不认识圣经，就是不认识基督，不认识基督，就是不认识基督所建立的天主教会。
旧约·巴路克
共6章:
第一章(22)
小引
1:1
以下是巴路克在巴比伦所写的书上的言论：──巴路克是乃黎梨雅的儿子，是玛阿色雅的孙子，是漆德克雅的曾孙，是哈撒狄雅的玄孙，是希耳克亚的四世孙－
1:2
那时是加色丁人占领和焚毁耶路撒冷五周年月之七日，
1:3
巴路克把这本书上的言论，朗诵给犹大王约雅金的儿子耶苛尼雅，及一切前来听讲的人：
1:4
即贵族和王孙、长老和全体人民，不分老幼，他们都住在巴比伦稣得河畔。
1:5
他们听了，便痛哭起来，在上主面前禁食祈祷；
1:6
又各按自己的力量募集了银钱，
1:7
送到耶路撒冷，交给沙隆的孙子希耳克雅的儿子约雅金司祭，和与他同在耶路撒冷的其它司祭和全体人民。
1:8
同时巴路克在「息汪」月十日，取回了被人从圣殿中夺去的器皿，准备带回犹大地去──这些银器皿原是犹大王约史雅的儿子漆德克雅铸造的；
1:9
那时，巴比伦王拿步高已由耶路撒冷将耶苛尼雅、政要、技工、贵族和当地的平民掳到巴比伦去了──
1:10
他们致书说：「请看，我们给你们送来一批银钱，要你们购买全燔祭及赎罪祭的牺牲和乳香，备办祭品，献在上主我们天主的祭坛上，
1:11
并为巴比伦王拿步高，和他的儿子巴耳塔撒的长寿祈祷，使他们在世寿与天齐；
1:12
并望上主赐与我们力量，光照我们的眼目，使我们能在巴比伦王拿步高，和他的儿子巴耳塔撒的福荫下生活，长久事奉他们，在他们面前获得宠遇。
1:13
此外，愿你们也为我们祈求上主我们的天主，因为我们得罪了上主我们的天主，因此时至今日，上主的义怒和愤恨，仍未离开我们。
1:14
最后，愿你们诵读我们遥寄给你们的这封书信，好能在帐棚节和大集会那日在上主的圣所里自讼自承，
1:15
说：
一 充军者的祈祷(１:15－３:8)
认罪悔过
正义属于上主我们的天主，但是，像今日的耻辱，是我们所应得的，即犹大人和耶路撒冷的居民，
1:16
我们的君王和政要，我们的司祭和先知，以及我们的祖先，所应得的，
1:17
因为我们都在上主面前犯了罪，
1:18
且背叛了他，没有听从上主我们天主的声音，没有随从上主给我们颁赐的法令。
1:19
从上主领我们的祖先出离埃及地那一天，直到今日，我们常背叛上主我们的天主，固执不听他的声音，
1:20
因此正如今日一样，诸多灾难缠绕着我们，而上主在领我们的祖先出离埃及地为赐与我们流奶流蜜之地的那天，藉他的仆人梅瑟预告的诅咒，都降到我们身上。
1:21
我们不但没有依照上主给我们派来的先知的种种教训，听从上主我们天主的声音，
1:22
反而各随自己邪心恶念行事，供奉外邦的神祇，行了上主我们天主所憎恶的事。
第二章(35)
承认受的刑罚很公道
2:1 为此，上主实践了他对我们，和对治理以色列的我们的长官，对我们的君王和政要，对以色列人和犹大人所说的话：
2:2
他在耶路撒冷按着梅瑟法律的记载所作的，在普天之下从来没有发生过，
2:3
就是：我们中有人烹食自己儿子的肉，有人烹食自己女儿的肉；
2:4
且将他们交付给我们四周列国权下，使他们在上主叫他们流徙所到的四邻民族中，遭受诅咒凌辱，
2:5
他们成了阶下囚，不是在人之上，因为我们得罪了上主我们的天主，没有听从他的声音。
充军者的忏悔
2:6
正义属于上主我们的天主，但是像今日的耻辱，是我们和我们的祖先所应得的。
2:7
上主对我们所警告的一切灾祸，都来到了我们身上。
2:8
但我们没有勉力求上主息怒，谁也没有离弃自己的邪心恶念，
2:9
因此上主常警醒，等待时机，把灾祸降到我们身上；的确，不论上主吩咐我们什么，他常是正义的，
2:10
只是我们没有听从他的声音，没有按照上主给我们颁赐的法令行事。
恳切祈祷
2:11 如今，上主以色列的天主!你曾以强力的手、奇事、神迹、伟大的能力和伸展的手臂，领你的人民出离了埃及地，使你获得有如今日的盛名。
2:12
上主，我们的天主啊!我们犯了罪，行了不义，违犯了你的一切诫命，
2:13
愿你的义怒不再向我们发作，因为在你使我们流徙所到的民族中，我们剩下的人数已很稀少。
2:14
上主，求你俯听我们的祈求和哀祷，求你为了你的缘故，拯救我们，恩赐我们在俘虏我们的人前获得宠遇，
2:15
叫全地都知道你是上主，我们的天主，因为以色列和他的后裔，是归你名下的。
2:16
上主，求你从你的圣殿垂视眷念我们；上主，求你侧耳俯听；
2:17
上主，求你睁眼看一看，不是那些在阴府里，五内已没有气息的死人，能归光荣和正义于上主，
2:18
而是备受痛苦的心灵，行走伛偻和力量衰弱，眼睛憔悴无光，和忍饥受饿的生灵，才能归光荣和正义于你，上主!
