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Baruch 1

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1 καὶ οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι τοῦ βιβλίου οὓς ἔγραψεν Βαρουχ υἱὸς Νηριου υἱοῦ Μαασαιου υἱοῦ Σεδεκιου υἱοῦ Ασαδιου υἱοῦ Χελκιου ἐν Βαβυλῶνι 2 ἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ πέμπτῳ ἐν ἑβδόμῃ τοῦ μηνὸς ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ᾧ ἔλαβον οἱ Χαλδαῖοι τὴν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἐνέπρησαν αὐτὴν ἐν πυρί 3 καὶ ἀνέγνω Βαρουχ τοὺς λόγους τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου ἐν ὠσὶν Ιεχονιου υἱοῦ Ιωακιμ βασιλέως Ιουδα καὶ ἐν ὠσὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν ἐρχομένων πρὸς τὴν βίβλον 4 καὶ ἐν ὠσὶν τῶν δυνατῶν καὶ υἱῶν τῶν βασιλέων καὶ ἐν ὠσὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ ἐν ὠσὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου πάντων τῶν κατοικούντων ἐν Βαβυλῶνι ἐπὶ ποταμοῦ Σουδ

1 The words which follow were committed to writing in the country of Babylon. The writer of them, Baruch, was descended from Helcias, through Nerias, Maasias, Sedecias and Sedei, 2 and wrote in the fifth year, … on the seventh day of the month, at the time when the Chaldaeans took Jerusalem and burnt it to the ground.[1] 3 Baruch read this book of his aloud to Jechonias, son of Joakim, king of Juda. All the people, too, flocked to hear the reading of it, 4 nobles and royal princes, and elders, and common folk high and low; all that were then living in the country of Babylon, near the river Sodi.

1 Et hæc verba libri quæ scripsit Baruch filius Neriæ, filii Maasiæ, filii Sedeciæ, filii Sedei, filii Helciæ, in Babylonia, 2 in anno quinto, in septimo die mensis, in tempore quo ceperunt Chaldæi Jerusalem, et succenderunt eam igni. 3 Et legit Baruch verba libri hujus ad aures Jechoniæ filii Joakim regis Juda, et ad aures universi populi venientis ad librum, 4 et ad aures potentium, filiorum regum, et ad aures presbyterorum, et ad aures populi, a minimo usque ad maximum eorum, omnium habitantium in Babylonia, ad flumen Sodi.

5 καὶ ἔκλαιον καὶ ἐνήστευον καὶ ηὔχοντο ἐναντίον κυρίου 6 καὶ συνήγαγον ἀργύριον καθὰ ἑκάστου ἠδύνατο ἡ χείρ 7 καὶ ἀπέστειλαν εἰς Ιερουσαλημ πρὸς Ιωακιμ υἱὸν Χελκιου υἱοῦ Σαλωμ τὸν ἱερέα καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ πρὸς πάντα τὸν λαὸν τοὺς εὑρεθέντας με{T'} αὐτοῦ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ 8 ἐν τῷ λαβεῖν αὐτὸν τὰ σκεύη οἴκου κυρίου τὰ ἐξενεχθέντα ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ ἀποστρέψαι εἰς γῆν Ιουδα τῇ δεκάτῃ τοῦ Σιουαν σκεύη ἀργυρᾶ ἃ ἐποίησεν Σεδεκιας υἱὸς Ιωσια βασιλεὺς Ιουδα 9 μετὰ τὸ ἀποικίσαι Ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλέα Βαβυλῶνος τὸν Ιεχονιαν καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς δεσμώτας καὶ τοὺς δυνατοὺς καὶ τὸν λαὸν τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα

5 And as they heard it, all was weeping and fasting and prayer offered in the Lord’s presence; 6 they made a collection of money besides, each according to his means, 7 which they sent to the chief priest, Joachim, son of Helcias, son of Salom, and his fellow priests and fellow citizens at Jerusalem. 8 … when he[2] travelled to Juda on the tenth day of Sivan, taking with him the sanctuary ornaments which had been removed from the temple, and were now to be restored. They were of silver; Sedecias, the son of Josias, that now reigned in Juda, had had them made, 9 when Jechonias, with the princes and all the nobles and many other citizens of Jerusalem, was carried off by Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, to his own country.

