A great prince held a wedding at His home. His city was stately, loved and revered by the surrounding nations. The streams which came from that city made glad all of it’s inhabitants.
The bridegroom sent His servants and invited His friends, family (that prince had a great family), the guests of the nations; the photographers, bakers, and priests also. Lastly, the prince invited the pilgrims who had left their own country, war-torn and stricken with famine. These had little and would no home rather than to return, but the prince was minded to give these pilgrims a place in his own kingdom. Even so, he invited them.

Lastly came the dear friend of the prince. He was closer to to the prince than all the inhabitants of his kingdom, even his own brothers. To him, the prince would give to stand beside him at the wedding and was minded to give him a portion of his own kingdom.

So great was the rejoicing! So perfect the event that there was never an event like it. Nor would there ever be the like again.

The trumpets sounded throughout the land! “The wedding commences, the wedding commences!” called the servants. The nations surrounding that heard it for joy, began to talk abroad of it’s glory. That there should no one absent from the wedding.

Then the prince of Babylon heard the fame thereof, and envy rose in his heart. Now that prince had a great kingdom also with many people. He determined to keep all his inhabitants from that event. He made suppers, and events. He called his servants to make a great festival in honor of all the departed spirits. Many were dissuaded from attending the wedding, yet some still would go. The prince of Babylon, not satisfied, called the harlots of his court (that prince was also very wicked) to seduce the inhabitants through enticing words and alluring them with fermented drinks to weaken their minds. Some were enticed, and were kept in a drunken stupor until the wedding was over. Yet a company still determined to go. Then that prince commanded his guards to seize upon and throw in prison those inhabitants that would not remain. Yet a few escaped that city and came to the wedding. Now, there were servants of Babylon, seeing the envy in the heart of the king toward the city of the great prince, where the wedding was taking place, and the evil deeds he did against those who would attend, and they loosed the prison doors and said to those who were minded to go to the wedding, “Arise, and go to the wedding. We will go likewise. For we have heard the fame of this great prince, and have heard of his glory and goodness, and how he treats his servants well, and honors his friends and the poor at his own wedding.” “As for this king,” said the servants, “it is better for us to drink at the streams of a good city in poverty, whose prince cares for such, than to have all the riches of an evil kingdom, and continual strife.” Therefore they left off all their things; their homes, and families, and all things they left to come to the city with those who the prison doors were opened for.

Thus was the wedding would be furnished with many.

The friend of the bridegroom had gone, with the servants of that prince to a far land to retrieve the bride. The prince had supplied wonderful garments for his bride.

As they traveled back to the city of the bridegroom, they saw the men of Babylon traveling to the city. They stopped their horses. “The wedding commences! Whence cometh thou?” then the escaped servants of Babylon related the story of how they left all for the great wedding. “This has indeed happened to you,” said the friend of the bridegroom, “Come, and we will take you the rest of the way.” For it was a great journey from Babylon. Thus they found rest for the soles of their weary feet

The friend of the bridegroom came forth, with the servants of the prince, with many horses and chariots; they bore the bride with them who they brought from a far land. The great prince saw it and was exceedingly glad.

Then the friend related the story of the servants of Babylon and how they left all. His heart was moved, and he marveled. He came to each one personally and gave them an exalted place in his kingdom for their willingness to come, and for their dedication to leave all. Then were the hearts of those servants glad, for in leaving off the wicked master, they were given a place by a faithful and well beloved master.

Lastly, the bride came from her carriage. She was adorned with snow white garments, beautifully embroidered as from the hand of a wise craftsman. She had a thin silver laced crown resting upon her head. It gleamed with the reflected rays of the sun. It had ten cirlets of gold, resting upon her forehead. So beautiful was the bride. She had made herself ready. The beloved prince took His darling’s hand, and His servants closed the door behind them.

Now, when the servants in Babylon who had seized the prisoners saw that their former brethren had freed many, they received word that those former servants now reigned and served in wonderful places in the good prince’s realm. They became exceedingly wroth that they fought so hard against that wedding, seeing the good treatment of those who went, and when they themselves would not because they feared the prince of Babylon’s wrath. Moreover, when the drunken came out of their stupor, they realized that they also had missed the wedding.

Both realizing that good things were kept from them through the evil devisings of the prince, took his palaces and burned them with fire. Lastly, they seized upon his throne and a great uprising was in that kingdom, and that day, that city fell, and great was the fall of it.

The inhabitants of the nations heard of it, and also of the beloved prince’s dealings with all people, and they shouted for joy! Trumpets sounded in the land, and every nation that gladly received the news came and submitted themselves to the reign of that prince’s government. The prince set his friend over the nations, and thus did they rule righteously over the nations of the world.

Forever was this story to be proclaimed throughout the land for a perpetual reminder. Thus from one year to another, all nations came up to the anniversary of that great wedding, to tell of the wonderful dealings of the bridegroom, and to tell of his bride; and of the servants of Babylon, the pilgrim poor, and the overthrow of Babylon’s palaces. And peace reigned in that kingdom without end, for all who reigned kept the way of that prince.

bridegroom

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