The Book of Baruch

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 2 -

A further confession of the sins of the people, and of the justice of God.

“ ‘For this reason, the Lord our God has fulfilled his word, which he has spoken to us, and to our judges, who have judged Israel, and to our kings, and to our leaders, and to all Israel and Judah.

And so the Lord has brought upon us great evils, such as never before happened under heaven, (but which have come to pass in Jerusalem according to what was written in the law of Moses)(a)

even that a man would eat the flesh of his son and the flesh of his daughter.

And so he placed them under the hand of all the kings who surround us, in disgrace and desolation among all the people where the Lord has scattered us.

And we were brought down low and were not raised up, because we sinned against the Lord our God, by not obeying his voice.

To the Lord our God is justice, but to us and to our fathers is confusion of face, just as on this day.

For the Lord has pronounced against us all these evils, which have overcome us.

And we have not beseeched the face of the Lord our God, so that we might return, each one of us from our most sinful ways.

And the Lord has watched over us for evil and has brought it upon us, because the Lord is just in all his works that he has commanded us,

and we have not listened to his own voice, so as to walk according to the teachings of the Lord, which he has set before our face.

And now, O Lord God of Israel, who has led your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand, and with signs, and with wonders, and with your great power, and with an exalted arm, and has made a name for yourself, just as on this day,

we have sinned, we have become impious, we have acted unjustly, O Lord our God, against all your principles.

May your wrath be turned away from us because, having been forsaken, we are few among the irreligious where you have scattered us.(b)

Heed, O Lord, our petitions and our prayers, and deliver us for your own sake, and grant that we may find favor before the face of those who have led us away,

so that all the earth may know that you are the Lord our God, and because your name has been invoked over Israel and over his posterity.

Gaze upon us, O Lord, from your holy home, and incline your ear, and heed us.

Open your eyes and see, because the dead, who are in the underworld, whose spirit has been taken away from their vital organs, will not give honor and justification to the Lord.(c)

(d)

But the soul that is sorrowful for the greatness of evil, approaches bowed down and weak, and the failing eyes and the hungering soul give glory and justice to you, the Lord.

For it is not according to the righteousness of our fathers that we pour out our petitions and beg mercy in your sight, O Lord our God,

but because you have sent your wrath and your fury upon us, just as you have spoken by the hand of your children the prophets, saying:(e)

“Thus says the Lord, ‘Bow down your shoulder and your neck, and do work for the king of Babylon, and settle in the land which I gave to your fathers,

because, if you will not listen to the voice of the Lord your God, to serve the king of Babylon, I will cause you to depart from the cities of Judah and from the gates of Jerusalem.

And I will take away from you the voice of cheerfulness and the voice of joy, and the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, and all the land will be without any trace of its inhabitants.’ ”

And they did not listen to your voice, that they should serve the king of Babylon, and so you have fulfilled your words, which you spoke by the hands of your children the prophets, so that the bones of our kings and the bones of our fathers would be carried away from their place.

And, behold, they have been cast out into the heat of the sun and the frost of the night, and they have died by means of grievous evils, by famine, and by the sword, and by banishment.

And you have set up the temple, in which your name itself was called upon, just as it is on this day, because of the iniquity of the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

And you have accomplished in us, O Lord our God, according to all your goodness and according to all your great mercy,

just as you spoke by the hand of your child Moses, in the day when you commanded him to write your law before the sons of Israel,(f)

saying: “If you will not listen to my voice, this great multitude will be changed into the least among the peoples, where I will scatter them.

For I know that the people will not listen to me, for the people are stiff necked. But they will have a change of their heart in the land of their captivity,

and they will know that I am the Lord their God. And I will give them a heart, and they will understand, ears, and they will hear.

And they will praise me in the land of their captivity, and will remember my name.(g)

And they will turn themselves away from their stiff back, and from their wicked deeds, for they will call to mind the way of their fathers, who sinned against me.

And I will restore them to the land which I pledged to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they will rule over it, and I will multiply them, and they will not be diminished.

And I will establish for them a new and everlasting covenant, so that I will be their God and they will be my people. And I will no longer move my people, the sons of Israel, out of the land which I have given them.”

