1° The prophet. — In Hebrew, the word Baruch means "blessed." The first verse of the book cites the genealogy of our prophet to the fifth generation, and from this we see that the author of this writing is no different from the person of the same name, also "son of Neri, son of Maasiah," who was the secretary and faithful friend of Jeremiah (cf. Jer. 32:12, 16; 36:4 ff.; 45:1 ff.). This has always been the traditional opinion, which is confirmed by the place given to the book of Baruch in the ancient versions: his prophecies were quite naturally linked to those of his master. Baruch's family was very distinguished (cf. Jer. 51:59; Josephus, Ant., 10, 9, 1). What we know of his life is recounted in the passages of book of Jeremiah which have just been cited in the footnote. He accompanied his master to Egypt when the latter was forced to follow those of their compatriots who had voluntarily gone into exile there after the assassination of Gedaliah, and he shared his unpopularity (cf. Jer. 43:1-7). In 1, 2, we learn that he composed his book in Babylon, about five years after the destruction of Jerusalem. It was also in Babylon that he is said to have died seven years later, according to the rabbis; and it is indeed likely that he joined his deported compatriots there after receiving Jeremiah's last breath in Egypt (Saint Jerome, Jovin adv.., 2, 5, mentions another tradition, according to which Baruch died in Egypt. In any case, there is nothing to prevent the prophet from having made a journey to Chaldea during which he might have written down his prophecies).
2° The subject and division of the book. — As it has been inserted in our Latin Bible, the book which bears the name of Baruch consists of two very distinct writings: 1° the pages which belong properly to Baruch himself (chap. 1-5); 2° a letter which Jeremiah addressed, immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem, to his coreligionists who were about to take the road to exile (chap. 6).
Baruch's personal work consists of two parts or sections: the first contains an exhortation to repentance, which Baruch addressed to the Jews who remained in Jerusalem after the destruction of the country (1:1–3:8); the second (3:9–5:9) contains a very comforting prophetic discourse, which promises the remnants of the theocratic people, in the event of a sincere conversion, the end of captivity and the re-establishment of the nation on new foundations. The purpose of the first section is to lead the people to humble themselves under God's hand and implore His deliverance; the purpose of the second is to encourage them in their suffering, showing them the radiant prospects of the future.
Jeremiah's letter describes at length, in all aspects, the complete nothingness of idols and the senseless nature of idolatry.
3° Authenticity and canonicity The authenticity of either the work of Baruch or the letter of Jeremiah is universally denied today by Jews, Protestants, and rationalists, who classify this double text among the apocryphal books. Catholics, on the contrary, accept it and have excellent extrinsic and intrinsic proofs to demonstrate this (authenticity and canonicity are usually two very distinct questions; we combine them here because, in fact, they have hardly been separated by our opponents).
1. Regarding the writings attributed to Baruch, it is certain that the ancient Jews accepted them as authentic and canonical. The Septuagint, in translating them and inserting them into the Bible immediately after the book of Jeremiah (before Lamentations), showed that they saw it as an integral part of the Holy Scriptures. Theodotion, this other Jewish translator, also gave a Greek version. In the 3rd century AD (from the year 201 to the year 300), it was still read in Jewish synagogues, on the Day of Atonement or the Great Pardon (cf. Apostolic Constitution., 5, 20). Saint Epiphanius (Haer( ., 8, 6) expressly mentions it among the canonical writings received by the Jews after the Babylonian captivity (the eleventh of the so-called Psalms of Solomon, which are the work of a Jew and date from the 1st century BC, quotes words of Baruch). As for the Christian Church, it has admitted it among the Holy Scriptures since the earliest times. The pope Saint Clement (Paedag., 2, 3, 36) cites Baruch 3, 16-19, as "a divine scripture"; Athenagoras (Legate., 9) says, regarding Baruch 3:35, that it is the word of a "prophet." And the same is true of Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, Saint Cyprian, Origen, etc. The ancient doctors especially liked to quote, in applying it to the Incarnation of the Word, the famous text, Baruch 3:37. If sometimes their quotations are made under the name of Jeremiah, it is, as the Saint Augustine (De civit. Dei., 18, 33), because of the close connection that existed between the two books; but they knew very well how to distinguish, on occasion, between the two writers.
As we saw earlier, from its very first line (1:1) the text presents itself as the work of Baruch, and everything, in both content and form, confirms this assertion. The historical events it directly mentions, or to which it alludes, fit perfectly with Baruch's era (cf. 1:2; 2:3; 4:15, etc.). In a book composed by Jeremiah's friend and secretary, one would expect to find the dominant ideas and style of the master, and this is indeed what happens: the same reproaches to guilty Jews, the same threats, the same hope for forgiveness. Like Jeremiah, Baruch readily interweaves his own ideas with those of the sacred writers who preceded him, and he quotes them in turn. DeuteronomyJob, Isaiah, etc.
2. The authenticity and canonicity of Jeremiah's letter are proven in the same way. The synagogue once received it as part of the inspired writings and transmitted it to the Church; the style (in particular, the lack of concision and the repetitions) and the ideas constantly recall Jeremiah; the interesting details that the author gives concerning the idolatry of the Chaldeans agree with everything else we know about it.
4° The primitive language It was certainly Hebrew; but the Hebrew text was lost early on (it had already disappeared in the time of Saint Epiphanius and Saint Jerome) and the book has come down to us only through the Greek version of the Septuagint; a version bristling with Hebraisms, which attests at every moment, especially in the first three chapters, very slavishly translated, to the original source of the double text.
5° Catholic commentators. – The best among the ancients are Théodoret de Cyr, Sanchez, Maldonat, Corneille de la Pierre, Calmet.
6. According to the TOB (reissued in 2010), the Book of Baruch is "composed of four heterogeneous parts, which cannot be by the same author or from the same period" (...) "These pieces differ so much in their original language (...) in their literary genre and their doctrine." The Liturgical Translation of the Bible (2020) dates the book to the 2nd century BC and speaks of "a composite work, the beginning of which may have a Hebrew or Aramaic original (1:1–3:8), while the end may have been written directly in Greek." The Letter of Jeremiah dates from the 3rd century BC. As early as 1951, the Jerusalem Bible spoke of a collection that possesses "only an artificial unity," distinguishing five elements within it: No. 1 an introduction, itself composed of several elements and which would be "quite late, probably Maccabean," No. 2 a prayer in liturgical style whose original would be Hebrew, No. 3 a wisdom writing whose original would be Hebrew, No. 4 a parenetic and prophetic writing that could be from the time of Ben Sirah, No. 5 the dissertation known as Jeremiah's, which would date from the same period as 2 Macc. 2:1-3.
Baruch 1
1 These are the words of the book written by Baruch, son of Neriah, son of Maaziah, son of Zedekiah, son of Zedei, son of Helkiah, in Babylon, 2 in the fifth year, on the seventh day of the month, at the time when the Chaldeans had taken Jerusalem and burned it. 3 Baruch read the words of this book to Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and to all the people who had come to hear this book, 4 to the ears of the great and the sons of kings and to the ears of the elders and to the ears of all the people, from the least to the greatest, of all those who dwell in Babylon, by the river Sodi. 5 Upon hearing this, they wept, fasted, and prayed to the Lord. 6 And they collected money, according to what each was able to give according to their means. 7 And they sent him to Jerusalem, to Jehoiakim, son of Helkiah, son of Solomon, the priest, to the other priests and to all the people who were with him in Jerusalem. 8 Baruch then recovered the utensils of the house of the Lord that had been taken from the Temple, to send them back to the land of Judah on the tenth day of the month of Sivan, utensils made of silver by Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah., 9 after Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had taken Jeconiah, the princes, the hostages, the nobles and the people of the land from Jerusalem and brought them to Babylon. 10 They said, «Here we are sending you money, buy with this money victims for burnt offerings and sin offerings and incense, also make grain offerings and offer them on the altar of the Lord our God. 11 Pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and for the life of Belshazzar, his son, that their days on earth may be like the days in heaven. 12 and the Lord will give us strength, he will make light shine in our eyes, we will live in the shadow of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and in the shadow of Belshazzar, his son, we will serve them for a long time and find favor in their sight. 13 Pray also for us to the Lord our God, because we have sinned against the Lord our God, and the anger of the Lord and his wrath have not turned away from us to this day. 14 Read this book that we are sending you so that it may be read publicly in the house of the Lord, on feast days and days of assembly. 15 And you will say: To the Lord our God belongs justice, to us shame of countenance, as is seen today, for the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 16 for our kings and our princes, for our priests and our prophets, and for our fathers. 17 We have sinned before the Lord 18 and we disobeyed him. We did not listen to the voice of the Lord our God, following the commandments of the Lord, which he gave before us. 19 From the day the Lord brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt until today, we have been disobedient to the Lord our God and in our folly we have turned away, so as not to listen to his voice. 20 Therefore, as we see today, great misfortunes have befallen us, as well as the curse which the Lord pronounced through Moses, his servant, who brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt, to give us a land flowing with milk and honey. 21 We have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, according to all the words of the prophets whom he sent to us. 22 And we went, each according to the inclination of his wicked heart, to serve foreign gods, to do evil in the sight of the Lord our God.