5 Qui audientes plorabant, et jejunabant, et orabant in conspectu Domini. 6 Et collegerunt pecuniam, secundum quod potuit uniuscujusque manus, 7 et miserunt in Jerusalem ad Joakim filium Helciæ filii Salom sacerdotem, et ad sacerdotes, et ad omnem populum qui inventi sunt cum eo in Jerusalem: 8 cum acciperet vasa templi Domini, quæ ablata fuerant de templo, revocare in terram Juda, decima die mensis Sivan, vasa argentea quæ fecit Sedecias filius Josiæ rex Juda, 9 posteaquam cepisset Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis Jechoniam, et principes, et cunctos potentes, et populum terræ, ab Jerusalem, et duxit eos vinctos in Babylonem.

10 καὶ εἶπαν ἰδοὺ ἀπεστείλαμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀργύριον καὶ ἀγοράσατε τοῦ ἀργυρίου ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ λίβανον καὶ ποιήσατε μαννα καὶ ἀνοίσατε ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον κυρίου θεοῦ ἡμῶν 11 καὶ προσεύξασθε περὶ τῆς ζωῆς Ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος καὶ εἰς ζωὴν Βαλτασαρ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ ἵνα ὦσιν αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτῶν ὡς αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς 12 καὶ δώσει κύριος ἰσχὺν ἡμῖν καὶ φωτίσει τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἡμῶν καὶ ζησόμεθα ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν Ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν Βαλτασαρ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ δουλεύσομεν αὐτοῖς ἡμέρας πολλὰς καὶ εὑρήσομεν χάριν ἐναντίον αὐτῶν 13 καὶ προσεύξασθε περὶ ἡμῶν πρὸς κύριον τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν ὅτι ἡμάρτομεν τῷ κυρίῳ θεῷ ἡμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστρεψεν ὁ θυμὸς κυρίου καὶ ἡ ὀργὴ αὐτοῦ ἀ{F'} ἡμῶν ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης 14 καὶ ἀναγνώσεσθε τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο ὃ ἀπεστείλαμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐξαγορεῦσαι ἐν οἴκῳ κυρίου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἑορτῆς καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις καιροῦ 15 καὶ ἐρεῖτε τῷ κυρίῳ θεῷ ἡμῶν ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡμῖν δὲ αἰσχύνη τῶν προσώπων ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη ἀνθρώπῳ Ιουδα καὶ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ιερουσαλημ 16 καὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἡμῶν καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἡμῶν καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἡμῶν καὶ τοῖς προφήταις ἡμῶν καὶ τοῖς πατράσιν ἡμῶν 17 ὧν ἡμάρτομεν ἔναντι κυρίου 18 καὶ ἠπειθήσαμεν αὐτῷ καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν τῆς φωνῆς κυρίου θεοῦ ἡμῶν πορεύεσθαι τοῖς προστάγμασιν κυρίου οἷς ἔδωκεν κατὰ πρόσωπον ἡμῶν 19 ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς ἐξήγαγεν κύριος τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης ἤμεθα ἀπειθοῦντες πρὸς κύριον θεὸν ἡμῶν καὶ ἐσχεδιάζομεν πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀκούειν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ 20 καὶ ἐκολλήθη εἰς ἡμᾶς τὰ κακὰ καὶ ἡ ἀρά ἣν συνέταξεν κύριος τῷ Μωυσῇ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἐξήγαγεν τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου δοῦναι ἡμῖν γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη 21 καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν τῆς φωνῆς κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν κατὰ πάντας τοὺς λόγους τῶν προφητῶν ὧν ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς ἡμᾶς 22 καὶ ᾠχόμεθα ἕκαστος ἐν διανοίᾳ καρδίας αὐτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς ἐργάζεσθαι θεοῖς ἑτέροις ποιῆσαι τὰ κακὰ κα{T'} ὀφθαλμοὺς κυρίου θεοῦ ἡμῶν

10 Here is money, they said, with which you are to buy victims for burnt-sacrifice, and incense; bloodless offerings[3] too you must make, and amends for fault committed, at the altar of the Lord our God. 11 You shall pray long life for king Nabuchodonosor of Babylon, and his son Baltassar, that their reign on earth may last as long as heaven itself. 12 May the Lord grant courage to all of us, and send us a gleam of hope; long thrive we under the protection of king Nabuchodonosor and his son Baltassar, persevering loyally in their service and winning their favour! 13 And intercede with the Lord our God for us exiles; against his divine will we have rebelled, and to this hour he has not relented. 14 Scan closely, too, this book we are sending to you; it is to be read aloud on feast-days and in times of solemn assembly. 15 You shall make your prayer in these words following.

