107. Concerning His entrance into JERUSALEM in Glory

The Kebra Nagast, by E.A. Wallis Budge, [1932], at sacred-texts.com

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107. Concerning His entrance into JERUSALEM in Glory

   And the Prophets have prophesied concerning His glorious entry into JERUSALEM, and ISAIAH the Prophet said, "Shine thou, shine thou, JERUSALEM, thy light hath come and the glory of God hath risen upon thee."¹

   Thus the Prophet ZECHARIAH prophesied and said, "Rejoice, rejoice, daughter of ZION, and let JERUSALEM shout for joy."²

   Thus DAVID prophesied and said, "Out of the mouth of children and babes Thou hast prepared praise because of the enemy, so that Thou mightest overthrow the enemy and the avenger."³

   Thus SOLOMON prophesied and said, "The children are taught by God, and the peoples rejoice within thee."⁴

   Thus DAVID his father prophesied and said, "Blow ye the horn in ZION, on the day of the new moon, on the appointed day of our festival, for it is an ordinance for ISRAEL."⁵

   Thus EZRA the Scribe prophesied and said, "Get ye out, make ye a festival in gladness, and say unto the daughter of ZION, Rejoice thou, behold thy King hath come."⁶

   Thus ISAIAH the Prophet prophesied and said, "Rejoice thou, JERUSALEM, rejoice thou. Behold, thy King hath come riding upon an ass. His reward is with Him, and His work is before His face."⁷

   Thus DAVID the Prophet prophesied and said, "Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord."⁸

   Thus JACOB the son of ISAAC prophesied and said, "JUDAH, thy brethren have praised thee. Thine hand is upon the back of thine enemy, and the children of thy mother shall worship thee. And the dominion p. 210 shall not diminish from JUDAH, and the government shall not depart from his kin, until he shall find Him Who hath been waited for, and Who is the Hope of the nations."¹ And he also prophesied and said, "His teeth are white as with snow, and His eyes are glad as with wine, and He shall wash His apparel in wine and His tunic in the blood of clusters of grapes."² And again he prophesied, saying, "JUDAH is a lion's whelp; thou hast lain down, and thou hast slept; no one shall wake him up except him that hunteth until he findeth him; rise up from thy strong place."³ And again JACOB blessed his son JUDAH, and said unto him, "There is a King who shall go forth from thee and shall wash His apparel in wine, and glorious is the place of rest of the Beloved"; now, by "Beloved" CHRIST is meant, and by "Messiah" CHRIST is meant, and JESUS meaneth "Saviour of the people". Now the Prophets mention CHRIST under a secret name and they call Him "the Beloved".

   And ISAIAH spake concerning His Ascension in his prophecy, saying, "On that day the Beloved shall come down from heaven, and shall choose for Himself twelve Apostles."⁴ And again he said, "I have seen the ascension of the beloved Son to the seventh heaven, and the Angels and the Archangels receiving Him, He being very much higher than they."

   And DAVID said, "The beloved is like the son of the unicorn";⁵ and again he said, "And thine only one from the horns of the unicorn."⁶ And again he said, "Let my horn be exalted like that of the unicorn."⁷ "Horns" meaneth the kingdoms of the world; and "unicorn" meaneth He Who is over His kingdom Whom no one can resist, for He is the governor of p. 211 kings; He destroyeth whom He will and He setteth up him whom He will. Even as DAVID saith, "I will make thee to rejoice more than those who are mighty through their horns,"¹ which meaneth, "Thou art nobler than the noble kings, and thou dost rejoice."

   And HABAKKUK prophesied, saying, "Horns are in his hands,² and he hath placed the beloved in the strength of his power," which meaneth, "The palms of the hand, wherein the life of all is held, of the holder of the dominion of kings, are pierced with nails, which CHRIST, the beloved, hath endured in the strength of His might."

Footnotes

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¹ Isaiah lx. 1.

² Zechariah ix. 9.

³ Psalm viii. 2.

⁴ Isaiah liv. 13.

⁵ Psalm lxxxi. 3.

⁶ Zechariah ix. 9.

⁷ Isaiah lxii. 11.

⁸ Psalm cxviii. 26.

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¹ Genesis xlix. 8-10.

² Genesis xlix. 11, 12.

³ Genesis xlix. 9.

⁴ Compare Ascensio Isaiae, ed. Dillmann, pp. 13 and 57.

⁵ Psalm xxii. 20 (?).

⁶ Psalm xxii. 20, 21.

⁷ Psalm xcii. 10.

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¹ Compare Psalm lxxv. 10.

² Habakkuk iii. 4.