Baruch 2
1 Therefore the Lord our God has fulfilled his word, which he spoke against us, against our judges who judged Israel, against our kings, against our leaders, and against all the men of Israel and Judah, 2 threatening to bring upon us great calamities, such as have not occurred under all heaven as those which occurred in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, 3 knowing that we would each eat the flesh of our son and each the flesh of our daughter. 4 And he has placed them in the hands of all the kings around us, to be an object of reproach and astonishment to all the peoples among whom the Lord has scattered us. 5 And we were subjected instead of commanding, because we sinned against the Lord our God by not obeying his voice. 6 To the Lord our God belongs justice, to us and to our fathers shame of countenance, as we see today. 7 All these evils that the Lord had spoken of concerning us have come upon us. 8 And we have not prayed to the Lord to turn each of us from the thoughts of our evil hearts. 9 Therefore the Lord has kept watch over evil and the Lord has brought it upon us, for the Lord is just in all the works that he has commanded us. 10 And we did not listen to his voice, observing the precepts of the Lord, which he set before us. 11 And now, Lord, God of Israel, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, with signs and wonders, with great power and an exalted arm, and who have made a name for yourself, as is seen this day, 12 We have sinned, we have done ungodly things, we have committed iniquity, Lord our God, in regard to all your precepts. 13 May your anger turn away from us, since we are now but a small remnant among the nations, where you have scattered us. 14 Hear, O Lord, our prayer and our supplication; deliver us for your own sake and grant us favor in the sight of those who have deported us: 15 so that all the earth may know that you are the Lord our God, since your name was invoked upon Israel and upon his descendants. 16 Look, Lord, from your holy dwelling, remember us, incline your ear and listen, 17 Open your eyes and consider: it is not the dead in Sheol, whose spirit has departed from their bowels, who give glory and justice to the Lord. 18 But the living, saddened by the magnitude of his sufferings, who walks bent over and without strength, whose eyes are languid, whose soul is hungry, it is he who gives you glory and justice, Lord. 19 For it is not because of the righteousness of our fathers and our kings that we pour out our prayer before you, Lord our God. 20 For you have sent down your anger and indignation upon us, as you proclaimed through your servants the prophets, 21 saying: Thus says the Lord: «Bow your shoulders and your neck and serve the king of Babylon and you will dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. 22 If you do not listen to the voice of the Lord your God, by serving the king of Babylon, 23 I will put an end to the singing of joy and gladness, the singing of bride and bridegroom, in the towns of Judah and outside Jerusalem, and the whole land will become a desolate wasteland, without inhabitants.» 24 We did not listen to your voice, serving the king of Babylon, and you fulfilled your words, spoken by your servants the prophets, announcing that the bones of our kings and the bones of our fathers would be taken from their tombs. 25 And indeed, they were thrown to the ground, exposed to the scorching sun and the cold of the night, and our fathers died in cruel suffering, by hunger, by the sword and by plague. 26 You have reduced the house on which your name was invoked, to the state it is in today, because of the wickedness of the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 27 You have dealt with us, Lord our God, according to all your goodness and all your great mercy, 28 as you declared through your servant Moses, on the day you commanded him to write your law in the presence of the children of Israel, 29 saying, «If you do not listen to my voice, this great and vast multitude will be reduced to a very small number among the nations where I will scatter them. 30 For I know that they will not listen to me, because they are a stubborn people, but they will return to themselves, to the land of their exile. 31 and they will know that I am the Lord their God, and I will give them a heart that understands and ears that hear. 32 And they will praise me in the land of their exile and they will remember my name. 33 They will renounce their stiff necks and their perverse maxims, because they will remember the fate of their fathers, who sinned before the Lord. 34 And I will bring them back to the land I swore to their fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they will be its masters, and I will multiply them, and they will not decrease. 35 I will make an everlasting covenant with them, so that I may be their God and they may be my people, and I will never again drive my people Israel out of the land that I have given them.
