The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Baruch 03
1 O Lord Almighty, you God of Israel,
the soul in anguish and the troubled spirit
cries to you.
2 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy; for you
are a merciful God. Yes, have mercy upon
us, because we have sinned before you.
3 For you are enthroned forever, and we
keep perishing.
4 O Lord Almighty, you God of Israel,
hear now the prayer of the dead Israelites,
and of the children of those who were
sinners before you, who didn’t listen to
the voice of you their God; because of this,
these plagues cling to us.
5 Don’t remember the iniquities of our
fathers, but remember your power and
your name at this time.
6 For you are the Lord our God, and we
will praise you, O Lord.
7 For this cause, youhaveput your fear in
our hearts, to the intent that we should call
upon your name. We will praise you in our
captivity, for we have called to mind all the
iniquity of our fathers who sinned before you.
8 Behold, we are yet this day in our captivity
where you have scattered us, for a
reproach and a curse, and to be subject to
penalty according to all the iniquities of
our fathers who departed from the Lord our God.
9 Hear, O Israel, the commandments of
life! Give ear to understand wisdom!
10 How is it, O Israel, that you are in your
enemies’ land,that you have become old in
a strange country, that you are defiled with
the dead,
11 that you are counted with those who
are in Hades?
12 You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.
13 If you had walked in the way of God,
you would have dwelled in peace forever.
14 Learn where there is wisdom, where
there is strength, and where there is
understanding, that you may also know
where there is length of days and life,
where there is the light of the eyes and peace.
15 Who has found out her place? Who
has come into her treasuries?
16 Where are the princes of the heathen,
and those who ruled the beasts that are on
the earth,
17 those who had their pastime with the
fowls of the air, and those who hoarded up
silver and gold, in which people trust, and
of their getting there is no end?
18 For those who diligently sought silver,
and were so anxious, and whose works are
past finding out,
19 they have vanished and gone down to Hades,
and others have come up in their place.
20 Younger men have seen the light and
lived upon the earth, but they haven’t
known the way of knowledge,
21 nor understood its paths. Their children
haven’t embraced it. They are far off
from their way.
22 It has not been heard of in Canaan,
neither has it been seen in Teman.
23 The sons also of Agar who seek understanding,
which are in the land, the merchants of Merran and
Teman, and the authors of fables, and the searchers out of
understanding—none ofthesehave known the way of
wisdom or remembered her paths.
24 O Israel, how greatis the house of God!
How large is the place of his possession!
25 Itis great and has no end. Itis high and
unmeasurable.
26 Giants were born that were famous of
old, great of stature, and expert in war.
27 God didn’t choose these, nor did he
give the way of knowledge to them,
28 so they perished, because they had no
wisdom. They perished through their own
foolishness.
29 Who has gone up into heaven, taken
her, and brought her down from the
clouds?
30 Who has gone over the sea, found her,
and will bring her for choice gold?
31 There is no one who knows her way,
nor any who comprehend her path.
32 But he that knows all things knows
her, he found her out with his understanding.
He who prepared the earth for alltime
has filled it with four-footed beasts.
33 It is he who sends forth the light, and
it goes. He called it, and it obeyed him with
fear.
34 The stars shone in their watches, and
were glad. When he called them, they said,
“Here we are.” They shone with gladness
to him who made them.
35 This is our God. No other can be
compared to him.
36 He has found out all the way of knowledge,
and has given it to Jacob his servant
and to Israel who is loved by him.
37 Afterward she appeared upon earth,
and lived with men.