The fault was never with him, the Lord our God; ours the blush of shame, as all Juda this day and all the citizens of Jerusalem can witness. 16 With king and prince of ours, priest and prophet of ours the fault lies, and with our fathers before us. 17 We have defied the will of the Lord our God; trust and loyalty we had none to give him, 18 nor ever shewed him submission, by listening to his divine voice and following the commands he gave us. 19 Ever since the day when he rescued our fathers from Egypt we have been in rebellion against the Lord our God, straying ever further from the sound of his voice; 20 till at last, as these times can witness, bale and ban have caught us by the heels, the very same he pronounced to his servant Moses long ago, when he had rescued our fathers from Egypt and was leading them on to a land all milk and honey. 21 Unheeded, that divine voice, when message after message came to us through his prophets; 22 each must follow the whim of his own false heart, doing sacrifice to alien gods, and setting the will of the Lord, our own God, at defiance.

10 Et dixerunt: Ecce misimus ad vos pecunias, de quibus emite holocautomata et thus: et facite manna, et offerte pro peccato, ad aram Domini Dei nostri: 11 et orate pro vita Nabuchodonosor regis Babylonis, et pro vita Baltassar filii ejus, ut sint dies eorum sicut dies cæli super terram: 12 et ut det Dominus virtutem nobis, et illuminet oculos nostros, ut vivamus sub umbra Nabuchodonosor regis Babylonis, et sub umbra Baltassar filii ejus, et serviamus eis multis diebus, et inveniamus gratiam in conspectu eorum. 13 Et pro nobis ipsis orate ad Dominum Deum nostrum, quia peccavimus Domino Deo nostro, et non est aversus furor ejus a nobis usque in hunc diem. 14 Et legite librum istum quem misimus ad vos recitari in templo Domini, in die solemni et in die opportuno: 15 et dicetis:

Domino Deo nostro justitia,
nobis autem confusio faciei nostræ,
sicut est dies hæc omni Juda,
et habitantibus in Jerusalem: 16
regibus nostris, et principibus nostris,
et sacerdotibus nostris, et prophetis nostris,
et patribus nostris. 17
Peccavimus ante Dominum Deum nostrum,
et non credidimus, diffidentes in eum: 18
et non fuimus subjectibiles illi,
et non audivimus vocem Domini Dei nostri,
ut ambularemus in mandatis ejus, quæ dedit nobis. 19
A die qua eduxit patres nostros de terra Ægypti,
usque ad diem hanc,
eramus incredibiles ad Dominum Deum nostrum:
et dissipati recessimus, ne audiremus vocem ipsius: 20
et adhæserunt nobis multa mala et maledictiones
quæ constituit Dominus Moysi servo suo,
qui eduxit patres nostros de terra Ægypti,
dare nobis terram fluentem lac et mel, sicut hodierna die. 21
Et non audivimus vocem Domini Dei nostri,
secundum omnia verba prophetarum quos misit ad nos: 22
et abivimus unusquisque in sensum cordis nostri maligni,
operari diis alienis,
facientes mala ante oculos Domini Dei nostri.

[1] It seems almost certain that the text is defective here; to mention the day of the month and not mention which month it was, would be most unusual. But probably the omission was a more considerable one. It is difficult to see how the events referred to in verses 6-8 could have happened in or near the year 587, when Jerusalem was burnt; it had been closely besieged for two years already. It looks as if these prophecies of Baruch had been dated over a period of years, like those of his master Jeremias (Jer. 1.2, 3), and only the earlier part of them had been sent to Jerusalem at the time indicated. The text will have run: ‘in the fifth year of Sedecias’ reign, right up to the eleventh year of it, the fifth month and the seventh day of the month, when the Chaldaeans took Jerusalem’. Some think, however, that the words ‘at the time when’ indicate an anniversary, as in Deut. 16.6.

[2] ‘He’ can hardly be Joakim; and the last mention of Baruch is too far away to justify a reference by pronoun. Another short deficiency in the text seems probable; the money was sent to Jerusalem ‘by the hand of’ some person named, Baruch or another. It is commonly assumed that Sedecias had made silver ornaments at Jerusalem, to replace the old ones which had been carried off; that these silver ones were carried off in their turn (on some unspecified occasion), and were then restored to Juda (for some unspecified reason). All this seems unduly elaborate. The gold ornaments were removed with Jechonias (IV Kg. 24.13), and at the same time all metal-workers were exiled (ib. 16). Sedecias, who was still in favour, had to get models made not in Jerusalem but in Babylon; and with these silver models the prophecy of Baruch, or rather such parts of it as had already been committed to writing, could conveniently be despatched.

[3] Literally, ‘manna’, but it is clear that the Septuagint Greek has confused two separate Hebrew words, and the Latin version has come to us through the Greek.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd