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For this reason, he threatens to hand them over to their enemies, and to set forth their bodies as food for wild beasts; and to place the yoke of slavery upon the king and the rulers. CHAPTER 35. Having concluded this prophecy, he recalls an older prediction. For in the days of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, he was commanded to bring the sons of Rechab into the divine temple, and in one of the courts to offer them wine. And I, he says, have fulfilled what was commanded, and having set before them full jars of wine, I urged them to drink. But they spoke against it, saying: We will not drink wine; because Jonadab son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying: You and your sons shall not drink wine, forever. (ζʹ) And you shall not build houses, and you shall not sow seed, and you shall not plant vineyards, nor shall you have any; but you shall dwell in tents all your days; so that you may live many days on the land where you sojourn. And having heard these words, he says, we have kept our father's commandments, with our wives and sons; and we have neither built 81.681 houses, nor have we attended to agriculture; but we have continued living in tents until the present; but now that the Babylonians have come, we were forced to take refuge in this city. It is worthy to marvel both at the father's legislation, and at the obedience of his sons and descendants; for they loved the carefree and possessionless life, and what is most paradoxical of all, that having children they cared little for possessions, having made their own affairs dependent on divine hope. But if in the time of the law, which did not have perfection, on account of the weakness of those for whom the law was made, these men embraced the highest philosophy, what would they have become having heard the law of the Gospel? But the God of all commands the prophet to say to all who dwell in Jerusalem, that these men, keeping their father's commandment, did not want to drink wine; but you, though receiving prophetic teachings night and day, do not live according to my laws. For this reason, I will bring upon you all kinds of disasters, but to the descendants of Rechab, who kept their father's commandment, he promises the best of good things. ιθʹ. There will not fail, he says, a man from the sons of Jonadab, son of Rechab, to stand before my face, for all the days of the earth. It must be known, however, that everyone who keeps those laws, is called a son of Jonadab, son of Rechab. CHAPTER 36. After these things he says that he was commanded to write down the entire prophecy. And he calls the scrolls a 'roll of a book,' which the Jews are fond of using even to the present day. For it is likely, he says, that having learned more precisely the threatened evils, they might attain salvation through repentance; and the prophet does what was commanded. And he, being moved by divine grace, brought forth the oracles; and Baruch wrote them down. And since he was prevented from entering the divine temple (for he was imprisoned), he instructs Baruch to read to the people what had been written; and after a long time had passed, when a public fast was being held, Baruch read the prophecy; and one of those who heard, being moved more piously, reports the threatened evils to the rulers; and they sent for Baruch, and commanded him to read, and being filled with fear they hastened to learn who the writer of these things was. And Baruch explained that Jeremiah, being inspired by divine grace, instructed me to write these things. And the rulers gave the book to the royal scribe; and they advised Baruch to flee; and they reported what was written to the king. And he brought the scribe, and commands him to read. But being impious, and

