And Abimelech carried the figs in the heat; and coming upon a tree, he sat down under the shadow of it to rest a little, and leaning his head upon the basket of figs he fell asleep, sleeping sixty and six years; and he was not awakened out of his sleep.
2And after these things, being raised up from his sleep, he said: I would gladly have slept yet a little, and my head is heavy, for I have not had my fill of sleep.
3And uncovering the basket of figs, he found them dropping milk.
4And he said: I wished to sleep a little, for my head is heavy;
5but I fear lest I sleep and be slow to awake, and Jeremiah my father think little of me; for if he were not in haste, he would not have sent me at daybreak this day.
6Arising therefore, I will go on in the heat, and let me go away to where there is no heat, nor is there toil day by day.
7So, being awakened, he took up the basket of figs, and laid it upon his shoulders; and he entered into Jerusalem, and knew it not, neither the house, nor the place, nor his own kindred; and he said:
8Blessed be the Lord, for a great amazement hath fallen upon me; this is not the city.
9I have gone astray, for I came by the way of the mountain,
10being raised up from my sleep, and my head being heavy because I was not satisfied with my sleep, I have erred from the way.
11It is a marvel to say this before Jeremiah, that I have gone astray.
12And he went out from the city; and considering, he saw the tokens of the city, and said: This indeed is the city, but I have gone astray.
13And again he returned into the city, and sought, and found none of his own.
14And he said: Blessed be the Lord, for a great amazement hath fallen upon me.
15And again he went out outside the city. And he abode grieving, not knowing whither he should go.
16And he laid down the basket, saying: I will sit here, until the Lord take this amazement away from me.
17And as he sat, he saw a certain aged man coming from the field, and Abimelech saith unto him: To thee I say, old man, what city is this? And he said unto him: It is Jerusalem.
18And Abimelech saith unto him: Where is Jeremiah the priest, and Baruch the reader, and all the people of this city, for I have not found them?
19And the old man said unto him: Art thou not of this city,
20who this day hast remembered Jeremiah, that thou inquirest concerning him after so long a time?
21For Jeremiah is in Babylon with the people; for they were carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar the king, and with them is Jeremiah, to preach glad tidings unto them and to instruct them in the word.
22And when Abimelech straightway heard this from the aged man, he said:
23If thou wert not an old man, and if it were not unlawful for a man to insult one greater than himself, I would have laughed thee to scorn, and would have said that thou art mad, in that thou hast said: The people were carried captive into Babylon.
24Were the cataracts of heaven come down upon them? It is not yet the time to go away into Babylon.
25For how long a while is it since my father Jeremiah sent me to the field of Agrippa for a few figs, that we might give them to the sick of the people; and I went away and brought them,
26and coming to a certain tree in the heat, I sat down to rest a little, and I laid my head upon the basket, and slept; and being awakened, I uncovered the basket of figs, supposing that I had tarried, and I found the figs dropping milk, even as I gathered them.
27And thou sayest that the people were carried captive into Babylon? But that thou mayest know, take, see the figs.
28And he uncovered the basket of figs to the old man.
29And he saw them dropping milk. And when the aged man saw them, he said:
30O my son, thou art a righteous man, and God would not show thee the desolation of the city. For God brought this amazement upon thee. For behold, it is this day sixty and six years since the people were carried captive into Babylon.
31And that thou mayest learn, my child, that it is true, look up unto the field and see that the growth of the crops hath appeared; see also the figs, that it is not the season for them, and know.
32Then Abimelech cried with a loud voice, saying: I will bless thee, O Lord God of heaven and earth, the rest of the souls of the righteous in every place.
33And he saith to the aged man: What month is this? And he said: Nisan; and it is the twelfth.
34And taking some of the figs, he gave them to the aged man, and saith unto him: God shall lead thee by light unto the Jerusalem above.