承认不堪受上主的仁慈
2:19 上主，我们的天主!我们并不是仗恃我们祖先或我们君王的功绩，将我们的请求呈递到你台前，
2:20
因为你曾向我们生气发怒，正如你藉你的仆人先知们申明说：「
2:21
上主这样说：你们该低头服事巴比伦王，这样你们便可住在我赐给你们祖先的地上；
2:22
假使你们不听从上主的声音，不服事巴比伦王，
2:23
我就要使犹大城内，和耶路撒冷街上再也听不到欢愉和喜乐的声音，新郎和新娘的声音，全地要变为无人居住的荒野。」
2:24
我们既没有听从你的声音，没有服事巴比伦王，所以你实践了你藉你的仆人先知们说的话：「我们的君王和我们祖先的骨骸，必被人从坟墓中掘出来。」
2:25
看，他们已被掘了出来，日晒夜冻。他们都在极惨的痛苦中，死于饥饿、刀剑和瘟疫；
2:26
连那归你名下的殿宇，因了以色列家和犹大家的罪孽，你也将它弄成像今日的样子。
上主必施仁慈
2:27 虽然如此，上主我们的天主!你对待我们实在宽宏大量，无限仁慈，
2:28
正如你在命令你的仆人梅瑟给以色列子民写下你的法律的那天，藉他申明说：「
2:29
假使你们不听从我的声音，这庞大的民众，在我使他们流徙所到的民族中，必会变成弱小的。
2:30
我原知道他们不会听从我，因为他们是一强项的民族；但是在充军的地方，他们必回心转意，
2:31
承认我是上主，他们的天主，我也要赐他们心明耳顺，
2:32
叫他们在充军之地赞美我，记念我的名号。
2:33
他们必回心转意，不再强项，不再作恶，因为他们记着他们在上主面前犯罪的祖先的结局。
2:34
那时，我要再领他们回到我起誓许给他们的祖先亚巴郎、依撒格和雅各伯的地域去，叫他们恢复祖业；我也要增加他们的人数，叫他们不再减少；
2:35
我要与他们订立永久的盟约：我要作他们的天主，他们要作我的人民；我决不再将我的人民以色列逐出我赐与他们的地域。」
第三章(38)
祈主施援
3:1 全能的上主，以色列的天主!忧伤的灵魂和苦恼的心灵正在向你呼号：
3:2
上主!求你俯听垂怜，因为你是仁慈的天主；求你垂怜，因我们得罪了你。
3:3
你永居王位，而我们却要永远丧亡。
3:4
全能的上主，以色列的天主!求你俯听垂死的以色列人，和犯罪得罪了你的人的子孙的祈祷：他们没有听从你，他们天主的声音，因此灾祸便缠绕我们。
3:5
求你不再记忆我们祖先的不义，求你在此时只忆及你的威能和你的圣名，
3:6
因为你是上主，我们的天主，我们要赞颂你，上主!
3:7
你使我们存心敬畏你，正是为叫我们称呼你的名号；如今我们就在流徙之地赞颂你，从心里离弃我们的祖先在你前所犯的一切不义。
3:8
看，我们今天仍在你叫我们流徙所到的充军地，饱受诅咒凌辱，为补赎我们祖先的一切不义，因为他们离弃了上主，我们的天主。
二 先知的劝言(３:9－４:4)
真实的智慧
3:9 以色列，请听取生命的规律，请侧耳领会智慧。
3:10
以色列!这是什么事呢﹖怎么你竟住在敌人的国内，在异地衰老，
3:11
与亡者同污，与降入阴府的人同列呢﹖
3:12
这是因为你离弃了智慧的泉源。
3:13
倘若你走天主的道路，你必永远处于平安之中。
3:14
你应学习智慧的所在，力量的所在，聪明的所在；这样，你也能知道长寿和生命的所在，眼的光明和平安的所在。
3:15
谁找到了智慧的处所﹖谁进入了智慧的宝库﹖
智慧凭人力不可获得
3:16 治理人民和驯服地上走兽的人，在那里呢﹖
3:17
玩弄空中的飞鸟和积蓄人依恃的金银而贪得无厌的人，在那里呢﹖
3:18
专心致志铸造银器，使自己的作品无奇不有的人，在那里呢﹖
3:19
他们都不见了，降入了阴府；已另有人起来代替了他们。
3:20
年轻的一代一生在世上，就住在地上；但他们仍不认识智慧的道路，
3:21
仍不知道智慧的途径，连他们的子孙，也没有得到她，因为他们离她的道路很远。
3:22
在客纳罕没有人听说过她，在特曼没有人看见过她，
3:23
连在地上寻求明智的哈加尔的子孙，以及讲说寓言并寻求明智的米得杨和特玛商人，也不认识智慧的道路，不提及她的途径。
3:24
以色列天主的住所多么广大，他的领域多么宽阔!
3:25
真是广大无边，高远无垠。
3:26
在那里曾出生过自古有名，身材魁梧和勇敢善战的巨人，
3:27
天主却没有简选他们，没有指示给他们智慧的道路；
3:28
他们灭亡了，因为没有智慧；他们灭亡了，因为他们昏愚。
3:29
谁曾上到天上，取得智慧，使她从云中降下﹖
3:30
谁曾横渡海洋，寻获智慧，用纯金购买了她呢﹖
3:31
没有人认识她的道路，没有人探得她的途径。
惟独天主有智慧
3:32 惟有那全知者认识她，以自己的才智寻获了她，是他永远坚定了大地，使大地充满了牲畜；
3:33
是他命闪光发出，闪光即发出；他一召回，即颤栗应命。
3:34
星辰各在自己的岗位闪烁，喜形于色；
3:35
他一召唤，随即答说：我们在此!向自己的创造者欣然闪烁。
3:36
他就是我们的天主，没有别的可同他相比；
3:37
他寻得了智慧的一切道路，将她赐给了他的仆人雅各伯，和他心爱的以色列；
3:38
从此智慧在地上出现，与世人共相往还。
第四章(37)
4:1 她就是天主的诫命书，是永存的法律；凡遵守她的，必得生命；凡离弃她的，必要死亡。
4:2
雅各伯!你该悔悟，该争取她，该在她的光照下，向着光辉进发；
4:3
你不该将你的光荣给与他人，不要将你的特权让给异民。
4:4
以色列人，我们真有福!天主将所喜悦的，启示给我们了。
三 安慰书
小引
4:5 我的百姓，以色列的遗民啊!请你们鼓起勇气!
