Said Rabbi Ishmael: All these warnings and all these conditions were made known to and laid upon Samael the wicked, and he saith, ‘I have taken all upon me provided only that ten of the mighty shall be destroyed, to wit: Rabbi Akiva ben Joseph, and Rabbi Judah ben Baba, and Rabbi Jeshbab the scribe, and Rabbi Hananya ben Teradyon, Rabbi Hozpit the interpreter, Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua, Rabbi Hanina ben Hakinai, Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha, Rabban Simon ben Gamaliel, Rabbi Eliezer ben Dama.’

Said Rabbi Ishmael: What then did Zoharariel the Lord God of Israel? Because of the wrath with which He was filled against Sammael as having taken upon him all those conditions, [His patience] did not then suffice Him that He should say to the scribe: “Write decrees of punishment and great plagues, strong and harsh and fearful and terrible, heavy and disgraceful against the wicked city, Rome.” Nay, but at once He Himself took paper and wrote upon the paper. And thus He wrote against the day of vengeance which is destined and laid up for the wicked city, Rome. “One cloud shall come up and stand above Rome six months and pour down a running sore upon man and upon beast and upon the silver and upon the gold and upon all the fruit and upon all kinds of metals. And thereafter shall another cloud come up and drive away its fellow and stand in its place six months and pour down a scall of leprosy and scab and pox and all manner of scalls whatsoever upon the wicked city Rome, until the time shall come when a man shall say to his fellow, ‘Behold, the wicked city Rome, she and all that which is in her, are thine for one farthing,’ and he shall say to him, ‘I want her not.’”

Said Rabbi Ishmael: Seganzegael, the Prince of the Presence, said to me, “My friend, sit in my bosom and I shall tell thee what is to come upon Israel.” I sat in his bosom and he gazed upon me and did weep, and his tears ran down continually from his eyes and fell upon my face. I said to him, “Why does your Excellency weep?” He said to me, “My friend, come, and I shall take thee in and teach thee what is laid up for Israel, the holy people.” He grasped me by my hand and took me in to the inmost chambers and to the most secret rooms and to the treasuries. He took tablets and opened them and showed me letters written with griefs each different from the other. I said to him, “For whom are these?” He said to me, “For Israel.” I said to him, “And can Israel bear them?” He said to me, “Come tomorrow and I shall teach thee of griefs yet different from these.” On the morrow he took me in to the inmost chambers and showed me griefs more bitter than the first: those by the sword for the sword; those by hunger, for hunger; those who shall be led captive, for captivity. I said to him, “And did then, your Excellency, Israel alone sin?” He said to me, “Griefs more bitter than these are laid on them anew each day. And when, assembling in synagogues and schools, they say, ‘Amen. Let the great name be blessed,’ we do not permit these to go forth from the inmost chambers.”

When I went down from before him I heard a voice speaking in the Aramaic language, and thus it said: “The holy shrine shall be a ruin; and the temple, a fire burning; “And the dwelling of the king, desolation; and she in whom the king rejoiced shall mourn as a widow; “And the virgins and the youths shall be spoiled; and the servants of the king, be killed; “And the pure altar, polluted; and the table which was set before the Lord, taken as spoil by the enemy; “And Jerusalem shall be desolation; and the land of Israel trembling.”

When I heard the voice of this vision I was terrified and struck silent and fell backwards. But then came the angel Hadariel and gave me breath and spirit and stood me upon my feet. He said to me,” My friend, what came over thee?” I said to him, “Your Excellency, is there no restoration for Israel?” He said to me, “Come, and I shall bring thee in to treasuries of consolations and to treasuries of salvations and shall show thee.” He brought me in to treasuries of salvations and to treasuries of consolations and I beheld the companies of ministering angels, that they were sitting and weaving garments of salvations and making crowns of life and fixing in them precious stones and pearls and compounding all manner of spices and perfumed wines for the righteous. And I beheld one crown which differed from all the [other] crowns, and the sun and the moon and the twelve signs of the zodiac were fixed in it. I said to him, “Your Excellency, for whom are these crowns?” He said to me, “For Israel.” “And that different crown, for whom is that destined?” He said to me, “For David, the king of Israel.” I said to him, “Your Excellency, show me the glory of David.” He said to me, “My friend, wait for three hours until David cometh hither and thou shalt behold his greatness.”