1* She is the book of the precepts of God, the law that endures forever; All who cling to her will live, but those will die who forsake her.a 2Turn, O Jacob, and receive her: walk by her light toward splendor.b 3Do not give your glory to another, your privileges to an alien nation. 4Blessed are we, O Israel; for what pleases God is known to us!c III. Baruch’s Poem of Consolation*A. Baruch Addresses Diaspora5Take courage, my people! Remember, O Israel, 6You were sold to the nations not for destruction; It was because you angered God that you were handed over to your foes.d 7For you provoked your Makere with sacrifices to demons and not to God; 8You forgot the eternal God who nourished you, and you grieved Jerusalem who nurtured you. 9She indeed saw coming upon you the wrath of God; and she said: B. Jerusalem Addresses Neighbors“Hear, you neighbors of Zion! God has brought great mourning upon me, 10For I have seen the captivity that the Eternal One has brought upon my sons and daughters. 11With joy I nurtured them; but with mourning and lament I sent them away. 12Let no one gloat over me, a widow, bereft of many; For the sins of my children I am left desolate, because they turned from the law of God,f 13and did not acknowledge his statutes; In the ways of God’s commandments they did not walk, nor did they tread the disciplined paths of his justice. 14“Let Zion’s neighbors come— Remember the captivity of my sons and daughters, brought upon them by the Eternal One. 15He has brought against them a nation from afar, a nation ruthless and of alien speech, That has neither reverence for old age nor pity for the child;g 16They have led away this widow’s beloved sons, have left me solitary, without daughters. C. Jerusalem Addresses Diaspora17What can I do to help you? 18The one who has brought this evil upon you must himself deliver you from your enemies’ hands.h 19Farewell, my children, farewell; I am left desolate. 20I have taken off the garment of peace, have put on sackcloth for my prayer of supplication; while I live I will cry out to the Eternal One.i 21“Take courage, my children; call upon God; he will deliver you from oppression, from enemy hands.j 22I have put my hope for your deliverance in the Eternal One, and joy has come to me from the Holy One Because of the mercy that will swiftly reach you from your eternal Savior. 23With mourning and lament I sent you away, but God will give you back to me with gladness and joy forever.k 24As Zion’s neighbors lately saw you taken captive, so shall they soon see God’s salvation come to you, with great glory and the splendor of the Eternal One.l 25“My children, bear patiently the wrathm that has come upon you from God; Your enemies have persecuted you, but you will soon see their destruction and trample upon their necks.* 26My pampered children have trodden rough roads, carried off by their enemies like sheep in a raid.n 27Take courage, my children; call out to God! The one who brought this upon you will remember you.o 28As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God, so turn now ten times the more to seek him; 29For the one who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring you eternal joy.”p D. Baruch Addresses Jerusalem30Take courage, Jerusalem! The one who gave you your name will console you.q 31Wretched shall be those who harmed you, who rejoiced at your downfall; 32Wretched shall be the cities where your children were enslaved, wretched the city that received your children.r 33As that city rejoiced at your collapse,s and made merry at your downfall, so shall she grieve over her own desolation. 34I will take from her the rejoicing crowds, and her exultation shall be turned to mourning: 35For fire shall come upon hert from the Eternal One, for many a day, to be inhabited by demons for a long time.* 36Look to the east, Jerusalem; see the joy that comes to you from God!u 37Here come your children whom you sent away, gathered in from east to west By the word of the Holy One, rejoicing in the glory of God. Book IntroductionFootnotesScripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Bible Hub |