The Book of Baruch

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 4 -

The prophet exhorts to the keeping of the law of wisdom, and encourages the people to be patient, and to hope for their deliverance.

“ ‘This is the book of the commandments of God and of the law, which exists in eternity. All those who keep it will attain to life, but those who have forsaken it, to death.

Convert, O Jacob, and embrace it, walk in the way of its splendor, facing its light.

Do not surrender your glory to another, nor your value to a foreign people.

We have been happy, O Israel, because the things that are pleasing to God have been made clear to us.

Be ever more peaceful in soul, O people of God, the memorial of Israel.(a)

You have been sold to the nations, not into destruction, but because of this, in resentment, you provoked God to wrath, and so you have been delivered to adversity.(b)

For you have exasperated him who made you, the eternal God, by sacrificing to evil spirits, and not to God.

For you have forgotten God, who nurtured you, and you have saddened Jerusalem, your nurse.

For she saw the wrath of God approaching you, and she said, “Listen, region of Zion, for God has brought upon me great sorrow.

For I have seen the captivity of my people, my sons and daughters, which the Eternal has led over them.(c)

For I nurtured them with joy, but I sent them away with weeping and sorrow.

Let no one rejoice over me, a widow and a desolation, for I am forsaken by many because of the sins of my sons, because they strayed from the law of God.(d)

And they have not known his righteousness, nor walked in the ways of the commandments of God, nor have they advanced with justice along the paths of his truth.

Let the region of Zion approach, and remember the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Eternal led over them.

For he has brought a far away people upon them, a guilty people, and of another language,

who have not reverenced the aged, nor had mercy on the children, and who have led away the beloved of the widow, leaving me deserted and alone, without sons.

But as for me, how am I able to help you?

For he who has brought these evils upon you, will rescue you from the hands of your enemies.

Walk on, sons, walk on, for I have been abandoned and I am alone.

I have taken off the garment of peace and have put on the sackcloth of supplication, and I will cry out to the most High in my days.

Be ever more peaceful, sons. Cry out to the Lord, and he will rescue you from the hand of the hostile leaders.

For I have placed my hope in your eternal salvation, and joy approaches me from the Holy One, over the mercy which will come to you by our eternal salvation.

For I sent you forth with sorrow and weeping, but the Lord will restore you to me with joy and gladness for eternity.

For just as the neighbors of Zion have seen your captivity from God, so also will they soon see your salvation from God, which will overcome you with great honor and eternal splendor.

Sons, endure patiently the wrath that has come upon you, for your enemy has persecuted you, but you will quickly see his destruction and you will climb over his neck.(e)

My delicate ones have walked rough ways, for they were regarded as a flock torn apart by enemies.

Be ever more peaceful in soul, sons, and call out to the Lord, for you will be remembered by him who led you away.

For as much as you thought to go astray from God, ten times as much again he will require of you when converting.

For he who led you into evil, he himself will again lead you to eternal happiness with your salvation.”

Be ever more peaceful in soul, Jerusalem, for he who has named you, has been affected by you.

The criminals who have troubled you, will perish, and those who rejoiced in your ruin, will be punished.

The cities that your sons have served, will be punished, and also, she who received your sons.(f)

(g)

For just as she was glad at your ruin, and she rejoiced in your fall, so also will she be grieved in her own desolation,

and the exaltation of her multitude will be cut off, and her gladness will be turned to sorrow.

For fire will overcome her from the Eternal for many days, and she will be inhabited by evil spirits for a long time.

Look around, Jerusalem, towards the east, and see the happiness that comes to you from God.

For behold, your sons approach, whom you sent away scattered. They approach, gathering together, from the east all the way to the west, at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing in the honor of God.

