Baruch's Letter From Babylon
Baruch 1
Baruch son of Nerias writes this book in Babylon in the fifth year after the Chaldeans burned Jerusalem, and reads it aloud to Jechonias and the exiled people, who weep, fast, and pray. The people gather money and send it with the book to Jerusalem, asking the priests to offer sacrifices and pray for Nabuchodonosor and his son, and to make a public confession that they and their fathers have sinned by disobeying the Lord's commandments and following the imagination of their own hearts.
About these editions
The Septuagint (LXX) in Greek, with Charles Thomson’s 1808 and Sir Lancelot Brenton’s 1851 English translations, set beside the King James Version and the Jewish Masoretic text (JPS 1917) where they align, so you can compare the Greek and the Hebrew. All public domain; choose which to show with the controls above.
Brenton 1851Septuagint
Greek · BrentonSeptuagint
1
BrentonAnd these are the words of the book, which Baruch the son of Nerias, the son of Maasias, the son of Sedecias, the son of Asadias, the son of Chelcias, wrote in Babylon,
GreekΚΑΙ οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι τοῦ βιβλίου, οὓς ἔγραψε Βαροὺχ υἱὸς Νηρίου, υἱοῦ Μαασαίου, υἱοῦ Σεδεκίου, υἱοῦ Ἀσαδίου, υἱοῦ Χελκίου ἐν Βαβυλῶνι,
2
Brentonin the fifth year, and in the seventh day of the month, what time as the Chaldeans took Jerusalem, and burnt it with fire.
Greekἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ πέμπτῳ, ἐν ἑβδόμῃ τοῦ μηνὸς, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ᾧ ἔλαβον οἱ Χαλδαῖοι τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἐνέπρησαν αὐτὴν ἐν πυρί.
3
BrentonAnd Baruch did read the words of this book in the hearing of Jechonias the son of Joachim king of Juda, and in the ears of all the people that came to hear the book,
GreekΚαὶ ἀνέγνω Βαροὺχ τοὺς λόγους τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου ἐν ὠσὶν Ἰεχονίου υἱοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ βασιλέως Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐν ὠσὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν ἐρχομένων πρὸς τὴν βίβλον,
4
Brentonand in the hearing of the nobles, and of the king's sons, and in the hearing of the elders, and of all the people, from the lowest unto the highest, even of all them that dwelt at Babylon by the river Sud.
Greekκαὶ ἐν ὠσὶ τῶν δυνατῶν, καὶ υἱῶν τῶν βασιλέων, καὶ ἐν ὠσὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ ἐν ὠσὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ, ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου, πάντων τῶν κατοικούντων ἐν Βαβυλῶνι ἐπὶ ποταμοῦ Σούδ.
5
BrentonWhereupon they wept, fasted, and prayed before the Lord.
GreekΚαὶ ἔκλαιον, καὶ ἐνήστευον, καὶ ηὔχοντο ἐναντίον Κυρίου.
6
BrentonThey made also a collection of money according to every man's power:
GreekΚαὶ συνήγαγον ἀργύριον, καθὸ ἑκάστου ἠδύνατο ἡ χεὶρ,
7
Brentonand they sent it to Jerusalem unto Joachim the high priest, the son of Chelcias, son of Salom, and to the priests, and to all the people which were found with him at Jerusalem,
Greekκαὶ ἀπέστειλαν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ πρὸς Ἰωακεὶμ υἱὸν Χελκίου, υἱοῦ Σαλὼμ, τὸν ἱερέα, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἱερεῖς, καὶ πρὸς πάντα τὸν λαὸν, τοὺς εὑρεθέντας μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ,
8
Brentonat the same time when he received the vessels of the house of the Lord, that were carried out of the temple, to return them into the land of Juda, the tenth day of the month Sivan, namely, silver vessels, which Sedecias the son of Josias king of Juda had made,
Greekἐν τῷ λαβεῖν αὐτὸν τὰ σκεύη οἴκου Κυρίου, τὰ ἐξενεχθέντα ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ, ἀποστρέψαι εἰς γῆν Ἰούδα, τῇ δεκάτῃ τοῦ Σειουὰλ, σκεύη ἀργυρᾶ, ἃ ἐποίησε Σεδεκίας υἱὸς Ἰωσία βασιλεὺς Ἰούδα,
9
Brentonafter that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried away Jechonias, and the princes, and the captives, and the mighty men, and the people of the land, from Jerusalem, and brought them unto Babylon.
Greekμετὰ τὸ ἀποικίσαι Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλέα Βαβυλῶνος τὸν Ἰεχονίαν, καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, καὶ τοὺς δεσμώτας, καὶ τοὺς δυνατοὺς, καὶ τὸν λαὸν τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα.
