Baruch · Revised Version with Apocrypha
Baruch 3 Revised Version with Apocrypha
1 O Lord Almighty, thou God of Israel, the soul in anguish, the troubled spirit, crieth unto thee.
1 O Lord Almighty, you God of Israel, the soul in anguish and the troubled spirit cries to you.
2 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy; for thou art a merciful God: yea, have mercy upon us, because we have sinned before thee.
2 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy; for you are a merciful God. Yes, have mercy upon us, because we have sinned before you.
3 For thou sittest [as king ] for ever, and we perish evermore.
3 For you are enthroned forever, and we keep perishing.
4 O Lord Almighty, thou God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead Israelites, and of the children of them which were sinners before thee, that hearkened not unto the voice of thee their God: for the which cause these plagues clave unto us.
4 O Lord Almighty, you God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead Israelites, and of the children of those who were sinners before you, who didn’t listen to the voice of you their God; because of this, these plagues cling to us.
5 Remember not the iniquities of our fathers: but remember thy power and thy name [now ] at this time.
5 Don’t remember the iniquities of our fathers, but remember your power and your name at this time.
6 For thou art the Lord our God, and thee, O Lord, will we praise.
6 For you are the Lord our God, and we will praise you, O Lord.
7 For for this cause thou hast put thy fear in our hearts, to the intent that we should call upon thy name: and we will praise thee in our captivity, for we have called to mind all the iniquity of our fathers, that sinned before thee.
7 For this cause, you have put your fear in our hearts, to the intent that we should call upon your name. We will praise you in our captivity, for we have called to mind all the iniquity of our fathers who sinned before you.
8 Behold, we are yet this day in our captivity, where thou hast scattered us, for a reproach and a curse, and to be subject to penalty, according to all the iniquities of our fathers, which departed from the Lord our God.
8 Behold, we are yet this day in our captivity where you have scattered us, for a reproach and a curse, and to be subject to penalty according to all the iniquities of our fathers who departed from the Lord our God.
9 Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life: give ear to understand wisdom.
9 Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life! Give ear to understand wisdom!
10 How happeneth it, O Israel, that thou art in thine enemies’ land, that thou art waxen old in a strange country, that thou art defiled with the dead,
10 How is it, O Israel, that you are in your enemies’ land, that you have become old in a strange country, that you are defiled with the dead,
11 that thou art counted with them that [go down ] into the grave?
11 that you are counted with those who are in Hades?
12 Thou hast forsaken the fountain of wisdom.
12 You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.
13 [For ] if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou shouldest have dwelled in peace for ever.
13 If you had walked in the way of God, you would have dwelled in peace forever.
14 Learn where is wisdom, where is strength, where is understanding; that thou mayest know also where is length of days, and life, where is the light of the eyes, and peace.
14 Learn where there is wisdom, where there is strength, and where there is understanding, that you may also know where there is length of days and life, where there is the light of the eyes and peace.
15 Who hath found out her place? and who hath come into her treasuries?
15 Who has found out her place? Who has come into her treasuries?
16 Where are the princes of the heathen, and such as ruled the beasts that are upon the earth;
16 Where are the princes of the heathen, and those who ruled the beasts that are on the earth,
17 they that had their pastime with the fowls of the air, and they that hoarded up silver and gold, wherein men trust; and of whose getting there is no end?
17 those who had their pastime with the fowls of the air, and those who hoarded up silver and gold, in which people trust, and of their getting there is no end?
18 For they that wrought in silver, and were so careful, and whose works are past finding out,
18 For those who diligently sought silver, and were so anxious, and whose works are past finding out,
19 they are vanished and gone down to the grave, and others are come up in their steads.
19 they have vanished and gone down to Hades, and others have come up in their place.
20 Younger men have seen the light, and dwelt upon the earth: but the way of knowledge have they not known,
20 Younger men have seen the light and lived upon the earth, but they haven’t known the way of knowledge,
21 neither understood they the paths thereof: neither have their children laid hold of it: they are far off from their way.