Baruch 3
1 Almighty Lord, God of Israel, a soul in anguish and a troubled spirit cries out to you. 2 Listen, Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned before you. 3 for you sit on an eternal throne, and we perish without return. 4 Almighty Lord, God of Israel, hear the prayer of the dead of Israel and of the sons of those who have sinned before you, who have not listened to the voice of their God and are the cause of these calamities that have befallen us. 5 Do not remember the iniquities of our fathers, but remember, at this hour, your power and your name. 6 For you are the Lord, our God, and we will praise you, Lord. 7 That is why you have put your fear in our hearts, so that we may call upon your name and praise you in our exile, for we have removed from our hearts the iniquity of our fathers, who sinned before you. 8 Behold, we are now in our land of exile, where you have scattered us for reproach, for cursing, and for atonement, according to all the iniquities of our fathers, who turned away from the Lord our God. 9 Listen, Israel, to the commandments of life; pay attention to learn prudence. 10 Why, Israel, why are you in the land of your enemies, why do you languish in a foreign land, why do you defile yourself with the dead? 11 and that you are counted among those who descended into Sheol? 12 You have abandoned the source of wisdom. 13 For if you had walked in God's way, you would dwell forever in peace. 14 Learn where prudence lies, where strength lies, where intelligence lies, so that you may know at the same time where the length of days and life lies, where the light of the eyes lies and peace. 15 Who has found the place of wisdom and entered its treasures? 16 Where are the leaders of the nations and those who tame the beasts of the earth?, 17 who play with the birds of the sky, 18 who amass silver and gold, in which men place their trust and whose possessions have no end? For these men who amass silver and worry about it, no trace of their works would be found. 19 They disappeared and descended into Sheol, and others arose in their place. 20 Young people saw the light and lived on the earth, but they did not know the path of wisdom., 21 They did not know his paths, nor did their children grasp it; they were far from his way. 22 She was not heard of in the land of Canaan and she was not seen in Teman. 23 And the sons of Hagar who seek wisdom that is of the earth, the merchants of Merah and Teman, the interpreters of parables And those who sought prudence did not know the way of wisdom, nor did they remember its paths. 24 O Israel, how great is the house of God, how vast is the place of his dominion. 25 It is vast and has no limits; it is high and immense. 26 There lived from the beginning the famous giants, tall and skilled in the war. 27 These are not the ones God chose, nor did he teach them the way of wisdom. 28 And they perished because they lacked true knowledge; they perished because of their folly. 29 Who ascended into heaven and took hold of wisdom and brought it down from the clouds? 30 Who crossed the sea and, having found it, brought it back at the price of the purest gold? 31 There is no one who knows his ways, nor who observes his paths. 32 But he who knows all things knows it; he discovers it through his prudence, he who established the earth forever and filled it with four-legged animals, 33 He who sends the light and she leaves, he who calls her and she obeys him trembling. 34 The stars shine at their posts and they are in joy, 35 He calls them and they say, "Here we are," and they shine joyfully for the one who created them. 36 He is our God, and there is none like him. 37 He found all the ways of wisdom and gave them to Jacob, his servant, and to Israel, his beloved. 38 After that he appeared on earth and conversed among men.
Baruch 4
1 Wisdom is the book of God’s commandments and the law that endures forever; all who adhere to it will come to life, but those who abandon it will go to death. 2 Return, O Jacob, and embrace her, walk in the splendor of her light. 3 Do not give your glory to another, nor your advantages to a foreign nation. 4 Blessed are we, O Israel, for what pleases God has been revealed to us. 5 Take courage, O my people, remembrance of Israel. 6 You were sold to the nations, not for destruction, but because you provoked God's wrath; you were handed over to oppressors. 7 For you have angered the One who made you, by offering sacrifices to demons and not to God. 8 You have forgotten the One who fed you, the eternal God, and you have grieved the one who raised you, Jerusalem. 9 For she saw the wrath of God falling upon you and she said: Listen, neighbors of Zion, for God has sent me great grief. 10 I have seen the captivity of my sons and daughters, whom the Lord has brought upon them. 11 I had fed them in joy And I let them go in tears and mourning. 12 Let no one rejoice at seeing me a widow, deserted by many. I am a desolate woman because of the sins of my children, because they have turned away from the law of God. 13 that they have disregarded his commandments, that they have not walked in the way of God's precepts and have not followed the paths of discipline, according to his justice. 14 Let them come, the neighbors of Zion. Remember the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Lord brought upon them. 15 For he has brought against them a distant nation, a cruel nation, with a barbarous language, 16 who had neither respect for the old man, nor compassion for the child, who took away the widow's loved ones and left me alone, deprived of my daughters. 17 And how could I possibly help you? 18 The one who brought these evils upon you will also deliver you from the hand of your enemies. 19 Come on, my sons, come on, for me, I remain alone. 20 I have left behind the robe of happy days, I have put on the sack of my supplication, I will cry out to the Most High all the days of my life. 21 Courage, my sons, cry out to the Lord and he will deliver you from the power, from the hands of your enemies. 