Kebra Nagast

Of the Return of Zadok the Priest seemed as if I were standing in the chamber of Jerusa* lem, and the sun came down from heaven into the land of Judah, and lighted it up with great splendour. And having tarried a time it went down and lighted up the country of Ethiopia, and it did not return to the land And again the sun came down from heaven to the country of Judah, and lighted it up more bril- of Judah. liantly than it'did the first time ; but the Israelites paid no heed to it, and they wished to extinguish its light. And it rose below the earth in a place where it was not expected, and it illumined the country of Rom, and the country of Ethiopia, and afterwards all those who believed on it." And Zadok the priest answered and said unto him, " O my lord, why didst thou not tell me before that thou hadst seen a vision of this kind ? Thou makest my knees to tremble. Woe be unto us, if our sons have carried off our Lady, the holy, heavenly Zion, the " And the King Tabernacle of the Law of God " Our wisdom is forgotten answered and said unto him, and our understanding is buried. Verily the sun that appeared unto me long ago when I was sleeping with the Queen of Ethiopia was the symbol of the holy Zion. But tell me yesterday when thou didst take off the splendid covering that was lying upon Zion, didst thou " And Zadok not make certain that Zion was [there] ? " I did not, lord the priest answered and said, it had three coverings over it, and I took off the outermost, and dressed Zion in the covering which thou didst give me, and I brought [the other] to thee." And the King " said unto Zadok, Go quickly and look at our Lady and examine her closely." And Zadok the priest took the keys, and went and opened the house of the sanctuary, and he examined [the place] quickly, and he found there nothing except the wooden boards which Azaryas had fastened together and had made to resemble the sides ! : ; of the pedestal of Zion. 8s