Baruch 3

1And now, O Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, the soul in anguish, and the troubled spirit crieth to thee:

2Hear, O Lord, and have mercy, for thou art a merciful God, and have pity on us: for we have sinned before thee.

3For thou remainest for ever, and shall we perish everlastingly?

4O Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel, and of their children, that have sinned before thee, and have not hearkened to the voice of the Lord their God, wherefore evils have cleaved fast to us.

5Remember not the iniquities of our fathers, but think upon thy hand, and upon thy name at this time:

6For thou art the Lord our God, and we will praise thee, O Lord:

7Because for this end thou hast put thy fear in our hearts, to the intent that we should call upon thy name, and praise thee in our captivity, for we are converted from the iniquity of our fathers, who sinned before thee.

8And behold we are at this day in our captivity, whereby thou hast scattered us to be a reproach, and a curse, and an offence, according to all the iniquities of our fathers, who departed from thee, O Lord our God.

9Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life: give ear, that thou mayst learn wisdom.

10How happeneth it, O Israel, that thou art in thy enemies’ land?

11Thou art grown old in a strange country, thou art defiled with the dead: thou art counted with them that go down into hell.

12Thou hast forsaken the fountain of wisdom:

13For if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou hadst surely dwelt in peace for ever.

14Learn where is wisdom, where is strength, where is understanding: that thou mayst know also where is length of days and life, where is the light of the eyes, and peace.

15Who hath found out her place? and who hath gone in to her treasures?

16Where are the princes of the nations, and they that rule over the beasts that are upon the earth?

17That take their diversion with the birds of the air.

18That hoard up silver and gold, wherein men trust, and there is no end of their getting? who work in silver and are solicitous, and their works are unsearchable.

19They are cut off, and are gone down to hell, and others are risen up in their place.

20Young men have seen the light, and dwelt upon the earth: but the way of knowledge they have not known,

21Nor have they understood the paths thereof, neither have their children received it, it is far from their face.

22It hath not been heard of in the land of Chanaan, neither hath it been seen in Theman.

23The children of Agar also, that search after the wisdom that is of the earth, the merchants of Merrha, and of Theman, and the tellers of fables, and searchers of prudence and understanding: but the way of wisdom they have not known, neither have they remembered her paths.

24O Israel, how great is the house of God, and how vast is the place of his possession!

25It is great, and hath no end: it is high and immense.

26There were the giants, those renowned men that were from the beginning, of great stature, expert in war.

27The Lord chose not them, neither did they find the way of knowledge: therefore did they perish.

28And because they had not wisdom, they perished through their folly.

29Who hath gone up into heaven, and taken her, and brought her down from the clouds?

30Who hath passed over the sea, and found her, and brought her preferably to chosen gold?

31There is none that is able to know her ways, nor that can search out her paths:

32But he that knoweth all things, knoweth her, and hath found her out with his understanding: he that prepared the earth for evermore, and filled it with cattle and fourfooted beasts:

33He that sendeth forth light, and it goeth: and hath called it, and it obeyeth him with trembling.

34And the stars have given light in their watches, and rejoiced:

35They were called, and they said: Here we are: and with cheerfu Iness they have shined forth to him that made them.

36This is our God, and there shall no other be accounted of in comparison of him.

37He found out all the way of knowledge, and gave it to Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved.

38Afterwards he was seen upon earth, and conversed with men.

1[Et nunc, Domine omnipotens, Deus Israël, anima in angustiis, et spiritus anxius clamat ad te.

2Audi, Domine, et miserere, quia Deus es misericors: et miserere nostri, quia peccavimus ante te:

3quia tu sedes in sempiternum, et nos, peribimus in ævum?

4Domine omnipotens, Deus Israël, audi nunc orationem mortuorum Israël, et filiorum ipsorum qui peccaverunt ante te, et non audierunt vocem Domini Dei sui, et agglutinata sunt nobis mala.

5Noli meminisse iniquitatum patrum nostrorum, sed memento manus tuæ et nominis tui in tempore isto:

6quia tu es Dominus Deus noster, et laudabimus te, Domine:

7quia propter hoc dedisti timorem tuum in cordibus nostris, et ut invocemus nomen tuum, et laudemus te in captivitate nostra, quia convertimur ab iniquitate patrum nostrorum, qui peccaverunt ante te.

8Et ecce nos in captivitate nostra sumus hodie, qua nos dispersisti in improperium, et in maledictum, et in peccatum, secundum omnes iniquitates patrum nostrorum, qui recesserunt a te, Domine Deus noster.]

9[Audi, Israël, mandata vitæ: auribus percipe, ut scias prudentiam.

10Quid est, Israël, quod in terra inimicorum es,

11inveterasti in terra aliena, coinquinatus es cum mortuis, deputatus es cum descendentibus in infernum?

12Dereliquisti fontem sapientiæ:

13nam si in via Dei ambulasses, habitasses utique in pace sempiterna.

14Disce ubi sit prudentia, ubi sit virtus, ubi sit intellectus, ut scias simul ubi sit longiturnitas vitæ et victus, ubi sit lumen oculorum, et pax.

15Quis invenit locum ejus? et quis intravit in thesauros ejus?

16Ubi sunt principes gentium, et qui dominantur super bestias quæ sunt super terram?

17qui in avibus cæli ludunt,

18qui argentum thesaurizant, et aurum, in quo confidunt homines, et non est finis acquisitionis eorum? qui argentum fabricant, et solliciti sunt, nec est inventio operum illorum?