22 I await your deliverance from the Lord and joy comes to me, on behalf of the Saint, for mercy which will soon come to you from the Lord, your Savior. 23 I let you go in tears and mourning, but God will bring you back to me in joy and joy, forever. 24 Just as the neighbors of Zion have seen your captivity, so they will soon see your deliverance from God, which will come to you with great glory and splendor from the Lord. 25 My sons, bear patiently the wrath of God that has come upon you; your enemy has persecuted you, but soon you will see his ruin and put your foot on his neck. 26 My most delicate sons have walked along harsh paths; they have been carried off like stolen flocks by the enemy. 27 Courage, my sons, and cry out to the Lord, for He who brought these evils upon you will remember you. 28 For, as your thought was to turn away from God, but that you may return to him, you will be ten times more earnest in seeking him. 29 For he who brought misfortune upon you will bring you eternal joy by saving you. 30 Take heart, Jerusalem, for he who gave you his name will comfort you. 31 Woe to those who mistreated you and rejoiced at your downfall. 32 Woe to the cities where your sons were enslaved. Woe to the one that received them. 33 Just as she rejoiced at your ruin and triumphed at your downfall, so she will grieve at her own devastation. 34 I will take it away from him joy that its many inhabitants caused it, and its boasting will be turned into mourning. 35 Fire will come upon it from the Lord for many days, and it will be a dwelling place for evil spirits for a long time. 36 Look toward the East, O Jerusalem, and see joy which comes to you from God. 37 For behold, they are returning, your sons whom you saw depart, they are coming gathered from East to West at the voice of the Holy One, rejoicing in the glory of God.
Baruch 5
1 Take off, Jerusalem, the garment of your mourning and affliction, and put on the ornaments of the glory that comes to you from God forever., 2 Wrap yourself in the robe of righteousness that comes from God, and put on your head the mitre of the glory of the Lord. 3 For God will show your splendor to every country under heaven. 4 Your name will be spoken by God forever: «Peace of Justice» and «Splendor of Piety». 5 Arise, Jerusalem, stand on your high ground and look towards the East and see your children gathered from west to east, by the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that God has remembered them. 6 They had left you on foot, taken away by the enemies, God brings them back to you carried with honor, like a royal throne. 7 For God has commanded them to humble themselves to every high mountain and to the eternal rocks and to the valleys, to fill them in and level the earth, so that Israel may walk without peril, for the glory of God. 8 The forests themselves and all the fragrant trees lent their shade to Israel, by the command of God. 9 For God will lead Israel with joy into the light of his glory, with mercy and justice that come from himself.
Baruch 6
Copy of the letter that Jeremiah sent to those who were about to be taken captive to Babylon by the king of the Babylonians, to tell them what God had commanded them to be told.
1 Because of the sins you have committed before God, you will be taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians. 2 Having therefore arrived in Babylon, you will remain there for many years and a long time, up to seven generations, and after that I will bring you out of it in peace. 3 But you will see in Babylon gods of silver, gold, and wood, carried on shoulders, which inspire fear in the nations. 4 Therefore, beware of imitating these foreigners and of letting yourselves be seized by the fear of these gods. 5 When you see a crowd pressing forward from before and behind them, paying homage, say in your heart: "It is you, Master, whom they must worship."« 6 Because my angel is with you and he takes care of your life. 7 For the tongue of these gods has been polished by a craftsman, covered with gold and silver, but they are nothing but lies and cannot speak. 8 As if for a girl who loves adornment, gold was taken and crowns were prepared to be placed on the heads of these gods. 9 The priests even go so far as to steal gold and silver from their gods, which they then use for their own purposes., 10 They will even give them to the prostitutes in their houses. They will dress them in rich clothes, like men, these gods of silver, gold, and wood, 11 but these cannot defend themselves against either rust or worms. 12 When they have been clothed in purple garments, their faces must still be wiped, because of the dust of the house which covers them with a thick layer. 13 Here is one who holds a scepter, like a provincial governor: he will not put to death the one who has offended him. 14 This other one carries a sword or an axe in his hand, but he cannot defend himself against the enemy or thieves. From this, it is clear that they are not gods., 15 Therefore do not fear them. Just as a vessel a man possesses becomes useless when it is broken, so it is with their gods. 16 If you place them in a house, their eyes fill with the dust from the feet of those who enter. 17 Similarly, the doors of the prison are carefully closed on a man who has offended the king, or on a man who is about to be led to his death, so the priests defend the dwelling place of their gods with strong gates, locks and bolts, lest they be robbed by thieves. 18 They light lamps, even more than for themselves, and these gods cannot see any of them. 19 They are like one of the beams of the house and it is said that their heart is eaten away by vermin that come out of the ground and devour them and their clothes, without them feeling it. 20 Their faces turn black from the smoke rising from the house. 