Baruch 1

1 And these be the words of the book, which Baruch, the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, son of Zedekiah, son of Hasadiah, son of Hilkiah, wrote in Babylon;

2 in the fifth year, in the seventh day of the month, in the time wherein Chaldeans took Jerusalem, and burnt it with fire.

3 And Baruch read the words of this book to the ears of Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and to the ears of all the people coming to the book;

4 and to the ears of the mighty men, sons of kings, and to the ears of priests, and to the ears of the people, from the most unto the least of them or from the least unto the most of them, of all dwelling in Babylon, and at the flood Sud.

5 Which heard, and wept, and fasted, and prayed in the sight of the Lord.

6 And they gathered money, by or after that that each man’s hand might;

7 and they sent into Jerusalem to Jehoiakim, the priest, the son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum, and to the priests, and to all the people that were found with him in Jerusalem;

8 when he took the vessels of the temple of the Lord, that were taken away from the temple, to again-call into the land of Judah, in the tenth day of the month Sivan, or May; the silvern or silver vessels, which Zedekiah, the king of Judah, the son of Josiah, made,

9 after that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had taken Jeconiah, and princes, and all mighty men, and the people of the land from Jerusalem, and led them bound into Babylon.

10 And they said, Lo! we have sent to you riches or monies, of which buy ye burnt sacrifices, and incense, and make ye sacrifice, and offer ye for sin at the altar of your Lord God or the Lord our God.

11 And pray ye for the life of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and for the life of Belshazzar, his son, that the days of them be on earth as the days of heaven;

12 that the Lord give virtue to us, and lighten our eyes, that we live under the shadow of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and under the shadow of Belshazzar, his son; and that we serve them by many days, and find grace in the sight of them.

13 And pray ye for us to our Lord God or to the Lord our God, for we have sinned to our Lord God or to the Lord our God, and his strong vengeance is not turned away from us, till into this day.

14 And read ye this book, which we have sent to you, to be rehearsed in the temple of the Lord, in a solemn day, and in a covenable day.

15 And ye shall say, Rightfulness is to our Lord God or To the Lord our God rightwiseness, but shame of our face is to us, as this day is, to all Judah, and to dwellers in Jerusalem,

16 to our kings, and to our princes, to our priests, and to our prophets, and to our fathers.

17 We sinned before our Lord God or before the Lord our God,

18 and believed not, and trusted not in him. And we were not ready to be subject to him, and we obeyed not to the voice of our Lord God or the Lord our God, that we went in his commandments, which he gave to us;

19 from the day in which he led our fathers out of the land of Egypt, till into this day, we were unbelieveful to our Lord God or to the Lord our God; and we were scattered, and went away, that we heard not the voice of him.

20 And many evils and cursings, which the Lord ordained to his servant Moses, cleaved to us; which Lord led our fathers out of the land of Egypt, to give to us a land flowing milk and honey, as in this day.

21 And we heard not the voice of our Lord God or of the Lord our God, by or after all the words of prophets, which he sent to us, and to our judges;

22 and we went away, each man into the wit of his evil heart, to work to alien gods, and we did evils before the eyes of our Lord God or before the eyes of the Lord our God.

23 Here beginneth a sample of the epistle of the same Baruch, which epistle Jeremy sent to the Jews, that were led away prisoners into Babylon, of the king of Babylonians, that he should tell to them, by that that was commanded of God to him. Here beginneth the ensample of the same epistle, which Jeremy sent to the captives led away into Babylon, of the king of men of Babylon, that he should show to them, after that it is commanded to him of God.

24 For the sins which ye sinned before God, ye shall be led prisoners or captives into Babylon, of Nebuchad-nezzar, king of Babylonians.

25 Therefore ye shall enter or go into Babylon, and ye shall be there full many years, and into long time, till to seven generations; forsooth after this I shall lead out you from thence with peace.

26 But now ye shall see in Babylon gods of gold, and of silver, and of stone, and of tree, to be borne on shoulders, showing dread to heathen men or to folks.

