Introduction
1 This book was written by Baruch son of Neraiah, grandson of Mahseiah, and a descendant of Zedekiah, Hasadiah, and Hilkiah. It was written in Babylon 2 on the seventh day of the month in the fifth year after the Babylonians captured Jerusalem and burned it down. 3-4 Baruch read the book aloud to Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and to all the people who lived in Babylon by the Sud River. Everyone came to hear it read—nobles, children of royal families, elders, in fact, all the people, no matter what their status.
5 When the book was read, everyone cried, fasted, and prayed to the Lord. 6 Then they all gave as much money as they could, 7 and the collection was sent to Jerusalem to Jehoiakim the High Priest, son of Hilkiah and grandson of Shallum, and to the other priests and to all the people who were with him in Jerusalem.
8 On the tenth day of the month of Sivan, Baruch took the sacred utensils which had been carried away from the Temple and returned them to Judah. These were the silver utensils which Zedekiah son of King Josiah of Judah had ordered made 9 after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia had deported Jehoiachin, the rulers, the skilled workers, the nobles, and the common people and had taken them from Jerusalem to Babylon.
A Letter to Jerusalem
10 The people wrote:
Please use the money we are sending you to buy animals for the burnt offerings and the sin offerings, to buy incense, and to provide the grain offerings. Offer them on the altar of the Lord our God, 11 and pray for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his son Belshazzar, that they may live as long as the heavens last. 12 Then the Lord will strengthen us and be our guide. Nebuchadnezzar and his son Belshazzar will protect us, and we will be loyal to them as long as we live; then they will be pleased with us. 13 We ask you also to pray to the Lord God for us, because we have sinned against him, and he is still angry with us. 14 Please read this book that we are sending you and make your own confession of sin in the Temple on the first day of the Festival of Shelters and on other holy days of assembly.
A Confession of Sin
15 This is the confession you should make: “The Lord our God is righteous, but we are still covered with shame. All of us—the people of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, 16 our kings, our rulers, our priests, our prophets, and our ancestors have been put to shame, 17 because we have sinned against the Lord our God 18 and have disobeyed him. We did not listen to him or live according to his commandments. 19 From the day the Lord brought our ancestors out of Egypt until the present day, we have continued to be unfaithful to him, and we have not hesitated to disobey him. 20 Long ago, when the Lord led our ancestors out of Egypt, so that he could give us a rich and fertile land, he pronounced curses against us through his servant Moses. And today we are suffering because of those curses. 21 We refused to obey the word of the Lord our God which he spoke to us through the prophets. Instead, we all did as we pleased and went on our own evil way. We turned to other gods and did things the Lord hates.
Vēsturisks ievads
1 Šos vārdus grāmatā ir uzrakstījis Baruhs, Nērijas dēls. Nērija bija Maasaja dēls, tas Sedekija, tas Asadija, tas Helkija dēls – Bābelē 2 piektajā gadā tā mēneša septītajā dienā, kad kaldieši ieņēma un nodedzināja Jeruzālemi. 3 Šos grāmatas vārdus Baruhs lasīja priekšā Jehonijam, Joakima dēlam, Jūdas ķēniņam, un visu priekšā, kas bija ieradušies klausīties, 4 vareno un ķēniņu dēlu priekšā, vecajo un visas tautas priekšā, gan lielu, gan mazu – visu, kas dzīvoja Bābelē pie Sudas upes. 5 Viņi raudāja, gavēja un pielūdza Kungu. 6 Viņi savāca naudu, cik nu vien katrs varēja dot, 7 un nosūtīja to uz Jeruzālemi Joakimam, Helkija, Saloma dēla, dēlam, priesterim, kā arī citiem priesteriem un visiem ļaudīm, kas līdz ar viņiem atradās Jeruzālemē, 8 kad Baruhs bija saņēmis no tempļa, Kunga nama, iznestos traukus, tie bija sudraba trauki, kurus izgatavot bija licis Sedekijs, Josija dēls, Jūdas ķēniņš, lai nogādātu tos atpakaļ uz Jūdas zemi sivāna mēneša desmitajā dienā, 9 pēc tam kad Nebūkadnecars, Bābeles ķēniņš, bija viņam līdz ar Jehoniju, ķēniņiem, gūstekņiem, augstmaņiem un zemes vienkāršajiem ļaudīm licis aiziet no Jeruzālemes un aizvedis uz Bābeli. 10 Viņi rakstīja: “Redzi, mēs sūtām jums naudu. Nopērciet par to dedzināmos upurus, grēku atlaišanas upurus, lejamos upurus un sagādājiet mannu. Visu to pienesiet kā upuri Kungam, mūsu Dievam, 11 un aizlūdziet par Nebūkadnecaru, Bābeles ķēniņu, un Baltazaru, viņa dēlu, lai viņu dienas uz zemes ir kā debess dienas. 12 Un lai Dievs mums dod spēku un mūsu acīm gaismu, lai mēs dzīvojam, patverdamies Nebūkadnecara, Bābeles ķēniņa, ēnā un viņa dēla Baltazara ēnā un kalpojam viņiem daudzas dienas un iemantojam viņu žēlastību. 13 Aizlūdziet Kungu, mūsu Dievu, arī par mums, jo mēs esam grēkojuši pret Kungu, mūsu Dievu, un Kungs kopš tās dienas nenovērsa savas dusmas un īgnumu no mums. 14 Lasiet šo grāmatu, mēs to sūtām jums tādēļ, lai jūs to lasītu priekšā Kunga namā svētku dienā un dienās, kas tam piemērotas. Sakiet tā:
Grēku nožēla
15 Kungam, mūsu Dievam, ir taisnība, bet mūsu tiesa ir pazemojums, kāds tas ir šajā dienā Jūdas ļaudīm 16 un tiem, kas dzīvo Jeruzālemē, mūsu ķēniņiem un mūsu amatvīriem, mūsu priesteriem, mūsu praviešiem un mūsu tēviem 17 par to, ka mēs esam grēkojuši pret Kungu 18 un neesam bijuši viņam paklausīgi, un neesam ieklausījušies Kunga, mūsu Dieva, balsī sekot tām Kunga pavēlēm, kuras viņš mums devis. 19 Kopš dienas, kad Kungs izveda mūsu tēvus no Ēģiptes, līdz šai dienai mēs esam bijuši nepaklausīgi Kungam, mūsu Dievam, un atsacījušies ieklausīties viņa balsī. 20 Tādēļ tagad mūs ir pārņēmis posts un lāsts, par ko Kungs bija teicis savam kalpam Mozum tai dienā, kad viņš izveda mūsu tēvus no Ēģiptes, lai dotu mums zemi, kur plūst piens un medus. 21 Bet mēs neklausījāmies Kunga, mūsu Dieva, balsī, kad viņš runāja caur praviešiem, kurus viņš sūtīja mums. 22 Katrs mēs rīkojāmies pēc sava samaitātā sirdsprāta, kalpojot citiem dieviem, darot ļaunus darbus Kunga, mūsu Dieva, acu priekšā.