21 Owls, swallows, and other birds flutter about on their bodies and heads, and cats themselves frolic in the same way. 22 By this you will recognize that they are not gods, so do not fear them. 23 The gold they are covered with to beautify them, if someone does not remove the rust, they will not make it shine, because they did not even feel it when they were melted down. 24 These idols were bought at the highest price and there is no breath of life in them. 25 Having no feet, they are carried on shoulders, thus showing men their shameful impotence. May those who serve them be ashamed as they are. 26 If they fall to the ground, they will not rise by themselves; if someone sets them upright, they will not move by themselves; and if they lean, they will not straighten up. It is like offerings placed before the dead. 27 The priests sell the victims offered to them and make their profit, their wives make salted meats from them and give nothing to the poor or the infirm. 28 Women Those in childbirth or in an impure state may touch their sacrifices. Knowing from these things that they are not gods, do not fear them. 29 And why call them gods? Because they are women who come to bring their offerings to these gods of silver, gold, and wood. 30 And in their temples, the priests sit with their tunics torn, their heads and faces shaved, and their heads uncovered. 31 They roar and shout before their gods, as if at a funeral feast. 32 Their priests take off their clothes and dress their wives and children in them. 33 Whether they are harmed or treated well, they will be unable to repay either; they are incapable of establishing a king or overthrowing one. 34 They cannot give them wealth, nor even a single coin. If someone makes a vow to them and does not fulfill it, they do not demand payment. 35 They will not save a man from death, they will not snatch the weak from the hand of the powerful. 36 They will not restore sight to the blind, nor will they deliver the one in distress. 37 They will have no pity on the widow and will do no good to the orphan. 38 They resemble rocks detached from the mountain, these wooden idols, covered with gold and silver, and those who serve them will be confounded. 39 How can anyone believe or say that they are gods? 40 The Chaldeans themselves dishonor them when, seeing a man who cannot speak, they present him to Bel asking that the mute man speak, as if the god could hear anything. 41 And although they realize it, they cannot abandon these idols, because they lack feeling. 42 WomenEnclosed with a rope, they will sit on the roads, burning coarse flour, 43 And when one of them, lured by some passerby, has slept with him, she mocks her neighbor, whom no one wanted and whose rope no one untied. 44 Everything done with regard to idols is a lie. How then can one believe or say that they are gods? 45 They were crafted by artisans and goldsmiths; they could not be otherwise than the workers wanted them to be. 46 And the workers who fashioned them do not have long lives: how then could their works be long-lasting? 47 They left only lies and shame for posterity. 48 Should war or some other calamity occur, the priests deliberate among themselves to decide where they will hide with their gods: 49 How can we not understand that these are not gods, who cannot save themselves from the war or some other calamity? 50 These wooden idols, covered in gold and silver, will later be recognized as nothing but lies; to all nations and to all kings it will be evident that they are not gods, but works of human hands and that there is no divine work in them. 51 For whom, then, would it not be obvious that these are not gods? 52 They will never establish a king over a land, nor will they give rain to men. 53 They will not be able to judge their own affairs and they will not protect against injustice, since they can do nothing, like crows that stand between heaven and earth. 54 And when fire falls upon the house of these wooden gods, covered in gold and silver, their priests will flee and be saved, but they themselves will be consumed like beams in the midst of the flames. 55 They will not withstand a king, nor an enemy army. How can we admit or believe that they are gods? 56 They will not escape the thieves and brigands, these wooden gods, covered in silver and gold. 57 Men more powerful than them will take away the silver and gold and will leave with the rich garments with which they were clothed, and these gods will not be able to help themselves. 58 It is better to be a king displaying his strength, or a useful vessel in the house, which the master uses, than to be these false gods; or a door to a house, which keeps what is in it, than to be these false gods; or a wooden pillar in the house of a king, than to be these false gods. 59 The sun, the light, and the stars, which are bright and sent for the benefit of mankind, obey God. 60 Likewise, the lightning, when it appears, is beautiful to behold, and the wind also blows across the whole land, 61 And the clouds, when God commands them to roam the whole earth, do as they are commanded. 62 Fire, too, when sent down from above to consume mountains and forests, does what it was commanded to do. But idols are not comparable, either in beauty or power, to all these things. 63 Therefore, we should neither think nor say that they are gods, since they can neither discern what is right, nor do good to men. 64 Since they are not gods, do not fear them. 65 They are incapable of cursing or blessing kings. 66 They do not show the nations signs in the sky, they do not shine like the sun, they do not give light like the moon. 67 Animals are better than them, since by fleeing they can find shelter and be useful to themselves. 68 Thus, in no way is it evident to us that they are gods, so do not fear them. 69 Just as a scarecrow in a cucumber field does not protect against anything, so too do their wooden gods, covered in gold and silver. 70 Like a thorn bush in a garden, on which all the birds perch, or a dead man thrown into a dark place, such are their wooden gods, covered with gold and silver. 71 The purple and scarlet that are fading on them show that they are not gods. They themselves will eventually be devoured and become a disgrace to the land. 72 Better is the righteous man who has no idols; he will have no fear of confusion.
