4. Anon., 4 Baruch, 3.2, 3.4-3.12, 6.1-6.2, 7.1-7.13, 7.17-7.18, 7.22-7.31
| 3.2. And behold, there came a sound of trumpets; and angels emerged fromheaven holding torches in their hands, and they set them on the wallsof the city. 3.4. And Jeremiah besought the angels, saying: I beseech you, do not destroy the city yet, until I say something to the Lord. 3.5. And the Lord spoke to the angels, saying: Do not destroy the city until I speak to my chosen one, Jeremiah. 3.6. Then Jeremiah spoke, saying: I beg you, Lord, bid me to speak in your presence. 3.7. And the Lord said: Speak, my chosen one Jeremiah. 3.8. And Jeremiah said: Behold, Lord, now we know that you are delivering the city into the hands of its enemies, and they will take the people away to Babylon. What do you want me to do with the holy vessels of the temple service? 3.10. And the Lord said to him: Take them and consign them to the earth, saying: Hear, Earth, the voice of your creator who formed you in the abundance of waters, who sealed you with seven seals for seven epochs, and after this you will receive your ornaments (?) -- 3.11. Guard the vessels of the temple service until the gathering of the beloved. 3.12. And Jeremiah spoke, saying: I beseech you, Lord, show me what I should do for Abimelech the Ethiopian, for he has done many kindnesses to your servant Jeremiah. 6.1. After this, Abimelech went out of the city and prayed to the Lord. 6.2. And behold, an angel of the Lord came and took him by the right handand brought him back to where Baruch was sitting, and he found him ina tomb. 7.1. And Baruch got up and departed from the tomb and found the eaglesitting outside the tomb. 7.2. And the eagle said to him in a human voice: Hail, Baruch, steward of the faith. 7.3. And Baruch said to him: You who speak are chosen from among all the birds of heaven, for this is clear from the gleam of your eyes; tell me, then, what are you doing here? 7.4. And the eagle said to him: I was sent here so that you might through me send whatever message you want. 7.5. And Baruch said to him: Can you carry this message to Jeremiah in Babylon? 7.6. And the eagle said to him: Indeed, it was for this reason I was sent. 7.7. And Baruch took the letter, and 15 figs from Abimelech's basket, andtied them to the eagle's neck and said to him: I say to you, king of the birds, go in peace with good health and carry the message for me. 7.8. Do not be like the raven which Noah sent out and which never came back to him in the ark; but be like the dove which, the third time, brought a report to the righteous one. 7.9. So you also, take this good message to Jeremiah and to those in bondage with him, that it may be well with you-take this papyrus to the people and to the chosen one of God. 7.10. Even if all the birds of heaven surround you and want to fight with you, struggle -- the Lord will give you strength. 7.11. And do not turn aside to the right or to the left, but straight as a speeding arrow, go in the power of God, and the glory of the Lord will be with you the entire way. 7.12. Then the eagle took flight and went away to Babylon, having theletter tied to his neck; and when he arrived he rested on a postoutside the city in a desert place. 7.13. And he kept silent until Jeremiah came along, for he and some of thepeople were coming out to bury a corpse outside the city. 7.17. And when Jeremiah heard this, he glorified God; and he went andgathered together the people along with their wives and children, andhe came to where the eagle was. 7.18. And the eagle came down on the corpse, and it revived. 7.22. And when the people heard it, they wept and put dust on their heads,and they said to Jeremiah: Deliver us and tell us what to do that we may once again enter our city. 7.23. And Jeremiah answered and said to them: Do whatever you heard from the letter, and the Lord will lead us into our city. 7.24. And Jeremiah wrote a letter to Baruch, saying thus: My beloved son, do not be negligent in your prayers, beseeching God on our behalf, that he might direct our way until we come out of the jurisdiction of this lawless king. 7.25. For you have been found righteous before God, and he did not let you come here, lest you see the affliction which has come upon the people at the hands of the Babylonians. 7.26. For it is like a father with an only son, who is given over for punishment; and those who see his father and console him cover his face, lest he see how his son is being punished, and be even more ravaged by grief. 7.27. For thus God took pity on you and did not let you enter Babylon lest you see the affliction of the people. 7.28. For since we came here, grief has not left us, for 66 years today. 7.29. For many times when I went out I found some of the people hung up by king Nebuchadnezzar, crying and saying:"Have mercy on us, God-ZAR! 7.30. When I heard this, I grieved and cried with two-fold mourning, not only because they were hung up, but because they were calling on a foreign God, saying "Have mercy on us. 7.31. But I remembered days of festivity which we celebrated in Jerusalem before our captivity; and when I remembered, I groaned, and returned to my house wailing and weeping. |
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