83

of evils; for they advised us to accept the discipline from your just judgment, and to serve the king of Babylon; and we continued to speak against it. And you have fulfilled, Master, all that you foretold through them. And not only were we, the living, given over to slavery; but also the tombs of our fathers, and indeed also of the kings, were torn up from their foundations, so that their bones were thrown out into the open, and were corrupted by the contrary changes of the air. 25. And they died in evil pains, in famine, and by the sword, and in exile. Not only have you given us over to famine, and slaughter, and slavery—for he calls captivity exile—but you have also made desolate your holy temple, which for your name’s sake had become renowned and admired. And yet you did not bring these things upon us in proportion to our impiety, but you tempered justice with loving-kindness. 27. For you have shown, he says, toward us, O Lord our God, all your forbearance, and all your great compassion. And they also remember the threats written in the law; for in the ode he pre-eminently foretold the evils that would befall them: "I will send the teeth of beasts against them." 81.768 And teaching that he calls the enemies beasts, he added: "The sword shall make them childless without, and terror from the chambers." And again, "I will scatter them;" they remember these threats; but they also remember the promise of good things. For you said, he says, that you would extend mercy to those who repent, and would free them from captivity, and restore their former freedom. CHAPTER. 3. 1. O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, the soul in anguish and the weary spirit cry out to you. I see, he says, the excess of our misfortunes, and the greatness of our despondency. "Hear, O Lord, and have mercy, for you are a merciful God; and have mercy, for we have sinned before you." You have an ocean of loving-kindness, you have an abyss of mercy, extend this to those who are in need; for mercy is fitting for those who have sinned and repented. 3. For you are enthroned for ever, and we are perishing for ever. You, he says, are eternal, but we are temporary; you are everlasting and indestructible; but our life is measured by a small measure. The phrase, 'enthroned for ever', he has set down for this. 4. O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel. The word has shown clearly the immortality of the soul. "And of the sons, of those who have sinned before you." You, he says, have said, "The teeth of those who eat the sour grapes shall be set on edge." Look therefore upon the young men who are free from sin, and do not remember the sins of our fathers. "But remember your hand, and your name at this time." Use, he says, your accustomed wonder-working, and as you brought them out of Egypt, so free them from Babylon. 6. For you are the Lord our God. For you are the same, and you have not changed; you have the same power, the same loving-kindness. We will praise you, O Lord, (7.) because for this reason you have put your fear into our hearts, that your name might be called upon. He showed the benefit of the punishment; for having been chastised, he says, we have turned back, "And we will praise you in our exile; for we have turned away in our heart from all the iniquity of our fathers, who sinned before you." We do not follow, he says, our fathers, nor do we walk in their discipline, but we follow your laws. Behold therefore our reproaches, and the harsh slavery, which we endure both because of our own impiety, and the transgression of our fathers. The wondrous Baruch, having placed this prayer of the people in his writing, also sets down the divine response. 81.769 9-11. Hear, O Israel,