Notes on the book by Baruch
1.2 The fifth year after the capture of Jerusalem in 583. See 2 Kings 25, 8.
1.3 Jeconiah ; prisoner in Babylon.
1.4 Sodi, According to some, it is a river that flows into the Euphrates, or one of its great channels ; According to others, it is the Euphrates itself, called Sodi, that is to say, the superb, because of the abundance and impetuosity of its waters.
1.7 Joakim, son of Helcias, was not the high priest, but probably the one who held the position in Jerusalem.
1.8 the house of the Lord. This refers to the ruins of the temple on which the Jews had erected an altar to offer their sacrifices (cf. Jeremiah, 41, 5). Thus disappears the supposed contradiction that unbelievers find in this chapter. ― Sivan ; began at the new moon in June.
1.11 His son ; That is to say, his grandson and son of Evil-merodach, himself the eldest son of Nebuchadnezzar and his immediate successor. In all languages, the word son often mistakes himself for grandson, like a ancestor is frequently described as father. According to Jewish tradition, Evilmerodach was then out of favor, and Baltasar was considered the heir presumptive to the kingdom. This explains why the sacred writer does not name Evilmerodach here. — Baltasar should not be referring here to the one in whose time Babylon was taken. Like the days of the sky ; that is to say, endless days. cf. Psalms, 88, 30.
1.14 the house of the Lord. See verse 8.
1.15 See Baruch, 2, 6. ― And you will say, etc. Here, according to several sources, begins the very book of Baruch, the book mentioned in verses 1, 3 and 14.
1.17 See Daniel, 9, 5.
1.20 The curse, etc. See Leviticus, chapter 26; Deuteronomy, ch. 28 and 29.
2.2 See Deuteronomy 28:53. — as there had never been any like them.
2.3 cf. Leviticus, 26, 29; Deut. 28, vv. 53, 55.
2.6 See Baruch, 1, 15.
2.9 He stayed up, etc.; that is to say, he set about punishing us. ― All works, etc.; everything he ordered us to do.
2.11 See Daniel, 9, 15.
2.16 See Deuteronomy 26:15; Isaiah 63:15.
2.17 See Isaiah 37:17; Psalm 113:17. — Sheol; that is, the underground place which the Hebrews regarded as the abode of souls after death.
2.24 bones, etc. cf. Jeremiah, 8, 1-2.
2.29; 2.34 These verses are found, at least in meaning, in Leviticus, 26, vv. 15, 45; Deuteronomy, 4, vv. 27, 30; 28, 62; 30, 3; Jeremiah, 24, 6; 32, 37.
2.29 See Leviticus 26:14; Deuteronomy 28:15.
2.30 stubborn ; who can hardly bear the yoke, indomitable.
2.33 their stiff necks ; has the same meaning as hard head from verse 30.
3.4 Israeli deaths ; that is, the children of Israel, whom the evils they suffer in their captivity have made like the dead buried in the tomb (see Ezekiel 37, 12); or the holy patriarchs, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, etc., who, during their lives and since their deaths, have not ceased to pray for the salvation of the people.
3.5 The meaning of this verse is: We ourselves do not deserve your salvation; but save us nonetheless, so that you may thereby demonstrate your power and prevent your enemies from blaspheming your name. cf. Joshua, 7, 9; 1 Kings 8, 41; Psalms, 22, 3; Ezekiel, 20, 14, etc.
3.10 You defile yourself with the dead ; You are among the Chaldeans, an idolatrous people, in a state of defilement and impurity like that of anyone who touches a dead body, or dwells in a house where there is a dead body (see Leviticus, 5, 2; 11, 25; 22, 4; Numbers, 19, 14). ― the sheol, abode of the dead.
3.22 Théman ; famous city of Idumea.
3.23 Merrha ; city in Arabia. There were several cities in Arabia with a roughly similar name. ― Théman ; another city in Arabia, different from the one in the preceding verse. ― The sons of Hagar, mother of Ishmael; the Ishmaelites, the Arabs.
3.26 the giants. See Genesis, 6, 4.