10
BrentonAnd they said, Behold, we have sent you money to buy you burnt offerings, and sin offerings, and incense, and prepare ye manna, and offer upon the altar of the Lord our God;
GreekΚαὶ εἶπαν, ἰδοὺ ἀπεστείλαμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀργύριον, καὶ ἀγοράσατε τοῦ ἀργυρίου ὁλοκαυτώματα, καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ λίβανον, καὶ ποιήσατε μάννα, καὶ ἀνοίσατε ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν,
11
Brentonand pray for the life of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, and for the life of Balthasar his son, that their days may be upon earth as the days of heaven:
Greekκαὶ προσεύξασθε περὶ τῆς ζωῆς Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ εἰς ζωὴν Βαλτάσαρ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ὦσιν αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτῶν ὡς αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
12
Brentonand the Lord will give us strength, and lighten our eyes, and we shall live under the shadow of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, and under the shadow of Balthasar his son, and we shall serve them many days, and find favour in their sight.
GreekΚαὶ δώσει Κύριος ἰσχὺν ἡμῖν, καὶ φωτίσει τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἡμῶν, καὶ ζησόμεθα ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν Βαλτάσαρ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ δουλεύσομεν αὐτοῖς ἡμέρας πολλὰς, καὶ εὑρήσομεν χάριν ἐναντίον αὐτῶν.
13
BrentonPray for us also unto the Lord our God, for we have sinned against the Lord our God; and unto this day the fury of the Lord and his wrath is not turned from us.
GreekΚαὶ προσεύξασθε περὶ ἡμῶν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἡμάρτομεν τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστρεψεν ὁ θυμὸς Κυρίου καὶ ἡ ὀργὴ αὐτοῦ ἀφʼ ἡμῶν, ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης.
14
BrentonAnd ye shall read this book which we have sent unto you, to make confession in the house of the Lord, upon the feasts and solemn days.
GreekΚαὶ ἀναγνώσεσθε τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο ὃ ἀπεστείλαμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐξαγορεῦσαι ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἑορτῆς, καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις καιροῦ,
15
BrentonAnd ye shall say, To the Lord our God belongeth righteousness, but unto us the confusion of faces, as it is come to pass this day, unto them of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
GreekΚαὶ ἐρεῖτε, τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ἡμῶν ἡ δικαιοσύνη, ἡμῖν δὲ αἰσχύνη τῶν προσώπων, ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, ἀνθρώπῳ Ἰούδα, καὶ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ,
16
Brentonand to our kings, and to our princes, and to our priests, and to our prophets, and to our fathers:
Greekκαὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῖς προφήταις ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῖς πατράσιν ἡμῶν,
17
Brentonfor we have sinned before the Lord,
Greekὧν ἡμάρτομεν ἔναντι Κυρίου,
18
Brentonand disobeyed him, and have not hearkened unto the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in the commandments that he gave us openly:
Greekκαὶ ἠπειθήσαμεν αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, πορεύεσθαι τοῖς προστάγμασι Κυρίου, οἷς ἔδωκε κατὰ πρόσωπον ἡμῶν,
19
Brentonsince the day that the Lord brought our forefathers out of the land of Egypt, unto this present day, we have been disobedient unto the Lord our God, and we have been negligent in not hearing his voice.
Greekἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς ἐξήγαγε Κύριος τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου· καὶ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης ἤμεθα ἀπειθοῦντες πρὸς Κύριον Θεὸν ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐσχεδιάζομεν πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀκούειν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ.
20
BrentonWherefore the evils cleaved unto us, and the curse, which the Lord appointed by Moses his servant at the time that he brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt, to give us a land that floweth with milk and honey, like as it is to see this day.
GreekΚαὶ ἐκολλήθη εἰς ἡμᾶς τὰ κακὰ, καὶ ἡ ἀρὰ ἣν συνέταξε Κύριος τῷ Μωυσῇ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἐξήγαγε τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, δοῦναι ἡμῖν γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι, ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὐτη.
21
BrentonNevertheless we have not hearkened unto the voice of the Lord our God, according unto all the words of the prophets, whom he sent unto us:
GreekΚαὶ οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, κατὰ πάντας τοὺς λόγους τῶν προφητῶν, ὧν ἀπέστειλε πρὸς ἡμᾶς.
22
Brentonbut every man followed the imagination of his own wicked heart, to serve strange gods, and to do evil in the sight of the Lord our God.
GreekΚαὶ ᾠχόμεθα ἕκαστος ἐν διανοίᾳ καρδίας αὐτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς, ἐργάζεσθαι θεοῖς ἑτέροις ποιῆσαι τὰ κακὰ κατʼ ὀφθαλμοὺς Κυρίου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν.