Baruch, 4

1. She is the book of God's commandments, the Law that stands for ever; those who keep her shall live, those who desert her shall die.

1. She is the book of the commandments of God, and the law that endures for ever. All who hold her fast will live, and those who forsake her will die.

2. Turn back, Jacob, seize her, in her radiance make your way to light:

2. Turn, O Jacob, and take her; walk toward the shining of her light.

3. do not yield your glory to another, your privilege to a people not your own.

3. Do not give your glory to another, or your advantages to an alien people.

4. Israel, blessed are we: what pleases God has been revealed to us!

4. Happy are we, O Israel, for we know what is pleasing to God.

5. Take courage, my people, memorial of Israel!

5. Take courage, my people, O memorial of Israel!

6. You were sold to the nations, but not for extermination. You provoked God; and so were delivered to your enemies,

6. It was not for destruction that you were sold to the nations, but you were handed over to your enemies because you angered God.

7. since you had angered your Creator by offering sacrifices to demons, and not to God.

7. For you provoked him who made you, by sacrificing to demons and not to God.

8. You had forgotten the eternal God who reared you. You had also grieved Jerusalem who nursed you,

8. You forgot the everlasting God, who brought you up, and you grieved Jerusalem, who reared you.

9. for when she saw God's anger falling on you, she said: Listen, you neighbours of Zion: God has sent me great sorrow.

9. For she saw the wrath that came upon you from God, and she said: "Hearken, you neighbors of Zion, God has brought great sorrow upon me;

10. I have seen my sons and daughters taken into captivity, which the Eternal brought down on them.

10. for I have seen the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Everlasting brought upon them.

11. I had reared them joyfully; in tears, in sorrow, I watched them go away.

11. With joy I nurtured them, but I sent them away with weeping and sorrow.

12. Do not, any of you, exult over me, a widow, deserted by so many; I am bereaved because of the sins of my children, who turned away from the Law of God,

12. Let no one rejoice over me, a widow and bereaved of many; I was left desolate because of the sins of my children, because they turned away from the law of God.

13. who did not want to know his precepts and would not follow the ways of his commandments or tread the paths of discipline as his justice directed.

13. They had no regard for his statutes; they did not walk in the ways of God's commandments, nor tread the paths of discipline in his righteousness.

14. Come here, neighbours of Zion! Remember my sons' and daughters' captivity, which the Eternal brought down on them.

14. Let the neighbors of Zion come; remember the capture of my sons and daughters, which the Everlasting brought upon them.

15. How he brought a distant nation down on them, a ruthless nation speaking a foreign language, they showed neither respect for the aged, nor pity for the child;

15. For he brought against them a nation from afar, a shameless nation, of a strange language, who had no respect for an old man, and had no pity for a child.

16. they carried off the widow's cherished sons, they left her quite alone, bereft of her daughters.

16. They led away the widow's beloved sons, and bereaved the lonely woman of her daughters.

17. For my part, how could I help you?

17. "But I, how can I help you?

18. He who brought those disasters down on you, is the one to deliver you from your enemies' clutches.

18. For he who brought these calamities upon you will deliver you from the hand of your enemies.

19. Go, my children, go your way! I must stay bereft and lonely;

19. Go, my children, go; for I have been left desolate.

20. I have taken off the clothes of peace and put on the sackcloth of entreaty; all my life I shall cry to the Eternal.

20. I have taken off the robe of peace and put on the sackcloth of my supplication; I will cry to the Everlasting all my days.

21. Take courage, my children, call on God: he will deliver you from tyranny, from the clutches of your enemies;

21. "Take courage, my children, cry to God, and he will deliver you from the power and hand of the enemy.

22. for I look to the Eternal for your rescue, and joy has come to me from the Holy One at the mercy soon to reach you from your Saviour, the Eternal.

22. For I have put my hope in the Everlasting to save you, and joy has come to me from the Holy One, because of the mercy which soon will come to you from your everlasting Savior.

23. In sorrow and tears I watched you go away, but God will give you back to me in joy and gladness for ever.

23. For I sent you out with sorrow and weeping, but God will give you back to me with joy and gladness for ever.

24. As the neighbours of Zion have now witnessed your captivity, so will they soon see your rescue by God, which will come upon you with great glory and splendour of the Eternal.

24. For as the neighbors of Zion have now seen your capture, so they soon will see your salvation by God, which will come to you with great glory and with the splendor of the Everlasting.

25. My children, patiently bear the anger brought on you by God. Your enemy has persecuted you, but soon you will witness his destruction and set your foot on his neck.

25. My children, endure with patience the wrath that has come upon you from God. Your enemy has overtaken you, but you will soon see their destruction and will tread upon their necks.

26. My favourite children have travelled by rough roads, carried off like a flock by a marauding enemy.

26. My tender sons have traveled rough roads; they were taken away like a flock carried off by the enemy.

27. Take courage, my children, call on God: he who brought this on you will remember you.

27. "Take courage, my children, and cry to God, for you will be remembered by him who brought this upon you.

28. As by your will you first strayed from God, so now turn back and search for him ten times harder;

28. For just as you purposed to go astray from God, return with tenfold zeal to seek him.

29. for as he has been bringing down those disasters on you, so will he rescue you and give you eternal joy.

29. For he who brought these calamities upon you will bring you everlasting joy with your salvation."

30. Take courage, Jerusalem: he who gave you your name will console you.

30. Take courage, O Jerusalem, for he who named you will comfort you.

31. Disaster will come to all who have ill-treated you and gloated over your fall.

31. Wretched will be those who afflicted you and rejoiced at your fall.

32. Disaster will come to the cities where your children were slaves; disaster to whichever one received your children,

32. Wretched will be the cities which your children served as slaves; wretched will be the city which received your sons.

33. for just as she rejoiced at your fall and was happy to see you ruined, so will she grieve over her own desolation.

33. For just as she rejoiced at your fall and was glad for your ruin, so she will be grieved at her own desolation.

34. I shall deprive her of the joy of a populous city, and her insolence will turn to mourning;

34. And I will take away her pride in her great population, and her insolence will be turned to grief.

35. fire from the Eternal will befall her for many a day, and demons will dwell in her for ages.

35. For fire will come upon her from the Everlasting for many days, and for a long time she will be inhabited by demons.

36. Jerusalem, turn your eyes to the east, see the joy that is coming to you from God.

36. Look toward the east, O Jerusalem, and see the joy that is coming to you from God!

37. Look, the children you watched go away are on their way home; reassembled from east and west, they are on their way home at the Holy One's command, rejoicing in God's glory.

37. Behold, your sons are coming, whom you sent away; they are coming, gathered from east and west, at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing in the glory of God.