4:6
你们被卖给外邦人，不是为被消灭，只是因为你们触怒了天主，你们才被交付给敌人；
4:7
实在，你们触怒了你们的造主，因为你们给恶魔而不给天主献祭，
4:8
忘了生养你们的永生的天主，使养育你们的耶路撒冷悲伤，
4:9
她眼见天主的义怒降在你们身上，不由得说：
耶路撒冷诉苦
「熙雍的邻邦!请你们听罢!天主给我招来了莫大的忧苦，
4:10 因为我看见我的儿女被放逐：这是永生者放逐他们。
4:11
我曾在喜乐中，抚养了他们，如今却在痛苦悲伤中让他们离去。
4:12
谁也不要对我这被众人遣弃的寡妇，幸灾乐祸!我孤苦伶仃，是为了我子女的罪恶，因为他们离弃了天主的法律；
4:13
他们没有认识他的规诫，没有履行天主诫命的道路，没有随从他正义纪律的路途。
4:14
熙雍的邻邦!请你们前来，怀念永生者放逐我儿女的事。
4:15
他从远方给他们引来了一个民族，是一个没有廉耻和言语不同的民族，不知敬老，也不知恤幼。
4:16
他们夺去了寡妇的爱子，使她丧失儿女，孤苦伶仃。
4:17
但是我又怎能援助你们呢﹖
4:18
只有给你们招来这些灾祸的那位，才能救你们脱离敌人的掌握。
4:19
去罢!孩子们，去罢!我该独自一个留下；
4:20
我要脱去升平时的衣饰，穿上我哀祷的苦衣，一生不断向永生者呼号。
4:21
孩子们!奋勇起来向天主呼号罢!他必拯救你们脱离强权和敌人的掌握。
4:22
我曾期望永生者拯救你们，圣者就给我带来喜乐，因为永生者，你们的救主，不久就要对你们施行仁慈。
4:23
我曾含泪悲痛让你们离去，天主却快要以永远的喜乐和欢欣，将你们交还给我；
4:24
就如现在熙雍的邻邦看见你们被掳去，同样不久他们要见到你们的天主以绝大的光荣，和永恒的光辉赐给你们的救援。
4:25
孩子们!你们该忍受天主向你们发泄的忿怒。仇人迫害了你，但不久你将看见他们的没落和践踏他们的颈项。
4:26
我娇贵的儿女被人掳去，沿着崎岖的道路前行，好似被仇人夺去的羊群。
4:27
孩子们!奋勇起来，向天主呼号罢!因为使这事降到你们身上的那位，必要眷念你们。
4:28
从前你们心意昏愚，徘徊岐途，远离天主；如今却要十倍往昔，回转头来寻求天主，
4:29
因为给你们招来这些灾祸的那位，要拯救你们，赐给你们永远的喜乐。
耶路撒冷获得安慰
4:30 耶路撒冷!请你鼓起勇气!给你起名的那位，必要抚慰你。
4:31
凡虐待过你，见你衰落而欣喜的，是有祸的；
4:32
奴役你子女的，是有祸的；那收留过你子女的城邑，是有祸的；
4:33
因为她怎样见你衰落而欢欣，怎样见你灭亡而喜庆，她也要同样因自己的荒凉而哀伤。
4:34
我必夺去她因人烟稠密而有的繁荣，使她的夸耀化为哀伤，
4:35
因为必有长久不灭的火从永生者那里降在她身上，使她长期受恶魔的侵扰。
4:36
耶路撒冷!请你向东远眺，遥望由天主那里给你降来的喜乐。
4:37
看，离你远去的子女正在归来；奉圣者的命，他们由东方到西方，集合归来，因着天主的光荣喜跃若狂。
三 安慰书
第五章(9)
5:1 耶路撒冷!请你脱去你居丧悲伤的衣裳，永远穿上天主光荣的华服，
5:2
披上天主正义的披肩，在你头上戴上永生者光荣的冠冕，
5:3
因为天主要对天下万邦显示你的荣耀，
5:4
给你起名永远叫「正义的和平」和「虔敬的光荣。」
5:5
耶路撒冷!请你起来，站在高处，向东远眺，看，你的子女奉圣者的命，由西方至东方集合，喜庆天主终于想起了他们。
5:6
他们离你远去，由仇人押送步行；如今天主却将他们给你再领回来；他们体面光荣，被人抬回，好象皇子一样；
5:7
因为天主已命令夷平一切的高山和永恒的丘陵，填平所有的山谷，使它们化为平地，好让以色列在天主的光荣下平安前行；
5:8
森林和一切香树要依照天主的命令，给以色列散布荫凉；
5:9
因为天主要在喜乐中，以自己本有的仁慈和正义，在自己荣耀的光辉下，亲自领回以色列。
四 耶肋米亚的书信
第六章(72)
6:这是耶肋米亚给那些被巴比伦王要掳到巴比伦去作俘虏的人，寄发的书信副本，给他们报告天主吩咐他的事。
写信的目的
6:1 为了你们在天主面前犯的罪过，你们才被巴比伦人的君王拿步高掳到巴比伦去作俘虏。
6:2
你们到了巴比伦，要在那里寄居多年和一长久的时间，直到第七代，然后我才领你们从那里平安出来。
6:3
你们在巴比伦时，要看见许多金、银、木制的神像，由人们抬在肩上，向外方人示威。
6:4
你们务要小心，切不要连你们也像外邦人一样，对这些神像，起敬起畏。
6:5
几时你们一见群众在神像前敬拜，就该在心中说：上主，只有你应受钦崇。
6:6
因为有我的天使与你们在一起，他必照顾你们的性命。
偶像无能
6:7 神像的舌头是匠人琢磨的，再包上金银；都是假造的，不能说话。
6:8
人们又拿金子，打造金冠，戴在他们神像的头上，像是一个爱装饰的女郎。
6:9
有时司祭竟窃取神像身上的金银，私自使用，甚或用以酬谢院中的庙妓。
6:10
这些金、银、木制的神像，穿上衣裳虽像人一样，仍不免要生锈生虫。
6:11
它们虽身披紫锦红袍，脸上却不断落满庙内的尘土，需人拂拭。
6:12
有些手执权杖，像是一个作地方判官的人，却不能处死得罪自己的人；
6:13
有些右手执剑持斧，却不能拯救自己脱免战争和强盗。
6:14
由此可知它们并不是神，不应害怕!
