Baruch 2

¹For which thing oure Lord God settide stidfastli his word, which he spak to vs, and to oure iugis, that demyden in Israel, and to oure kyngis, and to oure princes, and to al Israel and Juda;

²that the Lord schulde brynge on vs grete yuels, that weren not don vndur heuene, as tho ben doon in Jerusalem; bi tho thingis that ben writun in the lawe of Moises,

³that a man schulde ete the fleischis of his sone, and the fleischis of his douyter.

⁴And he yaf hem in to the hond of alle kyngis, that ben in oure cumpas, in to schenschipe, and in to desolacioun in alle puplis, among whiche the Lord scateride vs.

⁵And we ben maad bynethe, and not aboue; for we synneden to oure Lord God, in not obeiynge to the vois of hym.

⁶Riytfulnesse is to oure Lord God, but schenschipe of face is to vs and to oure fadris, as this dai is.

⁷For the Lord spak on vs alle these yuels, that camen on vs.

⁸And we bisouyten not the face of oure Lord God, that we schulden turne ayen, ech of vs fro oure worste weies.

⁹And the Lord wakide in yuels, and brouyte tho on vs; for the Lord is iust in alle hise werkis, whiche he comaundide to vs.

¹⁰And we herden not the vois of hym, that we schulden go in the comaundementis of the Lord, whiche he yaf bifore oure face.

¹¹And now, Lord God of Israel, that leddist thi puple out of the lond of Egipt in a strong hond, and in myraclis, and in grete wondris, and in thi greet vertu, and in an hiy arm, and madist to thee a name, as this dai is;

¹²we han synned, we han do vnfeithfuli, we han do wickidli, oure Lord God, in alle thi riytfulnessis.

¹³Thi wrath be turned awey fro vs; for we ben left a fewe among hethene men, where thou scateridist vs.

¹⁴Lord, here thou oure axyngis, and oure preyeris, and lede vs out for thee; and yyue thou to vs to fynde grace bifore the face of hem, that ledden vs awei;

¹⁵that al erthe knowe, that thou art oure Lord God, and that thi name is clepid to help on Israel, and on the kyn of hym.

¹⁶Lord, bihold thou fro thin hooli hous on vs, and bouwe doun thin eere, and here vs.

¹⁷Opene thin iyen, and se; for not deed men that ben in helle, whos spirit is takun fro her entrails, schulen yyue onour and iustefiyng to the Lord;

¹⁸but a soule which is sori on the greetnesse of yuel, and goith bowid, and sijk, and iyen failynge, and an hungri soule, yyueth glorie to thee, and riytfulnesse to the Lord.

¹⁹For not bi the riytfulnesses of oure fadris we `scheden merci bifore thi siyt, oure Lord God;

²⁰but for thou sentist thi wraththe and thi stronge veniaunce on vs, as thou spakest in the hondis of thi children profetis,

²¹and seidist, Thus seith the Lord, Bowe ye youre schuldur, and youre necke, and do ye trauel to the kyng of Babiloyne; and ye schulen sitte in the lond, which Y yaf to youre fadris.

²²That if ye don not, nethir heren the vois of youre Lord God, to worche to the kyng of Babiloyne, Y schal make youre failyng fro the citees of Juda, and fro the yatis of Jerusalem;

²³and Y schal take awei fro you the vois of gladnesse, and the vois of ioye, and the vois of spouse, and the vois of spousesse; and al the lond schal be with out step of hem that dwellen therynne.

²⁴And thei herden not thi vois, that thei schulden worche to the kyng of Babiloyne; and thou hast set stidfastli thi wordis, whiche thou spakist in the hondis of thi children, prophetis; that the boonys of oure kyngis, and the boonys of oure fadris schulen be borun ouer fro her place.

²⁵And lo! tho ben cast forth in the heete of the sunne, and in the frost of niyt; and men ben deed in the worste sorewis, in hungur, and in swerd, and in sending out.

²⁶And thou hast set the temple in which thi name was clepid to help, as this dai schewith, for the wickidnesse of the hous of Israel, and of the hous of Juda.

²⁷And thou, oure Lord God, hast do in vs bi al thi goodnesse, and bi al that greet merciful doyng of thee,

²⁸as thou spakest in the hond of thi child Moises, in the dai in which thou comaundidist to hym to write thi lawe bifore the sones of Israel, and seidist,

²⁹If ye heren not my vois, this greet ournyng and myche schal be turned in to the leest among hethene men, whidur Y schal scatere hem.

³⁰For Y woot, that the puple schal not here me, for it is a puple of hard nol. And it schal turne to her herte in the lond of her caitiftee;

³¹and thei schulen wite, that Y am the Lord God of hem. And Y schal yyue to hem an herte, and thei schulen vndurstonde, and eeris, and thei schulen here.

³²And thei schulen herie me in the lond of her caitiftee, and thei schulen be myndeful of my name.