27 Therefore see ye, lest also ye be made like to alien deeds, and lest ye dread, and that dread take you in them. Therefore when ye see a company behind and before, worship ye God, or And so the company of people seen from behind and from before worshipping,

28 say in your hearts, Lord God, it behooveth that thou be worshipped. say in your hearts, Lord God, it behooveth thee for to be worshipped.

29 Forsooth mine angel is with you, but I shall seek out your souls.

30 For why the trees of them be polished of a carpenter; also they be arrayed with gold, and arrayed with silver, and be false, and may not speak.

31 And as to a virgin or a maiden loving ornaments, so, when gold is taken, ornaments be made to idols. Certainly the gods of them have golden crowns on their heads;

32 wherefore priests withdraw from those gods gold and silver, and spend it in themselves.

33 Soothly they give also of that to whores, and array or adorn whores; and again when they receive that of whores, they array or adorn their gods.

34 But those or these gods be not delivered from rust and moths. Forsooth when they be covered with a cloth of purple,

35 priests shall wipe the faces of them, for dust of the house, which is full much among those gods.

36 Forsooth idols have a sceptre, or king’s rod, as a man hath; as the judge of a country, that slayeth not a man sinning against himself.

37 Also they have in the hand a sword, and an ax; but they deliver not themselves from battle and from thieves.

38 Wherefore be it known to you, that they be not gods; therefore worship ye not them.

39 For as a broken vessel of a man is made unprofitable, such also be the gods of them. When they be set in the house, the eyes of them be full of dust, of the feet of men entering.

40 And as the gates be set about a man, that offended the king, either as when a dead man is brought to the sepulchre, so priests keep securely the doors with closings, and locks, lest they be robbed of thieves.

41 They tend lanterns to them, and soothly many lanterns, of which they may see none;

42 forsooth they be as beams in an house or in the house. Soothly men say that serpents, that be of earth, lick out the hearts of them; while the serpents eat them, and their clothes or clothing, and they feel it not.

43 The faces of them be black of the smoke, which is made in the house.

44 Night crows or bats and swallows fly above the body of them, and above the head of them, and birds also, and cats in like manner.

45 Wherefore know ye, that they be not gods; therefore dread ye not them.

46 Also the gold which they have, is to fairness; no but some man wipe away the rust, they shall not shine. For they feeled not, the while those were welled together or they were molten together.

47 They be bought of all price, in which things no spirit is in them.

48 They without feet be borne on shoulders of men, and show openly their unnobility to men;

49 be they shamed also that worship them. Therefore if they fall down to earth, they shall not rise of them-selves; and if any man setteth that idol upright, it shall not stand by itself, but as to dead things or dead men shoulders shall be put to them.

50 The priests of them sell the sacrifices of them, and mis-use; in like manner and the women of them ravish or taking away, neither to a sick man, neither to a beggar, they give anything.

51 Of their sacrifices foul women, and in unclean blood or menstruate, touch. Therefore know ye by these things, that they be not gods, and dread ye not them.

52 For whereof be they called gods? For women set sacrifices to gods of silver, and of gold, and of tree;

53 and priests that have coats rent or torn, and heads and beards shaven, whose heads be naked, sit in the houses of them.

54 Soothly they roar and cry against their gods, as in the supper of a dead man.

55 Priests take away the clothes of them, and clothe their wives, and their children.

56 And if they suffer anything of evil of any man, or if they suffer anything of good, they may not yield back. Neither they may ordain or make a king, neither do away.

57 In like manner they may neither give riches, neither yield evil thing. If any man maketh a vow to them, and yieldeth not, they ask or require not this thing.

58 They deliver not a man from death, neither ravish a sick man from a mightier or neither deliver a sick man from a more mighty.

59 They restore not a blind man to sight; they shall not deliver a man from need.

60 They shall not have mercy on a widow, neither they shall do good to fatherless children.

61 Their gods of tree, and of stone, and of gold, and of silver, be like stones of the mountain; forsooth they that worship them, shall be shamed or confounded.

62 How therefore is it to guess, either to say, that they be gods? for why yet when Chaldeans honour not them.

63 Which when they hear that a dumb man may not speak, offer him to Bel, and ask of him to speak; as if they that have no stirring, may feel.