偶像无用
6:15 正如人做的器皿，一经破烂，就失去了用途；安置在庙里的神像，也是这样。
6:16
它们的眼睛盖满了进庙的人双脚扬起的灰尘；
6:17
如同对得罪皇上，快要处死的囚犯，四面门窗紧闭；同样司祭设门安锁加闩，关闭它们的庙宇，以免强盗来洗劫。
6:18
庙宇里的灯，点得比神像还多；可是它们连一盏也看不见。
6:19
它们好象庙中的木梁一样：人们都说它们的内部已经腐烂；地里出来的爬虫侵食它们和它们的衣饰，它们却毫不自觉；
6:20
它们的脸面已让庙里的火烟熏得乌黑；
6:21
蝙蝠、燕子和雀鸟，都在它们身上头上飞舞；同样，猫儿也任情跳跃：
6:22
由此你们该知，它们并不是神，不应害怕!
偶像无知
6:23 人给神像包上金银，为光华美丽，但若没有人擦去锈污，它们不会光亮；因为即在被铸造时，它们已毫无知觉。
6:24
不论人用什么价钱将它们买来，它们总不会生气；
6:25
它们没有脚，要人抬在肩上，给人露出自己的耻辱，致使敬拜的人也因此感到羞愧；为使它们不翻倒在地，就得由人扶持；
6:26
人若把它们直立起来，它们不能自己行动；如果歪斜了，又不能自动直立；人给它们摆上供物，亦无异给死人上供。
6:27
人给它们献的牺牲，司祭却加以变卖，从中取利；司祭的妻室亦照样腌存一些祭品，也不施舍给贫苦和残疾的人；甚至在经期和将分娩的妇女，都敢触摸献给它们的祭品：
6:28
由此可知它们并不是神，不应害怕。
偶像的敬礼可耻
6:29 实在，它们怎么能称为神呢﹖连妇女也敢给这些金、银、木制神像献祭。
6:30
在庙里，司祭穿著破裂的袈裟，剃去了须发，光头坐着；
6:31
或在神像前狂呼乱叫，好象参加丧宴的人一样；
6:32
又脱掉神像的衣服，给自己的妻子儿女穿。
6:33
人们待神像好坏，它们都不能回报；不能委任或废除君王，
6:34
也不能赐人财帛银钱；人若许愿而不实践，它们也不能追索；
6:35
不能救人不死，也不能由强者手中抢救弱者；
6:36
不能使瞎子恢复视力，也不能救人脱免患难；
6:37
不知怜恤寡妇，也不知加惠孤儿：
6:38
这些包金包银和木制的神像，好比山间采来的石块，敬拜的人都要蒙受羞辱：
6:39
既然这样，人又怎能相信，或称呼它们为神呢﹖
偶像的敬礼荒唐
6:40 连加色丁人也不尊敬它们；几时看见一个不能说话的哑吧，就领他到贝耳面前，求赐说话奇恩，好象它能垂听一样。
6:41
他们明知不能，却不能离弃这些神祇，因为他们都愚昧无知。
6:42
妇女们身上系上绳索，坐在路旁，烧麦糠为香；
6:43
若其中一个被一过路男人带去，与她同睡，她就笑骂自己的同伴不如自己有身价，因为她的带子还没有扯断。
6:44
对这些神像做的一切，无不荒唐，既然这样，人又怎能相信，或称呼它们为神呢﹖
偶像是人的作品
6:45 它们全是由木匠和金匠制成的，不能是别的，只能是这些匠人愿做成的物品。
6:46
制造它们的那些人，自己还活不长久，他们制造的作品，又怎能是神呢﹖
6:47
只不过给自己的后代，留下欺骗和羞辱，
6:48
因为几时民间有了战争或灾难，司祭们就彼此商议何处能同这些神像一起隐藏。
6:49
它们竟不能救自己免于战争或灾难，人怎么还不觉悟它们并非神明呢﹖
6:50
由此可知：这些包金包银和木制的神像，只不过是伪造，万民和君王都清楚知道它们不是神明，只不过是人手的作品，没有一点神明的作为﹖
6:51
如此还有谁不知道它们不是神明呢﹖
偶像无力自救
6:52 它们不能给一地方建立君王，不能给人兴云降雨；
6:53
不能为人决狱断案，不能救护受迫害的人，因为它们毫无能力，犹如飞翔天地间的乌鸦。
6:54
几时这些包金包银和木制的神像的庙里起了火，司祭们都各自逃命，它们只有像栋梁一样，被火烧毁。
6:55
他们既不能抵抗君王和仇敌，
6:56
人怎么还能承认，或相信它们是神呢﹖
偶像一无可取
6:57 这些包金包银和木制的神像，不能救自己脱免强盗和匪徒；比它们更有力的人夺去了它们的金银，和它们穿的衣服以后，安然离去，它们竟不能自助自救。
6:58
为此虚假的神祇，还不如一个彰显自己权威的君王，或家中一个能供主人使用的器皿；虚假的神祇，还不如能使家中一切安全的房门；虚假的神祇，还不如一根支撑皇宫的木柱。
6:59
太阳、月亮和星辰放出光明，执行自己的职务，无不从命；
6:60
同样，雷电闪耀，光辉灿烂；风也依命吹向四方；
6:61
云彩一奉天主的命，即飞游全球，执行使命；电火亦遵命行事，从天降下，烧毁山岭森林；
6:62
论美丽，论能力，这些神像都不能与它们相比：
6:63
为此，人不应相信或称呼它们为神，因为它们不能施行审判，也不能施惠于人。
6:64
因此，该知道它们并不是神，不应害怕。
偶像不能降灾赐福
6:65 这些神像不能诅咒，也不能祝福君王；
6:66
不能给万民显示天上的奇迹，也不能像太阳一般辉耀像月亮一般光明。
6:67
它们竟连走兽也不如，因为走兽还能逃到安身的地区，营救自己。
6:68
不论在任何情形下，我们都清楚看出：它们不是神，所以你们不应害怕!