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∆ιάτοι τοῦτο ἀπειλεῖ παραδώσειν αὐτοὺς τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, καὶ τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν βορὰν τοῖς θηρίοις προθήσειν· καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἐπιθήσειν τὸν τῆς δουλείας ζυγόν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΕʹ. Ταύτην συμπεράνας τὴν προφητείαν, πρεσβυτέρας ἀναμιμνήσκει προῤῥήσεως. Ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἰωακεὶμ, υἱοῦ Ἰωσίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα, τοὺς υἱοὺςῬηχὰβ εἰς τὸν θεῖον ναὸν εἰσαγαγεῖν προσετάχθη, καὶ ἐν μιᾷ τῶν αὐλῶν οἶνον τούτοις προσενεγκεῖν. Ἐγὼ δὲ, φησὶ, τὸ προσταχθὲν πεπλήρωκα, καὶ κερά μια οἴνου πλήρη προτεθεικὼς, παρηγγύων πιεῖν. Ἀντέλεγον δὲ ἐκεῖνοι, λέγοντες· Οὐ μὴ πίωμεν οἶνον· ὅτι Ἰωναδὰβ υἱὸς Ῥηχὰβ, ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν, ἐνετείλατο ἡμῖν, εἰπών· Οὐ μὴ πίητε οἶνον ὑμεῖς, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν, ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. (ζʹ) Καὶ οἰκίας οὐ μὴ οἰκοδομήσητε, καὶ σπέρμα μὴ σπείρητε, καὶ ἀμπελῶνας μὴ φυτεύσητε, μηδὲ ἔστω ὑμῖν· ἀλλ' ἐν σκηναῖς κατοικήσετε πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ὑμῶν· ὅπως ζήσητε ἡμέρας πολλὰς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐφ' ἧς ὑμεῖς διατρίβετε ἐπ' αὐτῆς. Τούτων δὲ, φησὶν, ἡμεῖς τῶν λόγων ἀκούσαντες, τὰς πατρῴας ἐφυλάξαμεν ἐντο λὰς, σὺν ταῖς γυναιξὶ καὶ τοῖς υἱέσι· καὶ οὔτε οἰκίας 81.681 ἐδειμάμεθα, οὔτε γεωργίας ἐπεμελήθημεν· ἀλλ' ἐν σκηναῖς οἰκοῦντες μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος διετελέσαμεν· νῦν δὲ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων ἐπελθόντων, εἰς τήνδε τὴν πόλιν καταφυγεῖν ἠναγκάσθημεν. Θαυμάσαι δὲ ἄξιον καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν νομοθεσίαν, καὶ τῶν υἱῶν καὶ τῶν ἀπογόνων τὴν εὐπείθειαν· τὸν γὰρ ἀφρόντιδα καὶ ἀκτήμονα βίον ἠγάπησαν, καὶ τὸ πάντων παρα δοξότατον, ὅτι παῖδας ἔχοντες ὠλιγώρουν τῆς κτή σεως, τῆς θείας ἐλπίδος τὸ κατὰ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐξαρ τήσαντες. Εἰ δὲ κατὰ τὸν τοῦ νόμου καιρὸν, ὃς οὐκ εἶχε τὴν τελειότητα, διὰ τὴν τῶν νομοθετουμένων ἀσθένειαν, τὴν ἄκραν οὗτοι φιλοσοφίαν ἠσπάσαντο, τίνες ἂν ἐγένοντο τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν ἀκούσαντες νό μον; Ἀλλ' ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς κελεύει τῷ προφήτῃ, ἅπασιν εἰπεῖν τοῖς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοῦσιν, ὅτι Οὗτοι μὲν τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς φυλάττοντες ἐντολὴν, πιεῖν οὐκ ἠθέλησαν οἶνον· ὑμεῖς δὲ, καὶ προφητικὰς διδα σκαλίας νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν δεχόμενοι, κατὰ τοὺς ἐμοὺς οὐ πολιτεύεσθε νόμους. Οὗ δὴ χάριν, ὑμῖν ἐπάξω παντοδαπὰς συμφορὰς, τοῖς δὲ τοῦ Ῥηχὰβ ἀπογόνοις, τὴν πατρῴαν φυλάξασιν ἐντολὴν, τὸ κάλ λιστον τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγέλλεται. ιθʹ. Οὐ μὴ ἐκλείψει, φησὶν, ἀνὴρ ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰωναδὰβ, υἱοῦ Ῥηχὰβ, παρεστηκὼς κατὰ πρόσωπόν μου, πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς γῆς. Ἰστέον μέντοι, ὡς ἅπας ἐκείνους φυλάττων τοὺς νόμους, υἱὸς Ἰωναδὰβ υἱοῦ Ῥηχὰβ χρηματίζει. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Λϛʹ. Μετὰ ταῦτα λέγει, ὡς προσετάχθη πᾶσαν συγ γράψαι τὴν προφητείαν. Κεφαλίδα δὲ βιβλίου καλεῖ τὰ εἰλήματα, οἷς μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος φίλον Ἰουδαίοις κεχρῆσθαι. Εἰκὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀκριβέ στερον αὐτοὺς μεμαθηκότας τὰ ἀπειληθέντα κακὰ, διὰ τῆς μεταμελείας τῆς σωτηρίας τυχεῖν· ποιεῖ δὲ τὸ προσταχθὲν ὁ προφήτης. Καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν, ὑπὸ τῆς θείας ἐνεργούμενος χάριτος, προσέφερε τοὺς χρη σμούς· ἔγραφε δὲ τούτους ὁ Βαρούχ. Καὶ ἐπειδήπερ εἰς τὸν θεῖον νεὼν εἰσελθεῖν ἐκωλύετο, (καθεῖρκτο γὰρ,) τῷ Βαροὺχ παρεγγυᾷ ἀναγνῶναι τῷ λαῷ τὰ συγγεγραμμένα· καὶ συχνοῦ διελθόντος χρόνου, δη μοτελοῦς ἐπιτελουμένης νηστείας, ὁ Βαροὺχ ἀνέγνω τὴν προφητείαν· εἷς δὲ τῶν ἀκουσάντων, εὐσεβέ στερον κινηθεὶς, μηνύει τοῖς ἄρχουσι τὰ ἠπειλημένα κακά· οἱ δὲ τὸν Βαροὺχ μετεστείλαντο, καὶ ἀναγνῶναι προσέταξαν, καὶ δέους ἐμπλησθέντες τὸν τούτων μαθεῖν ἐσπούδασαν συγγραφέα. Ὁ δὲ Βαροὺχ ἐδί δαξεν, ὡς Ἱερεμίας ὑπὸ τῆς θείας ἐμπνεόμενος χάριτος ταῦτά μοι παρηγγύησε γράψαι. Οἱ δὲ ἄρχον τες τὸ βιβλίον ἔδοσαν τῷ βασιλικῷ γραμματεῖ· τῷ δὲ Βαροὺχ φυγεῖν παρηγγύησαν· ἐμήνυσαν δὲ τὰ συγ γεγραμμένα τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ὁ δὲ ἤγαγε μὲν τὸν γραμ ματέα, καὶ ἀναγνῶναι κελεύει. ∆υσσεβὴς δὲ ὢν, καὶ