Kebra Nagast

How Solomon Lamented for Zion and they love possesand they love more than [the giving of] alms and love more than they dozing more praising sleeping love idleness more than prayer ; sions ; ; Woe be unto us than watching. Woe be unto us " O Queen, we have been negligent in respect of the Commandment of God. We have loved the words of the fablemongers more than the word of the priests. We have wished to gaze upon the face of our women rather than upon the face of God in repentance. We have loved to look upon our children rather than to hear the word of God. We have consoled ourselves more with the sardius stone than with the administering We have loved to right judgement to the orphans. honour rather than to hear the voice of our look upon of have loved the word foolishness more than We God. of the wise. We have loved the words of the words of the more than the words fools hearing Prophets. Woe be unto us Of our own free will we have polluted Woe be unto us The our life. Woe be unto us repentance and mercy which God loveth we have not He gave us glory, and we have done. Woe be unto us thrown it away. He made us very wise, and of our own freewill we have made ourselves more foolish than the beasts. He gave us riches, and we have beggared ourselves even [to asking for] alms. We looked upon our We have loved horses, and forgot our coming back. fleeting things, and we have not recognized those that abide. We have made our days to deride our life, we have preferred the luxuriousness of food, which becometh dung, to the food of life which endureth for ever. [We have put on] the garments of apparel which benefit not the soul, and have put off the apparel of glory which is for ever. Our governors and the people do what God hateth, and they love not what God loveth, love of their neighbours, and lowliness, and graciousness, and mercy for the poor, and patient endurance, and love of the house of God, and the adora! ! ! ! ! ! 93