偶像无异是个死尸
6:69 就如一个稻草人在瓜果园内，不能看守什么；这些包金包银和木制的神也是如此。
6:70
此外，这些包金包银和木制的神，彷佛园中任各种飞鸟栖息的荆棘丛，又彷佛被人拋弃在暗处的死尸；
6:71
从它们身上那腐烂了的紫锦和麻衣，你们便可以知道它们并不是神；最后连它们自己也要被虫吃尽，成为地上的耻辱。
6:72
故此还是没有偶像的义人好，耻辱决来不到他身上！
BOOK ENDS. Seraphim, April 2009.
JB BARUCH Chapter 1
I. INTRODUCTION
Baruch and the Jews
in Babylon
1:1 These are the words of the
book written in Babylon by Baruch son of Neraiah, son
of Mahseiah, son of Zedekiah, son of Hasadiah, son of Hilkiah,
1:2 in the fifth year,[*a] on the seventh day of the month, at the time when the Chaldaeans captured Jerusalem and burned it down.
1:3 Baruch read the words of
this book aloud to Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and to all the people who had
come to hear the reading,
1:4 to the nobles and the sons
of the king, and to the elders; to the whole people that is, least no less than
greatest, to all who lived in Babylon beside the river Sud.
1:5 On
hearing it they wept, fasted and prayed before the Lord;
1:6 and they collected as much
money as each could afford
1:7 and sent it to Jerusalem
for the priest Jehoiakim son of Hilkiah,
son of Shallum, and the other priests, and for as
many of the people as were with him in Jerusalem.
1:8 It was Baruch who on the
tenth day of Sivan had recovered the utensils of the house of the Lord, which
had been removed from the Temple, to take them back to the land of Judah: these
were silver utensils which Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, had had made
1:9 when Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon had deported Jeconiah from Jerusalem to
Babylon, together with the princes, the metalworkers, the men of rank and the
common people.
1:10 With this - they wrote -
we are sending you money with which to pay for holocausts, offerings for sin,
and incense; prepare oblations, and offer them on the altar of the Lord our
God.
1:11 Pray
for the long life of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and of his son Belshazzar,
and that their days on earth may endure as the heavens;
1:12 pray that the Lord may
give us strength and clear understanding so that we may lead our lives under
the protection of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and of his son Belshazzar, and by our long service win their favour.
1:13 Also
pray to the Lord our God for us, because we have sinned against him, and the
anger, the fury of the Lord, has still not yet been turned away from us.
1:14 Lastly, you are to read
the book aloud which we send you with this and so make public confession in the
house of the Lord on the feastday[*b] and on days of
solemn assembly.
1:15 You
are to say:
II THE PRAYER OF
THE EXILES
Confession of sins
Integrity belongs to the Lord
our God; to us the look of shame we wear today, to us, the people of Judah and
the citizens of Jerusalem,
1:16 to our kings and princes,
our priests, our prophets, as to our ancestors,
1:17 because we have sinned in
the sight of the Lord,
1:18 have disobeyed him, and
have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God telling us to follow the
commandments which the Lord had ordained for us.
1:19 From the day when the
Lord brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until today we have been
disobedient to the Lord our God, we have been disloyal, refusing to listen to
his voice.
1:20 And so the disasters, and
the curse which the Lord pronounced through his servant Moses the day he
brought our fathers out of Egypt to give us a land where milk and honey flow,
have seized on us, disasters we experience today.
1:21 Despite all the words of
those prophets whom he sent us, we have not listened to the voice of the Lord
our God,
1:22 but, each following the
dictates of his evil heart, we have taken to serving alien gods, and doing what
is displeasing to the Lord our God.
JB BARUCH Chapter 2
2:1 And
so the Lord has carried out the sentence which he passed on us, on our judges
who governed Israel, on our kings and leaders, on the men of Israel and of
Judah;
2:2 what he did to Jerusalem
has never been paralleled under the wide heavens - all this in conformity with
what was written in the Law of Moses;
2:3 we were all reduced to
eating the flesh of our own sons and daughters.
2:4 Furthermore, he has handed
them over into the power of all the kingdoms that surround us, to be loathed
and avoided by all the neighbouring nations among
whom he scattered them.
2:5 Instead of being masters;
they found themselves enslaved, because we had sinned against the Lord our God
by not listening to his voice.
2:6 Integrity belongs to the
Lord our God; to us the look of shame we wear today, to us, as to our
ancestors.
2:7 All
those disasters which the Lord pronounced against us have now happened to us.
2:8 And
yet we have not tried to win the favour of the Lord
by each one of us renouncing the dictates of his own wicked heart;
2:9 and so the Lord has
watched for the right moment to bring disaster on us, since the Lord gives a
just return for what we do of all that he has ordered us to do,
2:10 and we have not listened
to his voice telling us to follow the commandments which the Lord had ordained
for us.
The prayer
2:11 And now, Lord, God of
Israel, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand,
with signs and wonders, with great power and with outstretched arm, to win
yourself a name renowned today,
2:12 we have sinned, we have
been irreligious; Lord our God, we have broken all your commandments.
2:13 Let your anger turn from
us since we are no more than a poor remnant among the nations where you have
dispersed us.
2:14 Listen, Lord, to our
prayer, to our entreaty; deliver us for the sake of your honour
and grant us your favour for all our captors to see
it,
2:15 so that the whole world
may know that you are the Lord our God, since Israel and his descendants bear
your name.
2:16 Look down, Lord, from
your holy dwelling place and give a thought to us, take heed of us and listen,
2:17 look at us, Lord, and
consider; the dead down in Sheol, whose breath has
been taken from their bodies, are not the ones to give glory and due observance
to the Lord;
2:18 the person overcome with
affliction, who goes his way bowed down and frail, with failing eyes and
hungering soul, he is the one to give you glory, Lord, and due observance.
2:19 We
do not rely on the merits of our ancestors and of our kings to offer you our
humble plea, Lord our God.
2:20 No. You have sent down
your anger and your fury on us, as you promised through your servants the
prophets when they said,
2:21 'The Lord says this: Bend
your necks and submit to the king of Babylon, and you will remain in the land
which I gave your ancestors.