3.38 The Church Fathers and exegetes commonly explain this passage from the Incarnation of the Divine Word.
4.5 The portion of God's people who were exiled, although reduced to a small number, was nonetheless a sufficient remnant to preserve the memory and name of Israel.
4.15 to the barbaric language ; of a language other than that of the Jews, therefore unknown to them.
4.25 Soon. At the time Baruch wrote this, sixteen years of captivity had already passed, leaving only fifty-four. Now, when it comes to a monarchy as powerful as Babylon's, fifty-four years is a short time, and the Prophet could well have used the word Soon.
4.30 the one who gave you his name. cf. Baruch, 2, 15; Psalms, 65, 4 ; Isaiah, 62, 2.
4.35 cf. Isaiah, 13, 21; Jeremiah, 50, 39.
4.36 See Baruch, 5, 5. ― Look towards the East. It was from the East that Cyrus, the liberator of the Jews, was to come (see Isaiah, 41, 2; 46, 11).
4.37 They return, etc. cf. Isaiah, 11, 11-12; Zacharie, 8, 7, etc. ― From the Holy ; of God.
5.4 «"Peace of Justice" and "Splendor of Piety"». These names are even more fitting for the Church of Jesus Christ than for the earthly Jerusalem, which was its symbol.
5.5 Look towards the East, etc. See Baruch, 4, 36-37.
5.6 The Jews, having been led on foot as slaves to Babylon, returned with honor to their country, bringing with them a large number of horses, mules, and camels provided by Cyrus. See Isaiah, 49, 22; 66, 20; Ezra, 2, 66-67.
5.7 allusion to Isaiah, 40, 3-4.
6.1-72 The purpose of Jeremiah's letter is to turn the Jewish captives in Babylon, to whom it is addressed, away from Chaldean idolatry. It contains a kind of recurring refrain, marking its various paragraphs (verses 14 and 15, 22, 28, 64, 39, 44, 55, 63). Jeremiah demonstrates a profound knowledge of Babylonian religion; his letter is like an archaeological monument where we find detailed descriptions of the statues of the Chaldean gods, as well as the ceremonies performed for dressing and undressing the idols. Nothing could have been more effective than this writing in persevering the children of Israel in the worship of the true God.
6.1 See Jeremiah 25:8-9.
6.2 Seven generations. Among the ancients, the word generation It represents sometimes one hundred, sometimes fifty, thirty-three, ten, and even seven years. Thus these seven generations here most likely mark the seventy years to which God had fixed the duration of the captivity (see Jeremiah, 25, 11-12; 29, 10).
6.3 See Isaiah 44:10. — There were many idols in Babylon of gold, of silver, of stone And wood, and in certain circumstances we carried on the shoulders, as we see on bas-reliefs from the time of the Assyrians.
6.6 My angel ; Saint Michael the Archangel, defender of the Hebrew people. See Daniel, 10, vv. 13, 21 ; 12, 1.
6.13 Assyro-Chaldean monuments depict the gods with a scepter in their hand.
6.14 An axe A bas-relief depicts the god Bel with an axe in his hand.
6.21 Owls, swallows, and other birds, including bats, which like to retreat to dark and obscure places such as the sanctuaries of ancient temples. All those who have traveled in the East have noted how numerous bats are, especially in caves, from which they sometimes force curious onlookers to flee.
6.25 They are worn, etc. cf. Isaiah, 46, 7.
6.26 that is to say, meals that were brought to these gods, like those placed on the tombs of the dead. cf. Ecclesiastical, 30, 18-19; Daniel, 14, verse 5 and following.
6.28 Women, etc. Among the Hebrews, any woman in one of these states could not enter the temple (see Leviticus, 12, vv. 2, 4; 15, vv. 19, 33); although the pagans were not obliged to observe this law, the Jews nonetheless had a horror for those who did not conform to it.
6.30 These mourning practices were primarily used to honor the god Adonis, whose cult was widespread not only in Egypt, Palestine, Phoenicia, and the Syriabut also in Babylonia and in the provinces beyond the Euphrates; they were strictly forbidden to the priests of the true God (see Leviticus, 21, vv. 5, 10).
6.31 They roar, etc. During meals held in honor of the dead, and often near the tomb, relatives expressed their grief through cries and lamentations.
6.40 Bel ; the great Chaldean god.
6.53 They will not judge the disputes of men by a miracle, as God did for the one who stood between Aaron and Korah, Dathan and Abiram (see Numbers, (Chapter 16).
6.69 A scarecrow When something is placed in a field, it initially frightens the birds; but they soon discover what it really is, and from then on it no longer inspires any fear in them.
6.70 a thorn bush It does not harm or frighten the birds that perch on its branches.