Footnotes

(a)2:2 Again, the explanatory text may be a later addition, although this does not place it outside the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.(Conte)

(b)2:13 The word “gentes” can mean peoples or nations, or, in the context of the Jews in exile, it can mean Gentiles, i.e. those who do not believe in the Jewish faith. Translating it with a more general word, such as peoples or nations or irreligious brings out the meaning of the text for Christians of the present age.(Conte)

(c)2:17 The word inferno can mean hell, but here the more general translation, underworld, seems to fit the context better.(Conte)

(d)2:17 Justice, etc:They that are in hell shall not give justice to God; that is, they shall not acknowledge and glorify his justice as penitent sinners do upon earth.(Challoner)

(e)2:20 The word furorem now refers to God’s fury.(Conte)

(f)2:28 Notice that pueri, child, is used to refer to Moses, not filius, son. Yet in the same verse, filiis is used to refer to the sons of Israel, not pueris, children.(Conte)

(g)2:32 The Church will herself undergo a Babylonian captivity, once, lesser, in Europe, and later again, nearly worldwide, prior to the Return of Christ.(Conte)

A further confession of the sins of the people, and of the justice of God.

Therefore the Lord has made good his word which he pronounced against us, and against our judges who judged Israel, and against our kings, and against our princes, and against the men of Israel and Judah,

to bring upon us great plagues such as never happened before under the whole heaven,(a) as it came to pass in Jerusalem, according to the things that are written in the law of Moses,

that we should each eat the flesh of our own son, and each eat the flesh of our own daughter.

Moreover he has given them to be in subjection to all the kingdoms that are around us, to be a reproach and a desolation among all the people around us, where the Lord has scattered them.

Thus they were cast down and not exalted, because we sinned against the Lord our God in not listening to his voice.

To the Lord our God belongs righteousness, but to us and to our fathers confusion of face, as at this day.

All these plagues have come upon us which the Lord has pronounced against us.

Yet have we not entreated the favor of the Lord by everyone turning from the thoughts of his wicked heart.

Therefore the Lord has kept watch over the plagues. The Lord has brought them upon us, for the Lord is righteous in all his works which he has commanded us.

Yet we have not listened to his voice, to walk in the commandments of the Lord that he has set before us.

And now, O Lord, you God of Israel who have brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, with signs, with wonders, with great power, and with a high arm, and have gotten yourself a name, as at this day:

O Lord our God, we have sinned. We have been ungodly. We have done wrong in all your ordinances.

Let your wrath turn from us, for we are but a few left among the heathen where you have scattered us.

Hear our prayer, O Lord, and our petition, and deliver us for your own sake. Give us favor in the sight of those who have led us away captive,

that all the earth may know that you are the Lord our God, because Israel and his posterity is called by your name.

O Lord, look down from your holy house and consider us. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear.

Open your eyes, and see; for the dead that are in Hades, whose breath is taken from their bodies, will give to the Lord neither glory nor righteousness;

but the soul who is greatly vexed, who goes stooping and feeble, and the eyes that fail, and the hungry soul, will declare your glory and righteousness, O Lord.

For we do not present our supplication before you, O Lord our God, for the righteousness of our fathers and of our kings.

For you have sent your wrath and your indignation upon us, as you have spoken by your servants the prophets, saying,

“The Lord says, ‘Bow your shoulders to serve the king of Babylon, and remain in the land that I gave to your fathers.

But if you won’t hear the voice of the Lord to serve the king of Babylon,

I will cause to cease out of the cities of Judah and from the region near Jerusalem the voice of mirth, the voice of gladness, voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride. The whole land will be desolate without inhabitant.’”

But we wouldn’t listen to your voice, to serve the king of Babylon. Therefore you have made good your words that you spoke by your servants the prophets, that the bones of our kings and the bones of our fathers would be taken out of their places.

Behold, they are cast out to the heat by day and to the frost by night. They died in great miseries by famine, by sword, and by(b) pestilence.

You have made the house that is called by your name as it is today because of the wickedness of the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

Yet, O Lord our God, you have dealt with us after all your kindness and according to all your great mercy,

as you spoke by your servant Moses in the day when you commanded him to write your law in the presence of the children of Israel, saying,

“If you won’t hear my voice, surely this very great multitude will be turned into a small number among the nations where I will scatter them.

For I know that they will not hear me, because they are a stiff-necked people; but in the land of their captivity they will take it to heart,

and will know that I am the Lord their God. I will give them a heart and ears to hear.

Then they will praise me in the land of their captivity, and think about my name,

and will return from their stiff neck and from their wicked deeds; for they will remember the way of their fathers who sinned before the Lord.

I will bring them again into the land which I promised to their fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and they will rule over it. I will increase them, and they won’t be diminished.

And I will make an everlasting covenant with them to be their God, and they will be my people. I will no more remove my people Israel out of the land that I have given them.”

Footnotes

(a)2:2 Another reading is, even as he has done.

(b)2:25 See Jeremiah 32:36 .