2:22 But if you do not listen
to the voice of the Lord and submit to the king of Babylon,
2:23 then I will silence the
shouts of rejoicing and mirth and the voices of bridegroom and bride in the
towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and the whole land will be
reduced to desert, without inhabitants.'
2:24 But
we did not listen to your voice and submit to the king of Babylon, and so you
carried out what you had promised through your servants the prophets: that the
bones of our kings and of our ancestors would be dragged from their resting
places.
2:25 They
were indeed tossed out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night. And
people died in dreadful agony, from famine, sword and plague.
2:26 And so, because of the
wickedness of the House of Israel and the House of Judah, you have made this
House, that bears your name, what it is today.
2:27 And
yet, Lord our God, you have treated us in a way worthy of all your goodness and
boundless tenderness,
2:28 just as you had promised
through your servant Moses, the day you told him to write your Law in the
presence of the sons of Israel, and said this,
2:29 'If you do not listen to
my voice, this great and innumerable multitude will certainly be reduced to a
tiny few among the nations among which I shall disperse them,
2:30 and I know very well that
this people will not listen, it is so stubborn. But in the country of their
exile they will take all this to heart
2:31 and acknowledge that I am
the Lord their God. I will give them a heart and an attentive ear.
2:32 They
will sing my praises in the country of their exile, they will remember my name;
2:33 they will not be stubborn
any more, but, remembering what became of their ancestors who sinned in the
sight of the Lord, will turn from their evil deeds.
2:34 Then I will bring them
back to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and make them
masters in it. I will increase their number: they shall not dwindle.
2:35 And I will make an
everlasting covenant with them; I will be their God and they shall be my
people. And I will never again drive my people Israel out of the land that I
have given them.'
JB BARUCH Chapter 3
3:1 Almighty Lord, God of
Israel, a soul in anguish, a troubled heart now cries to you:
3:2 Listen and have pity,
Lord, for we have sinned in your sight.
3:3 You
sit enthroned for ever, while we perish continually.
3:4 Almighty Lord, God of
Israel, hear the prayer of the dead of Israel,[*a] of
the sons of those who have sinned against you and have not listened to the
voice of the Lord their God, hence the disasters that have seized on us.
3:5 Do
not call to mind the misdeeds of our ancestors, but remember instead your power
and your name.
3:6 You
are indeed the Lord our God and we long to praise you, Lord,
3:7 since you have put respect
for you in our hearts to encourage us to call on your name. We long to praise
you in our exile, for we have emptied our hearts of the evil inclinations of
our ancestors who sinned against you.
3:8 Look
on us today, still in exile where you have dispersed us as something execrable,
accursed, condemned, in punishment for all the misdeeds of our ancestors who
had abandoned the Lord our God.
III. WISDOM, THE
PREROGATIVE OF ISRAEL
3:9 Listen, Israel, to
commands that bring life; hear, and learn what knowledge means.
3:10 Why, Israel, why are you
in the country of your enemies, growing older and older in an alien land,
3:11 sharing defilement with
the dead, reckoned with those who go to Sheol?
3:12 Because
you have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.
3:13 Had
you walked in the way of God, you would have lived in peace for ever.
3:14 Learn where knowledge is,
where strength, where understanding, and so learn where length of days is,
where life, where the light of the eyes and where peace.
3:15 But who has found out
where she lives, who has entered her treasure house?
3:16 Where now are the leaders
of the nations and those who ruled even the beasts of earth,
3:17 who had the birds of
heaven at their beck and call, who accumulated silver and gold on which mankind
relies, and whose possessions had no limits,
3:18 those who
displayed such artistry in silver that their masterpieces beggar imagination?
3:19 They
have vanished, gone down to Sheol. Others have risen
to their places,
3:20 more recent generations
have seen the day and peopled the earth in their turn: but the way of knowledge
is something they have not known,
3:21 they have not recognised the paths she treads. Nor have their sons had
any grasp of her, remaining far from her way.
3:22 Nothing
has been heard of her in Canaan, nothing has been seen of her in Teman;
3:23 the sons of Hagar in
search of worldly wisdom, the merchants of Midian and
Tema, the tale-spinners and the philosophers have
none of them found the way to wisdom, or discovered the paths she treads.
3:24 How great, Israel, is the
house of God, how wide his domain,
3:25 immeasurably wide,
infinitely lofty!
3:26 In
it were born the giants, famous to us from antiquity, immensely tall, expert in
war;
3:27 God's choice did not fall
on these, he did not reveal the way to knowledge to them;
3:28 they perished for lack of
wisdom, perished in their own folly.
3:29 Who
has ever climbed the sky and caught her to bring her down from the clouds?
3:30 Who
has ever crossed the ocean and found her to bring her back in exchange for the
finest gold?
3:31 No one knows the way to
her, no one can discover the path she treads.
3:32 But the One who knows all
knows her, he has grasped her with his own intellect, he has set the earth firm
for ever and filled it with four-footed beasts,
3:33 he sends the light - and
it goes, he recalls it - and trembling it obeys;
3:34 the stars shine joyfully
at their set times:
3:35 when he calls them, they
answer, 'Here we are'; they gladly shine for their creator.
3:36 It is he who is our God,
no other can compare with him.
3:37 He has grasped the whole
way of knowledge, and confided it to his servant Jacob, to Israel his
well-beloved;
3:38 so causing her to appear
on earth and move among men.
JB BARUCH Chapter 4
4:1 This
is the book of the commandments of God, the Law that stands for ever; those who
keep her live, those who desert her die.
4:2 Turn back, Jacob, seize
her, in her radiance make your way to light:
4:3 do not yield your glory to
another, your privilege to a people not your own.
4:4 Israel, blessed are we:
what pleases God has been revealed to us.
IV. THE COMPLAINTS
AND HOPES OF JERUSALEM
4:5 Take courage, my people,
constant reminder of Israel.[*a]
4:6 You
were sold to the nations, but not for extermination. You provoked God; and so
were delivered to your enemies,
4:7 since you had angered your
creator by offering sacrifices to demons, not to God.
