1108 The Book of Baruch was among the last books of the Scriptures to be written. It was written during the last century before Christ, in one of the Jewish communities outside of Palestine. It includes several texts helpful to the dispersed Jews: – a “prayer of the exiles” which intensifi ed their longing for the Holy Land; – a beautiful poem about wisdom (3:9–4:4); – several texts inspired by the prophets of the exile; – a “letter from Jeremiah” which is a controversial text against idols (Bar 6). Because it included some paragraphs written in Jeremiah’s style, it was attributed to Baruch, the prophet’s secretary (see Jer 36). The prayer of exile day of the month of Sivan, the sacred ves- 1 These are the words of the book writ- sels which had been taken away from the 1 ten by Baruch, the son of Neriah, de - temple of the Lord. These were the silver scended from Massiah, from Sedekiah, vessels made by Zedekiah, son of Josiah, from Hasadiah, from Hilkiah. 2 They were king of Judah, 9 after Nebuchadnezzar, the written in the fi fth year, on the seventh day king of Babylon, had carried off Jeconiah, of the month, at the time when the Chal- the artisans, the nobles and the people of deans had taken Jerusalem and burned it. the land and had taken them captive to 3 2K Baruch read the words of this book to Babylon. 23:2; 10 24:8-17 Jeconiah, the son of Joachim, the king of The letter said: Look, we are send- Jer Judah, in the presence of all the people ing you money; buy with it victims for the 17:26 who had come together to hear it read. holocaust and for sin offerings and incense; 4 He read it in the hearing of the nobles and prepare oblations and offer them on the the king’s sons, of the elders and all the Altar of the Lord our God. 11 Pray for the people, from the smallest to the greatest— life of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, that is, all those who were living in Baby- and of Balthasar, his son, so that they may lon near the river Sudi. be successful in all that they do. 12 Thus 5 Then the people wept and fasted and the Lord will give strength and light to our prayed before the Lord. 6 They also col- eyes. We will live under the protection of lected money according to what each one Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and of could afford 7 and this, they sent to Jerusa- his son, Balthasar. We shall have a long lem, to the priest Jehoiakim, son of Hilki- life serving them and we shall fi nd favor ah, the son of Shallum, and to the other before them. priests and people who dwelt in Jerusalem 13 Pray to the Lord our God for us also, with him. 8 This same Baruch had under- for we have sinned against the Lord our taken to carry back to Judea, on the tenth God; even to this day the anger of the Lord 1109 BARUCH 2 and his fury have not been turned away cestors right down to this day. 7 All those from us. 14 Finally, read this book which we evils which the Lord prophesied concern- are sending to you, so that you can read it ing us have fallen upon us. 8 And we have publicly in the house of the Lord on the day not begged the Lord to make each of us of the Feast and on other suitable days. turn away from the thoughts of our evil 15 9 2:6; You will say: May everyone recog- hearts. Then the Lord kept watch over the Dn 9:7-8; Ezr 9:7 nize the justice of our God but, on this evils and allowed them to come upon us, day, shame and confusion befi t the men for the Lord is just in all that he has com- of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusa- manded us to do. 10 We have not listened lem—16 our kings and princes, our priests, to his voice nor followed the commands our prophets, and our fathers, 17 because which the Lord has ordered us to keep. 18 11 we have sinned before the Lord. We have And now, Lord God of Israel, you who Dn 9:15 disobeyed him and have not listened to brought your people out of Egypt with a the voice of the Lord our God, nor have strong hand, with miracles and wonders we followed the commandments which the and great power, you who stretched out Lord had put before us. 19 From the day your arm and made for yourself a name that the Lord brought our ancestors out of such as you have today, 12 we have sinned. the land of Egypt until this day, we have We have been godless and unjust, Lord, disobeyed the Lord our God and we have careless about all your commands. 13 May rebelled against him instead of listening to your fury be turned away from us, for there his voice. are very few of us left among the nations in 20 Lev 26: Because of this, from the day on which you have scattered us. 14-39 which the Lord brought our ancestors out 14 Hear our supplication and our prayer, of the land of Egypt, so as to give them a O Lord, deliver us, for your own honor and land fl owing with milk and honey, the evils let us fi nd favor with those who deported and the curse which the Lord pronounced us. 15 Let all the earth know that you are by Moses, his servant, have dogged our the Lord our God, because Israel and its footsteps right down to the present day. people bear your name. 16 Lord, look down 21 We did not listen to the voice of the Lord from your holy dwelling place and think of 17 our God speaking through the words of the us; Lord, incline your ear and listen; Lord, T-J-B prophets whom he sent to us, 22 but each open your eyes and consider: it is not the one of us followed his perverted heart, dead, lying in the netherworld, who will serving false gods and doing what dis- praise your glory and justice, 18 since their pleases the Lord our God. spirit has been taken from their breast. Grieving under his burden, and walk- 1 That is why the Lord our God has car- ing bowed down and exhausted, the man 2 ried out the word which he spoke with eyes sore from weeping and who is against us, against the judges who have hungry—these are they, who can give you gov erned Israel, against our kings, our glory and justice, O Lord. 19 princes and the people of Israel and Ju - For it is not on account of the mer- Dn 9:18; dah. its of our ancestors and of our kings that Tit 3:5 2 No one under the sky has ever seen we pour out our cry for pity before you, the like of what happened in Jerusalem, O Lord our God. 20 You have sent down according to what is written in the Book of on us your fury and your anger as you Moses. 3 For people among us came to eat announced through your servants, the 4 21 Tb 3:4 their son’s and daughter’s fl esh. And he prophets, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Jer handed them over into the power of all the Bend your shoulders and serve the king 27:11 surrounding kingdoms, so that they were of Babylon and you will dwell in the land cursed and humiliated among the neigh- that I gave to your ancestors. 22 But if you boring peoples among whom the Lord had do not listen to the voice of the Lord your 5 23 Dt 28:13 scattered them. Submission and not com- God and serve the king of Babylon, I will Jer 7:34 mand has been our lot, because we have bring to an end in the towns of Judah and sinned against the Lord our God and have in Jerusalem the song of joy and gladness, not listened to his voice. the song of the bridegroom and the bride, 6 1:15 Just is the Lord our God, whereas and the whole country will become a desert 24 shame and confusion befi t us and our an - without inhabitants. We did not listen to Jer 8:1 BARUCH 2 1110 your invitation to serve the king of Babylon powerful God of Israel, listen, then, to the and so you carried out what you had fore- prayers of the dead of Israel. We are the told by your servants, the prophets, that sons of those who sinned against you, who the bones of our kings and our ancestors did not listen to the voice of their God; and would be taken from their graves. 25 See, this is why disgrace has come upon us. they have been exposed to the heat of the 5 Do not remember any longer the wrong- day and the cold of the night; they died in doing of our fathers, but remember at this cruel sufferings, by famine, by the sword time your power and your name; 6 for you and by plagues. 26 And you have reduced are the Lord, our God and we will praise the nation which bears your name to the you, Lord.