83

κακῶν· οὗτοι γὰρ ἡμῖν παρῄνουν τὴν ὑπὸ τῆς δικαίας σου κρίσεως δέξα σθαι παιδείαν, καὶ δουλεῦσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ Βαβυλῶνος· καὶ διετελέσαμεν ἀντιλέγοντες. Καὶ πεπλήρωκας ∆έσποτα, ὅσα δι' ἐκείνων προείρηκας. Καὶ οὐ μόνον ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες παρεδόθημεν δουλείᾳ· ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν οἱ τάφοι, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν βασι λέων, ἀνεσπάσθησαν ἐκ βάθρων, ὡς τὰ ἐκείνων ὀστᾶ ὕπαιθρα ἐῤῥῖφθαι, καὶ ταῖς ἐναντίαις τοῦ ἀέρος μεταβολαῖς διαφθείρεσθαι. κεʹ. Καὶ ἀπεθάνοσαν ἐν πόνοις πονηροῖς, ἐν λιμῷ, καὶ ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ, καὶ ἐν ἀποστολῇ. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἡμᾶς λιμῷ, καὶ σφαγῇ, καὶ δουλείᾳ παρέδωκας· ἀποστολὴν γὰρ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν καλεῖ· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἅγιόν σου νεὼν, τὸν διὰ τὸ σὸν ὄνομα γεγενημέ νον περιφανῆ καὶ περίβλεπτον, ἀπέφηνας ἔρημον. Καὶ ταῦτα μέντοι οὐ πρὸς ἀξίαν τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀσε βείας ἐπήγαγες, ἀλλ' ἐκέρασας φιλανθρωπίᾳ τὸ δίκαιον. κζʹ. Ἐποίησας γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς ἡμᾶς, Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, πᾶσαν ἐπιείκειάν σου, καὶ πάντα οἰκτιρμόν σου τὸν μέγαν. Ἀναμιμνήσκουσι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ γεγραμμένων ἀπειλῶν· διαφερόν τως γὰρ ἐν τῇ ᾠδῇ τὰ συμβησόμενα αὐτοῖς προεῖπε κακά· "Ὀδόντας θηρίων ἀποστελῶ εἰς αὐτούς." 81.768 Καὶ διδάσκων, ὡς τοὺς πολεμίους θῆρας καλεῖ, ἐπ ήγαγεν· "Ἔξωθεν ἀτεκνώσει αὐτοὺς μάχαιρα, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ταμείων φόβος." Καὶ πάλιν, "∆ια σπερῶ αὐτούς·" τούτων ἀναμιμνήσκουσι τῶν ἀπει λῶν· ἀναμιμνήσκουσι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑποσχέ σεως. Εἶπας γὰρ, φησὶ, μεταμελομένοις ὀρέξειν τὸν ἔλεον, καὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐλευθερώσειν, καὶ τὴν προτέραν ἀποδώσειν ἐλευθερίαν. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ. Γʹ. αʹ. Κύριε παντοκράτωρ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· ψυχὴ ἐν στενοῖς, καὶ πνεῦμα ἀκηδιῶν κέκραγε πρὸς σέ. Τὴν ὑπερβολὴν, φησὶ, βλέπω τῶν συμ φορῶν, καὶ τῆς ἀθυμίας τὸ μέγεθος. "Ἄκουσον, Κύριε, καὶ ἐλέησον, ὅτι Θεὸς ἐλεήμων εἶ· καὶ ἐλέησον, ὅτι ἡμάρτομεν ἐναντίον σου." Πέλαγος ἔχεις φιλανθρωπίας, ἄβυσσον ἔχεις ἐλέου, ὄρεξον τοῦτον τοῖς δεομένοις· τοῖς γὰρ ἡμαρτηκόσι καὶ μεταμελουμένοις ἁρμόττει ὁ ἔλεος. γʹ. Ὅτι σὺ καθήμενος τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπολλύμενοι τὸν αἰῶνα. Σὺ, φησὶν, αἰώνιος, ἡμεῖς δὲ πρόσκαιροι· σὺ ἀΐδιος καὶ ἀνώλεθρος· ἡμῶν δὲ ὁ βίος μικρῷ μέτρῳ μετρεῖται. Τὸ καθήμενος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, εἰς τοῦτο τέθεικεν. δʹ. Κύριε παντοκράτωρ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· ἄκουσον δὴ τῆς προσευχῆς τῶν τεθνηκότων Ἰσραήλ. Ἔδειξεν ὁ λόγος σαφῶς τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ ἀθάνατον. "Καὶ τῶν υἱῶν, τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ἐναν τίον σου." Σὺ, φησὶν, εἶπας, "Τῶν φαγόντων τὸν ὄμφακα αἱμωδιάσουσιν οἱ ὀδόντες." Εἰς τὰ μειράκια τοίνυν ἀπόβλεψαι τὰ ἁμαρτίας ἐλεύθερα, καὶ μὴ μνησθῇς τῶν πατρῴων ἁμαρτημάτων. "Ἀλλὰ μνή σθητι τῆς χειρός σου, καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματός σου ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ." Τῇ συνήθει, φησὶ, χρῆσαι θαυμα τουργίᾳ, καὶ ὡς ἐξήγαγες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, οὕτως ἐλευ θέρωσον ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος. ϛʹ. Ὅτι σὺ εἶ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν. Ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ αὐτὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἠλλοίωσαι· τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχεις δύναμιν, τὴν αὐτὴν φιλανθρωπίαν. Αἰνέσομέν σε, Κύριε, (ζʹ.) ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἔδωκας τὸν φόβον σου ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἡμῶν, τοῦ ἐπικλη θῆναι τὸ ὄνομά σου. Ἔδειξε τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν ὄνησιν· παιδευθέντες γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπεστράφημεν, "Καὶ αἰνέσομέν σε ἐν τῇ ἀποικίᾳ ἡμῶν· ὅτι ἀπ εστρέψαμεν ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἡμῶν πᾶσαν ἀδικίαν πατέ ρων ἡμῶν, τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων ἐναντίον σου." Οὐχ ἑπόμεθα, φησὶ, τοῖς πατράσιν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐκείνων παιδείαν ὁδεύομεν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς σοῖς ἀκολουθοῦμεν νόμοις. Βλέπε τοίνυν ἡμῶν τὰ ὀνείδη, καὶ τὴν χαλε πὴν δουλείαν, ἣν ὑπομένομεν διά τε τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀσέβειαν, καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν παρανομίαν. Ταύτην ὁ θαυμάσιος Βαροὺχ τὴν προσευχὴν τοῦ λαοῦ ἐν τεθεικὼς τῷ συγγράμματι, τίθησι καὶ τὴν θείαν ἀπόκρισιν. 81.769 θʹ-ιαʹ. Ἄκουε, Ἰσραὴλ,