4:8 You
had forgotten the eternal God who reared you. You had also grieved Jerusalem who nursed you,
4:9 for when she saw the anger
fall on you from God, she said: Listen, you neighbours
of Zion: God has sent me great sorrow.
4:10 I have seen my sons and
daughters taken into captivity, to which they have been sentenced by the
Eternal.
4:11 I had reared them
joyfully; in tears, in sorrow, I watched them go away.
4:12 Do
not, any of you, exult over me, a widow, deserted by so many; I suffer loneliness
because of the sins of my own children, who turned away from the Law of God,
4:13 who did not want to know
his injunctions, and would not follow the ways of his precepts, or tread the
paths of discipline as his justice directed.
4:14 Let
them come here, those neighbours of Zion. Let me
remind you of the captivity of my sons and daughters to which they have been
sentenced by the Eternal:
4:15 how he brought a distant
nation down on them, a ruthless nation speaking a foreign language, having
neither respect for the aged, nor pity for the child;
4:16 they carried off the
widow's cherished sons, they left her quite alone, bereft of her daughters.
4:17 For
my part, how can I help you?
4:18 He who brought those
disasters down on you, he is the one to deliver you from the hands of your
enemies.
4:19 Go, my children, go your
way! I must stay bereft and lonely;
4:20 I have taken off the
clothes of peacetime, and put on the sackcloth of entreaty; I will cry to the
Eternal all my life.
4:21 Take courage, my
children, call on God: he will deliver you from
tyranny, from the hands of your enemies;
4:22 for I look to the Eternal
for your rescue, and joy has come to me from the Holy One at the mercy soon to
reach you from your saviour, the Eternal.
4:23 In
sorrow and tears I watched you go away, but God will give you back to me in joy
and gladness for ever.
4:24 As
the neighbours of Zion now witness your captivity, so
will they soon see you rescued by God, who will intervene, in the great glory
and splendour of the Eternal.
4:25 My
children, patiently bear the anger brought on you by God. Your enemy has
persecuted you, but soon you will witness his destruction and set your foot on
his neck.
4:26 My
favourite children have travelled by rough roads,
carried off like a flock by a marauding enemy.
4:27 Take courage, my
children, call on God: he who brought disaster on you
will remember you.
4:28 As
by your will you first strayed away from God, so now turn back and search for
him ten times as hard;
4:29 for as he brought
down those disasters on you, so will he rescue you and give you eternal joy.
4:30 Take
courage, Jerusalem: he who gave you that name will console you.
4:31 Trouble will come to all
who have ill-treated you and gloated over your fall.
4:32 Trouble will come, to the
cities where your children were slaves; trouble will come to the city which
received your sons,
4:33 for just as she rejoiced
at your fall and was happy to see you ruined, so shall she grieve over her own
desolation.
4:34 I will deprive her of
that joy known to populous cities, her boasting shall be turned into mourning,
4:35 fire from the Eternal
will burn in her for many a day and demons will dwell in her for ages.
4:36 Jerusalem, turn your eyes
to the east, see the joy that is coming to you from God.
4:37 Look, the sons you
watched go away are on their way home; reassembled from east and west, they are
on their way home at the command of the Holy One, jubilant at the glory of God.
JB BARUCH Chapter 5
5:1 Jerusalem, take off your
dress of sorrow and distress, put on the beauty of the glory of God for ever,
5:2 wrap the cloak of the
integrity of God around you, put the diadem of the glory of the Eternal on your
head:
5:3 since God means to show
your splendour to every nation under heaven,
5:4 since the name God gives
you for ever will be, 'Peace through integrity, and honour
through devotedness'.
5:5 Arise, Jerusalem, stand on
the heights and turn your eyes to the east: see your sons reassembled from west
and east at the command of the Holy One, jubilant that God has remembered them.
5:6 Though they left you on
foot, with enemies for an escort, now God brings them back to you like royal
princes carried back in glory.
5:7 For God has decreed the
flattening of each high mountain, of the everlasting hills, the filling of the
valleys to make the ground level so that Israel can walk in safety under the
glory of God.
5:8 And
the forests and every fragrant tree will provide shade for Israel at the
command of God;
5:9 for God will guide Israel
in joy by the light of his glory with his mercy and integrity for escort.
JB BARUCH Chapter 6
V. THE LETTER OF
JEREMIAH
A copy of the letter which
Jeremiah sent to those about to be led captive to Babylon by the king of the
Babylonians, to inform them of the instructions which God had given him.
6:1 Because of the sins you
have committed before God you are to be deported to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar
king of the Babylonians.
6:2 Once
you have reached Babylon you will stay there for many years, as long as seven generations;
after which I shall bring you home in peace.
6:3 Now
in Babylon you will see gods made of silver, of gold, of wood, being carried
shoulder-high, and filling the pagans with fear.
6:4 Be
on your guard. Do not imitate the foreigners, do not
have any fear of their gods
6:5 as you watch their
worshippers flocking before and behind them. Instead, say in your hearts,
'Master, it is you that we have to worship'.
6:6 For
my angel is with you; your lives will be in his care.
6:7 Plated with gold and silver,
their tongues polished smooth by a craftsman, they are counterfeit and have no
power to speak.
6:8 As though for a girl fond
of finery, these pagans take gold and make crowns for the heads of their gods.
6:9 Sometimes, the priests
actually filch gold and silver from their gods to spend themselves, even using
it on presents for the temple prostitutes.
6:10 They
dress up these gods of silver, gold and wood, in clothes, like human beings,
although they cannot protect themselves either from tarnish or woodworm,
6:11 in spite of the purple
cloaks they drape them in. Their faces even have to be dusted, owing to the
dust of the temple which settles thick on them.
6:12 One
holds a sceptre like the governor of a province, yet
is powerless to put anyone who offends him to death;
6:13 another holds sword and
axe in his right hand, yet is powerless to defend himself against war or
thieves.
6:14 From
this it is evident that they are not gods; do not be afraid of them.
6:15 Just
as a pot in common use becomes useless once it is broken, so are these gods
enshrined inside their temples.
6:16 Their
eyes are full of dust raised by the feet of those who enter.