19Exterminati sunt, et ad inferos descenderunt, et alii loco eorum surrexerunt.

20Juvenes viderunt lumen, et habitaverunt super terram, viam autem disciplinæ ignoraverunt,

21neque intellexerunt semitas ejus, neque filii eorum susceperunt eam: a facie ipsorum longe facta est;

22non est audita in terra Chanaan, neque visa est in Theman.

23Filii quoque Agar, qui exquirunt prudentiam quæ de terra est, negotiatores Merrhæ et Theman, et fabulatores, et exquisitores prudentiæ et intelligentiæ: viam autem sapientiæ nescierunt, neque commemorati sunt semitas ejus.

24O Israël, quam magna est domus Dei, et ingens locus possessionis ejus !

25magnus est, et non habet finem: excelsus, et immensus.

26Ibi fuerunt gigantes nominati illi, qui ab initio fuerunt, statura magna, scientes bellum.

27Non hos elegit Dominus, neque viam disciplinæ invenerunt: propterea perierunt,

28et quoniam non habuerunt sapientiam, interierunt propter suam insipientiam.

29Quis ascendit in cælum, et accepit eam, et eduxit eam de nubibus?

30Quis transfretavit mare, et invenit illam, et attulit illam super aurum electum?

31Non est qui possit scire vias ejus, neque qui exquirat semitas ejus:

32sed qui scit universa novit eam, et adinvenit eam prudentia sua qui præparavit terram in æterno tempore: et replevit eam pecudibus et quadrupedibus

33qui emittit lumen, et vadit, et vocavit illud, et obedit illi in tremore.

34Stellæ autem dederunt lumen in custodiis suis, et lætatæ sunt:

35vocatæ sunt, et dixerunt: Adsumus, et luxerunt ei cum jucunditate, qui fecit illas.

36Hic est Deus noster, et non æstimabitur alius adversus eum.

37Hic adinvenit omnem viam disciplinæ, et tradidit illam Jacob puero suo, et Israël dilecto suo.

38Post hæc in terris visus est, et cum hominibus conversatus est.]

1“ ‘And now, O Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, the soul in anguish and the troubled spirit cry out to you.

2Listen, O Lord, and be merciful, for you are a merciful God, and so be merciful to us, for we have sinned before you.

3For you are enthroned in eternity, but we will pass away in time.

4O Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, listen now to the prayer of the dead of Israel and of their sons, who have sinned before you and have not listened to the voice of the Lord their God, and have joined themselves to evil.

5Remember not the iniquities of our fathers, but remember your hand and your name at this time.

6For you are the Lord our God, and we will praise you, O Lord.

7And for this reason, you have imparted your fear into our hearts, and also, so that we may call upon your name and may praise you in our captivity, for we are converted from the iniquity of our fathers, who sinned before you.

8And, behold, we are still in our captivity on this day, where you have scattered us into disgrace, and into slander, and into sin, according to all the iniquities of our fathers, who withdrew from you, O Lord our God.

9Listen, O Israel, to the commandments of life! Pay attention, so that you may learn prudence!

10How is it, O Israel, that you are in the land of your enemies,

11that you have grown old in a foreign land, that you are defiled with the dead, that you are regarded as among those who are descending into hell?

12You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.

13For if you had walked in the way of God, you would certainly have lived in everlasting peace.

14Learn where prudence is, where virtue is, where understanding is, so that you may know at the same time where long life and prosperity are, where the light of the eyes and peace are.

15Who has discovered its place? And who has entered its treasure chamber?

16Where are the leaders of the peoples, and those who rule over the beasts that are upon the earth,

17who play among the birds of the air,

18who store up treasures of silver and gold, in which men trust, and with whom there is no end to their acquiring, who work with silver and are anxious about it, and whose works are inexplicable?

19They have been banished and have descended to hell, and others are risen up in their place.

20The youth have seen the light and have dwelt upon the earth, yet they are ignorant of the way of instruction.

21They have neither understood the paths of it, nor have their sons accepted it. It is far from their face.

22It has not been heard of in the land of Canaan, nor has it been seen in Teman.

23It is likewise with the sons of Hagar, who search for the practicality that is of the earth, the negotiators of Merran and Teman, and the storytellers, and the searchers of discretion and intelligence. Yet the way of wisdom they have not known, nor have they called to mind its paths.

24O Israel, how great is the house of God, and how vast is the place of his possession!

25It is great and has no end! It is exalted and immense!

26There were those who were called giants, who existed from the beginning, of great stature, expert in war.

27The Lord did not choose them, nor did they discover the way of instruction; for this reason they perished,

28and, because they did not have wisdom, they passed away as a result of their foolishness.

29Who has gone up into heaven, and taken her, and brought her down from the clouds?

30Who has crossed the sea, and found her, and brought her, chosen instead of gold?

31There is no one who is able to know her ways, nor any who can search out her paths.

32Yet he who knows the universe is familiar with her, and in his foresight he invented her, he who prepared the earth for time without end, and filled it with cattle and four-footed beasts,

33who sends out the light, and it goes, and who summoned it, and it obeyed him in fear.

34Yet the stars have given light from their posts, and they rejoiced.

35They were called, and so they said, “Here we are,” and they shined with cheerfulness to him who made them.

36This is our God, and no other can compare to him.

37He invented the way of all instruction, and delivered it to Jacob his child, and to Israel his beloved.

38After this, he was seen on earth, and he conversed with men.