 And beside these thinges he with open
mouth beheld her: and if she smiled he laugheth, and if she be angrie
with him, he flattereth, til he be reconciled to her fauour. 32 O ye
men, why are not wemen stronger? Great is the earth, and high is the
heauen: who doeth these thinges? 33 And then the king and they that
weare purple looked one vpon an other. And he began to speake of truth.
34 O ye men, are not wemen strong? The earth is great and heauen is
high: & the swift course of the sunne turneth the heauen round into his
place in one day. 35 Is not he magnifical that doth these thinges, and
the truth great, and stronger aboue al thinges? 36 Al the earth calleth
vpon the truth, heauen also blesseth it, and al workes are moued, and
tremble at it, and there is not any thing with it vniust. 37 Wine is
vniust, the king is vniust, wemen are vniust, al the sonnes of men are
vniust, and al their workes are vniust, and in them is not truth, and
they shal perish in their iniquitie: 38 and truth abydeth, and groweth
strong for euer, and liueth, and preuayleth for euer and euer. 39
Neither is there with it acception of persons, nor differences: but the
thinges that are iust it doth to al men, to the vniust and malignant,
and al men are wel pleased in the workes thereof. 40 And there is no
vniust thing in the iudgement therof, but strength, and reigne, and
power, and maiestie of worldes. Blessed be the God of truth. 41 And he
left speaking. And al the people cryed, and sayd: Great is truth and it
preuaileth. 42 Then the king sayd to him: Aske, if thou wilt any more,
then the thinges that are writen, and I wil geue it thee, according as
thou art found wiser then thy neighbours, & thou shalt sitte next to
me, and shalt be called my cosin. 43 Then sayd he to the king: Be
midful of thy vow, which thou hast vowed, to build Ierusalem in the day
that thou didst receiue the kingdom: 44 and to send backe al the
vessels that were taken out of Ierusalem, which Cyrus separated, when
he sacked Babylon, and would haue sent them backe thither. 45 And thou
hast vowed to build the temple, which the Idumeians burnt, when Iurie
was destroyed of the Chaldees. 46 And now this is that which I aske
Lord, & which I desire, this is the maiestie which I desire of thee,
that thou performe the vowe which thou hast vowed to the king of heauen
by thy mouth. 47 Then Darius the king rising vp, kissed him: and wrote
letters to al the officers, and ouerseers, and them that weare purple,
that they should conduct him, and them that were with him, al going vp
to build Ierusalem. 48 And to al the ouerseers that were in Syria, and
Phoenice, and Libanus he wrote letters, that they should draw Ceder
trees from Libanus into Ierusalem, to build the citie with them. 49 And
he wrote to al the Iewes which went vp from the kingdome into Iurie for
libertie, euerie mightie man, & magistrate, & ouerseer not to come vpon
them to their gates, 50 and al the countrie which they had obtayned to
be free vnto them, & that the Idumeians leaue the castels which they
possesse of the Iewes, 51 and to the building of the temple to geue
euerie yeare twentie talentes vntil it were throughly built: 52 & vpon
the altars to burne holocausts dayly, as they haue commandment: to
offer other ten talentes euery yeare, 53 & to al that go forth from
Babylon to build the citie, that there should be libertie as wel to
them as to their children, and to al the priestes that goe before. 54
And he wrote a quantitie also, and commanded the sacred stole to be
geuen, wherein they should serue; 55 and to the Leuites he wrote to
geue preceptes, vntil the day wherein the house shal be finished, and
Ierusalem builded. 56 And to al that kepe the citie, he wrote portions
and wages to be geuen to them. 57 And he sent away al the vessels
whatsoeuer Cyrus had separated from Babylon, and al thinges whatsoeuer
Cyrus sayd, he also commanded to be donne, and to be sent to Ierusalem.
58 And when that yong man was gone forth, lyfting vp his face toward
Ierusalem, he blessed the king of heauen, 59 & sayd: Of thee is
victorie, and of thee is wisdome, and glorie. And I am thy seruant. 60
Blessed art thou which hast geuen me wisedom, and I wil confesse to
thee Lord God of our fathers. 61 And he toke the letters, and went into
Babylon. And he came, and told al his brethren that were in Babylon: 62
and they blessed the God of their fathers, because he gaue them
remission and refreshing, 63 that they should goe vp and build
Ierusalem, and the temple wherein his name was renowmed, and they
reioyced with musike and ioy seuen dayes.