Footnotes

(a)4:5 Animaequior contains the word animae, referring to the soul, so the translation naturally also refers to the soul. Thus the translation, somewhat loosely, is rendered as “ever more peaceful in soul.”(Conte)

(b)4:6 Notice that both ira and iracundiam are found in close proximity. This is not a double reference to God’s wrath. Only one refers to God’s wrath, the other refers to the anger/resentment of the Israelites at being sold to the nations. Because of this resentment, they were given additional adversity, after being sold to the nations.(Conte)

(c)4:10 Clearly, filii should be translated as sons, not children, because, when both sons and daughters are intended, both filiorum and filiarum are used. And when the word children is intended, pueris is used.(Conte)

(d)4:12 The word desolatam is a verb, but it is here translated as a noun, desolation, making a better fit with the English language.(Conte)

(e)4:25 The phrase “climb over his neck” is an idiomatic expression, but the literal translation is still comprehensible.(Conte)

(f)4:32 The “she who received your sons” is the particular city of Babylon.(Conte)

(g)4:32 She that received, etc:viz., Babylon.(Challoner)

The prophet exhorts to the keeping of the law of wisdom, and encourages the people to be patient, and to hope for their deliverance.

This is the book of God’s commandments and the law that endures forever. All those who hold it fast will live, but those who leave it will die.

Turn, O Jacob, and take hold of it. Walk toward the shining of its light.

Don’t give your glory to another, nor the things that are to your advantage to a foreign nation.

O Israel, we are happy; for the things that are pleasing to God are made known to us.

Be of good cheer, my people, the memorial of Israel.

You were not sold to the nations for destruction, but because you moved God to wrath, you were delivered to your adversaries.

For you provoked him who made you by sacrificing to demons and not to God.

You forgot the everlasting God who brought you up. You also grieved Jerusalem, who nursed you.

For she saw the wrath that came upon you from God, and said, “Listen, you who dwell near Zion; for God has brought upon me great mourning.

For I have seen the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Everlasting has brought upon them.

For with joy I nourished them, but sent them away with weeping and mourning.

Let no man rejoice over me, a widow and forsaken by many. For the sins of my children, I am left desolate, because they turned away from the law of God

and had no regard for his statutes. They didn’t walk in the ways of God’s commandments or tread in the paths of discipline in his righteousness.

Let those who dwell near Zion come and remember the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Everlasting has brought upon them.

For he has brought a nation upon them from afar, a shameless nation with a strange language, who didn’t respect old men or pity children.

They have carried away the dear beloved sons of the widow, and left her who was alone desolate of her daughters.”

But I—how can I help you?

For he who brought these calamities upon you will deliver you from the hand of your enemies.

Go your way, O my children. Go your way, for I am left desolate.

I have put off the garment of peace, and put on the sackcloth of my petition. I will cry to the Everlasting as long as I live.

Take courage, my children. Cry to God, and he will deliver you from the power and hand of the enemies.

For I have trusted in the Everlasting, that he will save you; and joy has come to me from the Holy One, because of the mercy that will soon come to you from your Everlasting Savior.

For I sent you out with mourning and weeping, but God will give you to me again with joy and gladness forever.

For as now those who dwell near Zion have seen your captivity, so they will shortly see your salvation from our God which will come upon you with great glory and brightness of the Everlasting.

My children, suffer patiently the wrath that has come upon you from God, for your enemy has persecuted you; but shortly you will see his destruction and will tread upon their necks.

My delicate ones have traveled rough roads. They were taken away like a flock carried off by enemies.

Take courage, my children, and cry to God; for you will be remembered by him who has brought this upon you.

For as it was your decision to go astray from God, return and seek him ten times more.

For he who brought these calamities upon you will bring you everlasting joy again with your salvation.

Take courage, O Jerusalem, for he who called you by name will comfort you.

Miserable are those who afflicted you and rejoiced at your fall.

Miserable are the cities which your children served. Miserable is she who received your sons.

For as she rejoiced at your fall and was glad of your ruin, so she will be grieved at her own desolation.

And I will take away her pride in her great multitude and her boasting will be turned into mourning.

For fire will come upon her from the Everlasting for many days; and she will be inhabited by demons for a long time.

O Jerusalem, look around you toward the east, and behold the joy that comes to you from God.

Behold, your sons come, whom you sent away. They come gathered together from the east to the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing in the glory of God.