Baruch, with the Letter of Jeremiah: "Take Courage, My Children": Wisdom, and the Comfort of Jerusalem (3:9–5:9)

Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life! Give ear to understand wisdom! 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, that you are counted with those who are in Hades? You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom. If you had walked in the way of God, you would have dwelled in peace forever. 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. Who has found out her place? Who has come into her treasuries? Where are the princes of the heathen, and those who ruled the beasts that are on the earth, 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? For those who diligently sought silver, and were so anxious, and whose works are past finding out, they have vanished and gone down to Hades, and others have come up in their place.

Younger men have seen the light and lived upon the earth, but they haven’t known the way of knowledge, nor understood its paths. Their children haven’t embraced it. They are far off from their way. It has not been heard of in Canaan, neither has it been seen in Teman. 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 of these have known the way of wisdom or remembered her paths.

O Israel, how great is the house of God! How large is the place of his possession! It is great and has no end. It is high and unmeasurable. Giants were born that were famous of old, great of stature, and expert in war. God didn’t choose these, nor did he give the way of knowledge to them, so they perished, because they had no wisdom. They perished through their own foolishness. Who has gone up into heaven, taken her, and brought her down from the clouds? Who has gone over the sea, found her, and will bring her for choice gold? There is no one who knows her way, nor any who comprehend her path. But he that knows all things knows her, he found her out with his understanding. He who prepared the earth for all time has filled it with four-footed beasts. It is he who sends forth the light, and it goes. He called it, and it obeyed him with fear. 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. This is our God. No other can be compared to him. 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. Afterward she appeared upon earth, and lived with men.

This is the book of God’s commandments and the law that endures forever. All those who hold it fast will live, but those who leave it will die. Turn, O Jacob, and take hold of it. Walk toward the shining of its light. Don’t give your glory to another, nor the things that are to your advantage to a foreign nation. O Israel, we are happy; for the things that are pleasing to God are made known to us.

Be of good cheer, my people, the memorial of Israel. You were not sold to the nations for destruction, but because you moved God to wrath, you were delivered to your adversaries. For you provoked him who made you by sacrificing to demons and not to God. You forgot the everlasting God who brought you up. You also grieved Jerusalem, who nursed you. For she saw the wrath that came upon you from God, and said, “Listen, you who dwell near Zion; for God has brought upon me great mourning. For I have seen the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Everlasting has brought upon them. For with joy I nourished them, but sent them away with weeping and mourning. Let no man rejoice over me, a widow and forsaken by many. For the sins of my children, I am left desolate, because they turned away from the law of God and had no regard for his statutes. They didn’t walk in the ways of God’s commandments or tread in the paths of discipline in his righteousness. Let those who dwell near Zion come and remember the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Everlasting has brought upon them. For he has brought a nation upon them from afar, a shameless nation with a strange language, who didn’t respect old men or pity children. They have carried away the dear beloved sons of the widow, and left her who was alone desolate of her daughters.”

But I—how can I help you? For he who brought these calamities upon you will deliver you from the hand of your enemies. Go your way, O my children. Go your way, for I am left desolate. I have put off the garment of peace, and put on the sackcloth of my petition. I will cry to the Everlasting as long as I live.

Take courage, my children. Cry to God, and he will deliver you from the power and hand of the enemies. For I have trusted in the Everlasting, that he will save you; and joy has come to me from the Holy One, because of the mercy that will soon come to you from your Everlasting Savior. For I sent you out with mourning and weeping, but God will give you to me again with joy and gladness forever. For as now those who dwell near Zion have seen your captivity, so they will shortly see your salvation from our God which will come upon you with great glory and brightness of the Everlasting. My children, suffer patiently the wrath that has come upon you from God, for your enemy has persecuted you; but shortly you will see his destruction and will tread upon their necks. My delicate ones have traveled rough roads. They were taken away like a flock carried off by enemies.

Take courage, my children, and cry to God; for you will be remembered by him who has brought this upon you. For as it was your decision to go astray from God, return and seek him ten times more. For he who brought these calamities upon you will bring you everlasting joy again with your salvation. Take courage, O Jerusalem, for he who called you by name will comfort you. Miserable are those who afflicted you and rejoiced at your fall. Miserable are the cities which your children served. Miserable is she who received your sons. For as she rejoiced at your fall and was glad of your ruin, so she will be grieved at her own desolation. And I will take away her pride in her great multitude and her boasting will be turned into mourning. For fire will come upon her from the Everlasting for many days; and she will be inhabited by demons for a long time.

O Jerusalem, look around you toward the east, and behold the joy that comes to you from God. Behold, your sons come, whom you sent away. They come gathered together from the east to the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing in the glory of God.

Take off the garment of your mourning and affliction, O Jerusalem, and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God. Put on the robe of the righteousness from God. Set on your head a diadem of the glory of the Everlasting. For God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven. For your name will be called by God forever “Righteous Peace, Godly Glory”.

Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand upon the height. Look around you toward the east and see your children gathered from the going down of the sun to its rising at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that God has remembered them. For they went from you on foot, being led away by their enemies, but God brings them in to you carried on high with glory, on a royal throne. For God has appointed that every high mountain and the everlasting hills should be made low, and the valleys filled up to make the ground level, that Israel may go safely in the glory of God. Moreover the woods and every sweet smelling tree have shaded Israel by the commandment of God. For God will lead Israel with joy in the light of his glory with the mercy and righteousness that come from him.