³³Thei schulen turne awei hem silf fro her hard bak, and fro her wickidnessis; for thei schulen haue mynde of the wei of her fadris, that synneden ayens me.

³⁴And Y schal ayen clepe hem in to the lond, which Y swoor to yyue to the fadris of hem, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and thei schulen be lordis of it. And Y schal multiplie hem, and thei schulen not be maad lesse.

³⁵And Y schal ordeyne to hem an other testament euerlastynge, that Y be to hem in to God, and thei schulen be to me in to a puple. And Y schal no more moue my puple, the sones of Israel, fro the lond which Y yaf to hem.

Baruch 2

¹Therefore the Lord hath made good his word, which he pronounced against us, and against our judges that judged Israel, and against our kings, and against our princes, and against the men of Israel and Juda,

²To bring upon us great plagues, such as never happened under the whole heaven, as it came to pass in Jerusalem, according to the things that were written in the law of Moses;

³That a man should eat the flesh of his own son, and the flesh of his own daughter.

⁴Moreover he hath delivered them to be in subjection to all the kingdoms that are round about us, to be as a reproach and desolation among all the people round about, where the Lord hath scattered them.

⁵Thus we were cast down, and not exalted, because we have sinned against the Lord our God, and have not been obedient unto his voice.

⁶To the Lord our God appertaineth righteousness: but unto us and to our fathers open shame, as appeareth this day.

⁷For all these plagues are come upon us, which the Lord hath pronounced against us

⁸Yet have we not prayed before the Lord, that we might turn every one from the imaginations of his wicked heart.

⁹Wherefore the Lord watched over us for evil, and the Lord hath brought it upon us: for the Lord is righteous in all his works which he hath commanded us.

¹⁰Yet we have not hearkened unto his voice, to walk in the commandments of the Lord, that he hath set before us.

¹¹And now, O Lord God of Israel, that hast brought thy people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and high arm, and with signs, and with wonders, and with great power, and hast gotten thyself a name, as appeareth this day:

¹²O Lord our God, we have sinned, we have done ungodly, we have dealt unrighteously in all thine ordinances.

¹³Let thy wrath turn from us: for we are but a few left among the heathen, where thou hast scattered us.

¹⁴Hear our prayers, O Lord, and our petitions, and deliver us for thine own sake, and give us favour in the sight of them which have led us away:

¹⁵That all the earth may know that thou art the Lord our God, because Israel and his posterity is called by thy name.

¹⁶O Lord, look down from thine holy house, and consider us: bow down thine ear, O Lord, to hear us.

¹⁷Open thine eyes, and behold; for the dead that are in the graves, whose souls are taken from their bodies, will give unto the Lord neither praise nor righteousness:

¹⁸But the soul that is greatly vexed, which goeth stooping and feeble, and the eyes that fail, and the hungry soul, will give thee praise and righteousness, O Lord.

¹⁹Therefore we do not make our humble supplication before thee, O Lord our God, for the righteousness of our fathers, and of our kings.

²⁰For thou hast sent out thy wrath and indignation upon us, as thou hast spoken by thy servants the prophets, saying,

²¹Thus saith the Lord, Bow down your shoulders to serve the king of Babylon: so shall ye remain in the land that I gave unto your fathers.

²²But if ye will not hear the voice of the Lord, to serve the king of Babylon,

²³I will cause to cease out of the cites of Judah, and from without Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: and the whole land shall be desolate of inhabitants.

²⁴But we would not hearken unto thy voice, to serve the king of Babylon: therefore hast thou made good the words that thou spakest by thy servants the prophets, namely, that the bones of our kings, and the bones of our fathers, should be taken out of their place.

²⁵And, lo, they are cast out to the heat of the day, and to the frost of the night, and they died in great miseries by famine, by sword, and by pestilence.

²⁶And the house which is called by thy name hast thou laid waste, as it is to be seen this day, for the wickedness of the house of Israel and the house of Juda.

²⁷O Lord our God, thou hast dealt with us after all thy goodness, and according to all that great mercy of thine,

²⁸As thou spakest by thy servant Moses in the day when thou didst command him to write the law before the children of Israel, saying,

²⁹If ye will not hear my voice, surely this very great multitude shall be turned into a small number among the nations, where I will scatter them.

³⁰For I knew that they would not hear me, because it is a stiffnecked people: but in the land of their captivities they shall remember themselves.

³¹And shall know that I am the Lord their God: for I will give them an heart, and ears to hear:

³²And they shall praise me in the land of their captivity, and think upon my name,

³³And return from their stiff neck, and from their wicked deeds: for they shall remember the way of their fathers, which sinned before the Lord.

³⁴And I will bring them again into the land which I promised with an oath unto their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they shall be lords of it: and I will increase them, and they shall not be diminished.

³⁵And I will make an everlasting covenant with them to be their God, and they shall be my people: and I will no more drive my people of Israel out of the land that I have given them.