64 And they, when they shall under-stand, shall forsake those idols; for those gods of them have no wit.

65 Forsooth women gird with ropes or cords sit in ways, and kindled bones of olives. Soothly when any of these women is drawn away of any man passing, and sleepeth with him, she despiseth her neighbouress, that she is not had worthy as herself, neither her rope or her cord is broken.

66 Forsooth all things that be done to them, be false. How therefore is it to guess, either to say, that those be gods? or How is it to be guessed, or to be said, them to be gods?

67 Forsooth those idols be made of smiths or carpenters, and of gold-smiths. They shall be none other thing, no but that that priests will that they be.

68 Also those goldsmiths that make them, be not of much time; therefore whether those things or the things that be made of them, may be gods?

69 Soothly they left false things, and shame to men to coming afterward or coming after.

70 For why when battles and evils come on them, priests think, where they shall hide themselves with those or with them.

71 How therefore owe those or they to be deemed, that they be gods, which neither deliver themselves from battle, neither deliver themselves from evils?

72 For why when those be of tree, and of stone, and of gold, and of silver, it shall be known afterward,

73 of all folks, and kings, that those things be false, that be made open; or known, for those or they be not gods, but the works of hands of men or of men’s hands, and no work of God is with them.

74 Whereof therefore it is known, that they be not gods, but the works of hands of men or of men’s hands, and no work of God is in them.

75 They raise not a king to a country, neither shall give rain to men.

76 Also they shall not deem, or judge, a doom, neither they shall deliver the country from wrong. For those may do nothing, as little crows betwixt the midst or the middle of heaven and of earth.

77 For when fire falleth into the house of gods of tree, and of gold, and of silver, soothly the priests of those or of them shall flee, and shall be delivered; but they shall be burnt as beams in the midst.

78 Forsooth they shall not against-stand a king and battle. How there-fore is it to guess, or to receive, or to be guessed, or to be received, that they be gods?

79 Gods of tree, and of stone, and of gold, and of silver, shall not deliver themselves from night thieves, neither from day thieves, and wicked men be stronger than those gods.

80 They shall take away gold, and silver, and clothes, by which those or they be covered, and they shall go away; neither they help themselves.

81 Therefore it is better to be a king showing his virtue, either a profitable vessel in the house, in which he shall have glory that wieldeth it, than false gods; either a door in the house, that keepeth those things that be in it, is better than false gods.

82 Forsooth the sun, and moon, and stars, when they be bright or be shining, and sent out to profits, obey.

83 In like manner and the lightning, when it appeareth, is clear. Soothly the same thing and wind breatheth in each country.

84 And clouds, to which, when it is commanded of God to go through all the world, perform that, that is commanded to those or do what thing is commanded to them.

85 Also fire sent from above, to waste mountains and woods, doeth that, that is commanded to it; but these idols be not like to one of those things, neither by forms, neither by virtues.

86 Wherefore it is neither to guess, neither to say, or to be guessed, either to be said, that they be gods, when they may not neither deem doom, neither do to men.

87 Therefore know ye that those or they be not gods, and dread ye not them.

88 For they shall neither curse, neither bless kings.

89 Also they show not to heathen men signs in heavens, neither those or they shall shine as the sun, neither they shall give light as the moon.

90 Beasts that may flee under a roof, and do profit to themselves, be better than they.

91 Therefore by no manner it is open to you, that they be gods. For which thing, dread ye not them.

92 For why as a man of rags, or shoeless, in a place where gourds, or cucumbers, that be bitter herbs, waxed, keepeth nothing, so be their gods of tree, and of silver, and of gold.

93 In the same manner and a white-thorn in a garden or a yard keepeth nothing, on which thorn each bird sitteth, in like manner and their gods of tree, and of gold, and of silver, be like to a dead man cast forth in darknesses.

94 Also of the purple and of marble, which they hold above it; therefore ye shall know, that they be not gods. Also those be eaten at the last or at the last they themselves be eaten, and it shall be into shame or reproof in the country.

95 Better is a just man, that hath no simulacra, for why he shall be far from shames.