Chapter 1
1 And it came to pass in the twenty-fifth year of Jeconiah king of Judah, that the word of the Lord came to Baruch the son of Neriah, and said to him: 2 “Hast thou seen all that this people are doing to Me, that the evils which these two tribes which remained have done are greater than (those of) the ten tribes which were carried away captive? 3 For the former tribes were forced by their kings to commit sin, but these two of themselves have been forcing and compelling their kings to commit sin. 4 For this reason, behold I bring evil upon this city, and upon its inhabitants, and it shall be removed from before Me for a time, and I will scatter this people among the Gentiles that they may do good to the Gentiles. 5 And My people shall be chastened, and the time will come when they will seek for the prosperity of their times.
Chapter 2
1 “For I have said these things to thee that thou mayest bid Jeremiah, and all those who are like you, to retire from this city. 2 For your works are to this city as a firm pillar, and your prayers as a strong wall.”
Chapter 3
1 And I said: “O Lord, my Lord, have I come into the world for this purpose that I might see the evils of my mother? not (so) my Lord. 2 If I have found grace in Thy sight, first take my spirit that I may go to my fathers and not behold the destruction of my mother. 3 For two things vehemently constrain me: for I cannot resist Thee, and my soul, moreover, cannot behold the evils of my mother.
4 But one thing I will say in Thy presence, O Lord.
5 What, therefore, will there be after these things? for if Thou destroyest Thy city, and deliverest up Thy land to those that hate us, how shall the name of Israel be again remembered? 6 Or how shall one speak of Thy praises? or to whom shall that which is in Thy Law be explained? 7 Or shall the world return to its nature (of aforetime), and the age revert to primeval silence? 8 And shall the multitude of souls be taken away, and the nature of man not again be named? 9 And where is all that which Thou didst say to Moses regarding us?”
Chapter 4
1 And the Lord said unto me:
“This city shall be delivered up for a time, And the people shall be chastened during a time, And the world shall not be given over to oblivion.
2 [Dost thou think that this is a city of which I said: ‘On the palms of My hands have I graven thee’? 3 This building now built in your midst is not that which is revealed with Me; that which was prepared beforehand here from the time when I took counsel to make Paradise, and showed it to Adam before he sinned, but when he transgressed the commandment, it was removed from him, as also Paradise. 4 And after these things I showed it to My servant Abraham by night among the portions of the victims. 5 And again also I showed it to Moses on Mount Sinai when I showed to him the likeness of the tabernacle and all its vessels.
6 And now, behold, it is preserved with Me, as also Paradise. 7 Go, therefore, and do as I command thee.”]
Chapter 5
1 And I answered and said: “So then I am destined to grieve for Zion, For Thine enemies will come to this place and pollute Thy sanctuary, And lead Thine inheritance into captivity, And make themselves masters of those whom Thou hast loved; And they will depart again to the place of their idols, And will boast before them. And what wilt Thou do for Thy great name?”
2 And the Lord said unto me:
“My name and My glory have an eternal duration; And My judgement shall maintain its right in its own time.
3 And thou shalt see with thine eyes That the enemy will not overthrow Zion, Nor burn Jerusalem, But be the ministers of the Judge for the time.
4 But do thou go and do whatsoever I have said unto thee.”
5 And I went and took Jeremiah, and Adu, and Seriah, and Jabish, and Gedaliah, and all the honourable men of the people, and I led them to the valley of Cedron, and I narrated to them all that had been said to me. 6 And they lifted up their voice, and they all wept. 7 And we sat there and fasted until the evening.
Chapter 6
1 And it came to pass on the morrow that, lo! the army of the Chaldees surrounded the city, and at the time of the evening I, Baruch, left the people, and I went forth and stood by the oak. 2 And I was grieving over Zion, and lamenting over the captivity which had come upon the people. 3 And, lo! suddenly a strong spirit raised me, and bore me aloft over the wall of Jerusalem. 4 And I beheld, and lo! four angels standing at the four corners of the city, each of them holding a torch of fire in his hands. 5 And another angel began to descend from heaven, and said unto them: “Hold your lamps, and do not light them till I tell you. 6 For I am first sent to speak a word to the earth, and to place in it what the Lord the Most High hath commanded me.” 7 And I saw him descend into the Holy of Holies, and take from thence the veil, and the holy ark, and the mercy-seat, and the two tables, and the holy raiment of the priests, and the altar of incense, and the forty-eight precious stones, wherewith the priest was adorned, and all the holy vessels of the tabernacle. 8 And he spake to the earth with a loud voice:
“Earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the mighty God, And receive what I commit to thee, And guard thou them until the last times, So that, when thou art ordered, thou mayst restore them, So that strangers may not get possession of them.
9 For the time cometh when Jerusalem also shall be delivered up for a time, Until it is said, that it is again restored for ever.
10 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up.”
Chapter 7
1 And after these things I heard that angel saying unto those angels who held the lamps:
“Destroy, therefore, and overthrow its walls to its foundations, lest the enemy should boast and say: ‘We have overthrown the wall of Zion, And we have burnt the place of the mighty God.’”
2 And ye have seized the place where I had been standing before.
Chapter 8
1 Now the angels did as he had commanded them, and when they had broken up the corners of the walls, a voice was heard from the interior of the temple, after the wall had fallen, saying:
2 “Enter, ye enemies, And come, ye adversaries; For He Who kept the house hath forsaken (it).”
3 And I, Baruch, departed. 4 And it came to pass after these things that the army of the Chaldees entered and seized the house, and all that was around it. 5 And they led the people away captive, and slew some of them, and bound Zedekiah the king, and sent him to the king of Babylon.