6:17 Just
as the doors are locked on all sides on the man who has offended the king and
is under sentence of death, so the priests secure the temples of these gods
with gates and bolts and bars for fear of burglary.
6:18 They
light more lamps than for themselves, and the gods cannot see one of them.
6:19 They
are like one of the temple beams, gnawed away from within, so they say, by
termites which creep out of the ground and eat them, and their fine clothes
too. They are unaware
6:20 that their faces are
blackened by the smoke that rises from the temple.
6:21 Bats, swallows, birds of
every kind flutter over their bodies and heads, and cats prowl there.
6:22 From
all this you can see for yourselves that they are not gods: do not be afraid of
them.
6:23 The
gold with which they are plated is fine enough to look at, but if someone does
not rub off the tarnish, these gods will not do much shining on their own. They
felt nothing while they were being cast.
6:24 However much was paid for
them, there is still no breath of life in them.
6:25 Being unable to walk,
they have to be carried on men's shoulders, which shows how futile they are. It
is humiliating for their worshippers, too, who have to stand them up again if
they fall over.
6:26 Once they have been stood
up, they cannot move on their own; if they tilt askew, they cannot right
themselves; offerings made to them might as well be made to dead men.
6:27 Whatever is sacrificed to
them, the priests re-sell and pocket the profit; while their wives salt down
part of it, but give nothing to the poor or to the helpless. As to the
sacrifices themselves, why, women during their periods and women in childbed
are not afraid to touch them!
6:28 As
you can see from these examples that they are not gods, do not be afraid of
them.
6:29 Indeed, how can they even
be called gods, when women do the offering to these gods of silver, gold and
wood?
6:30 In
their temples, the priests stay sitting down, their garments torn, heads and
beard shaved and with heads uncovered;
6:31 they roar and shriek
before their gods as people do at funeral feasts.
6:32 The
priests take the robes of the gods to clothe their own wives and children.
6:33 Whether
these gods are treated badly or well, they are incapable of paying back either
treatment; as incapable too of making or unmaking kings,
6:34 equally incapable of
distributing wealth or money. If anyone fails to honour
a vow he has made to them, they cannot call him to account.
6:35 They
can neither save a man from death nor rescue the weak from the strong,
6:36 nor restore sight to the
blind, nor save someone in trouble,
6:37 nor take pity on a widow,
nor be generous to an orphan.
6:38 These
wooden gods plated with gold and silver are about as much use as rocks cut out
of the mountain side. Humiliation awaits their worshippers.
6:39 So
how can anyone think or say that they are gods?
6:40 The Chaldaeans
themselves do them no honour; if they find someone
who is dumb and cannot speak, they present him to Bel,
entreating him for the gift of speech, as if he could hear them!
6:41 And
they are incapable of drawing the conclusion and abandoning those gods - such
is their lack of commonsense.
6:42 Women with strings round
their waists sit in the streets, burning bran like incense;
6:43 when one of these has
been picked up by a passer-by and been to bed with him, she then twits her neighbour for not being singled out and for not having her
string broken.
6:44 Everything
going on anywhere near these gods is spurious. So how can anyone think or say
that they are gods?
6:45 Made by woodworkers and
goldsmiths, they are only what those workmen decide to make them.
6:46 The
makers have not long to live themselves, so how can the things they make be
gods?
6:47 Their
legacy to their descendants is nothing but illusion and disappointment.
6:48 If war or disasters
occur, the priests discuss where best to hide themselves and these gods;
6:49 how can anyone fail to realise that they are not gods, if they cannot save
themselves from war or from disasters?
6:50 And since in any case
they are only made of wood plated with gold or silver, it must be obvious from
all this that they are spurious; and plain to everyone, to nations as to kings,
that they are not gods but the work of human hands, and that there is no divine
activity in them.
6:51 Can
there be anyone still unconvinced that they are not gods?
6:52 They
can neither appoint a king over a country, nor give rain to mankind,
6:53 nor regulate their own
affairs, nor rescue anyone who suffers a wrong; they are as helpless as crows
between sky and ground.
6:54 If
fire falls on the temple of these wooden gods plated with gold or silver, their
priests fly to safety while they for their part stay there like beams, to be
burnt.
6:55 They
cannot put up any resistance to a king or to enemies.
6:56 So
how can anyone think or say that they are gods?
6:57 These
wooden gods plated with gold or silver cannot evade thieves or marauders;
violent men may rob them of their gold and silver and make off with the robes
they are dressed in; yet they are powerless to help even themselves.
6:58 Better to be a king
displaying his prowess, a household pot of use to its owner, than to be these
false gods; or merely the door of a house, protecting what is inside, than
these false gods; or a wooden pillar in a palace than these false gods.
6:59 The
sun, the moon and the stars, which shine and have been given work to do, are
obedient;
6:60 similarly, the lightning,
as it flashes, is a fine sight; in the same way, the wind blows across every
country,
6:61 the clouds execute the
order God gives them to pass over the whole earth, and the fire, sent from
above to consume mountain and forest, carries out its orders.
6:62 Now
these gods are not their equal, either in beauty or in power.
6:63 So,
no one can think or say that they are gods, powerless as they are to administer
justice or to do men any good.
6:64 Therefore,
knowing that they are not gods, do not be afraid of them.
6:65 They
can neither curse nor bless kings,
6:66 nor produce signs in heaven for
the nations, nor shine like the sun, nor shed light like the moon.
6:67 The
animals are better off than they are, being able to make for cover and look
after themselves.
6:68 There is not the
slightest shred of evidence that they are gods; do not be afraid of them!
6:69 Their
wooden gods plated with gold and silver are like a scarecrow in a melon patch -
protecting nothing.
6:70 Again, their wooden gods
plated with gold and silver are like a thornbush in a
garden - any bird may perch on it - or like a corpse thrown into the dark.
6:71 From
the purple and fine linen rotting on their backs you will recognise
that they are not gods; and in the end, eaten away themselves, they will be a
disgrace to the country.
6:72 Better, then, a virtuous
man who has no idols; disgrace will never come near him.
END OF JB
BARUCH [6 Chapters].