21 nor understood its paths. Their children haven’t embraced it. They are far off from their way.
22 It hath not been heard of in Canaan, neither hath it been seen in Teman.
22 It has not been heard of in Canaan, neither has it been seen in Teman.
23 The sons also of Agar that seek understanding, which are in the land, the merchants of Merran and Teman, and the authors of fables, and the searchers out of understanding; none of these have known the way of wisdom, or remembered her paths.
23 The sons also of Agar who seek understanding, which are in the land, the merchants of Merran and Teman, and the authors of fables, and the searchers out of understanding—none of these have known the way of wisdom or remembered her paths.
24 O Israel, how great is the house of God! and how large is the place of his possession!
24 O Israel, how great is the house of God! How large is the place of his possession!
25 great, and hath none end; high, and unmeasurable.
25 It is great and has no end. It is high and unmeasurable.
26 There were the giants born that were famous of old, great of stature, [and ] expert in war.
26 Giants were born that were famous of old, great of stature, and expert in war.
27 These did not God choose, neither gave he the way of knowledge unto them:
27 God didn’t choose these, nor did he give the way of knowledge to them,
28 so they perished, because they had no wisdom, they perished through their own foolishness.
28 so they perished, because they had no wisdom. They perished through their own foolishness.
29 Who hath gone up into heaven, and taken her, and brought her down from the clouds?
29 Who has gone up into heaven, taken her, and brought her down from the clouds?
30 Who hath gone over the sea, and found her, and will bring her for choice gold?
30 Who has gone over the sea, found her, and will bring her for choice gold?
31 There is none that knoweth her way, nor any that comprehendeth her path.
31 There is no one who knows her way, nor any who comprehend her path.
32 But he that knoweth all things knoweth her, he found her out with his understanding: he that prepared the earth for evermore hath filled it with fourfooted beasts:
32 But he that knows all things knows her, he found her out with his understanding. He who prepared the earth for all time has filled it with four-footed beasts.
33 he that sendeth forth the light, and it goeth; he called it, and it obeyed him with fear:
33 It is he who sends forth the light, and it goes. He called it, and it obeyed him with fear.
34 and the stars shined in their watches, and were glad: when he called them, they said, Here we be; they shined with gladness unto him that made them.
34 The stars shone in their watches, and were glad. When he called them, they said, “Here we are.” They shone with gladness to him who made them.
35 This is our God, [and ] there shall none other be accounted of in comparison of him.
35 This is our God. No other can be compared to him.
36 He hath found out all the way of knowledge, and hath given it unto Jacob his servant, and to Israel that is beloved of him.
36 He has found out all the way of knowledge, and has given it to Jacob his servant and to Israel who is loved by him.
37 Afterward did she appear upon earth, and was conversant with men.
37 Afterward she appeared upon earth, and lived with men.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Those did not the Lord choose, neither gave He the way of knowledge unto them; but they were destroyed because they had no wisdom, and perished through their own foolishness."
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
… beyond expectation, that because of these things the very angels formed a choir, and in behalf of the world offered up their praise for them, and the prophets from the first were amazed at this, that "He was seen upon earth, and conversed with men." Yea, for it is far beyond all thought to hear that God the Unspeakable, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
Afterwards He was seen on earth, and conversed among men.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
Why, in this:--This is your God; no other shall be accounted of in comparison with Him, and a little further on, after this did He shew Himself upon earth, and conversed with men. This addition proves clearly that the words are not used of the Father, but of the Son; for it was He Who in bodily form companied with …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
Standing and sitting, I apprehend, indicate the fixity and entire stability of the nature, as Baruch, when he wishes to exhibit the immutability and immobility of the Divine mode of existence, says, "For thou sittest for ever and we perish utterly." Moreover, the place on the right hand indicates in my judgment equality of honour.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)