Second Baruch

The Second Book of Baruch also known as The Apocalypse of Baruch the Son of Neriah
Edits, corrections and cross references by The Firmament

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Chapter 1

1:1 “And it happened in the twenty-fifth year of Jeconiah, the king of Judah, that the word of the Lord came to Baruch, the son of Neriah,”
1:2 “And said to him: Have you seen all that this people are doing to me, the evil things which the two tribes which remained have done – more than the ten tribes which were carried away into captivity?”
1:3 “For the former tribes were forced by their kings to sin, but these two have themselves forced and compelled their kings to sin.”
1:4 “Behold, therefore, I shall bring evil upon this city and its inhabitants. And it will be taken away from before my presence for a time. And I shall scatter this people among the nations that they may do good to the nations.”
1:5 “And my people will be chastened, and the time will come that they will look for that which can make their times prosperous.”

Chapter 2

2:1 “This, then, I have said to you that you may say to Jeremiah and all those who are like you that you may retire from this city. For your works are for this city like a firm pillar and your prayers like a strong wall.”

Chapter 3

3:1 “And I said: O Lord, my Lord, have I therefore come into the world to see the evil things of my mother?”
3:2 “No, my Lord. If I have found grace in your eyes, take away my spirit first that I may go to my fathers and I may not see the destruction of my mother.”
3:3 “For from two sides I am hard pressed: I cannot resist you, but my soul also cannot behold the evil of my mother.”
3:4 “But one thing I shall say in your presence, O Lord: Now, what will happen after these things?”
3:5 “For if you destroy your city and deliver up your country to those who hate us, how will the name of Israel be remembered again?”
3:6 “Or how shall we speak again about your glorious deeds? Or to whom again will that which is in your Law be explained?”
3:7 “Or will the universe return to its nature and the world go back to its original silence?”
3:8 “And will the multitude of the souls be taken away and will not the nature of man be mentioned again?”
3:9 “And where is all that which you said to Moses about us?”

Chapter 4

4:1 “And the Lord said to me: This city will be delivered up for a time, And the people will be chastened for a time, And the world will not be forgotten.”
4:2 “Or do you think that this is the city of which I said: On the palms of my hands I have carved you?”
4:3 “It is not this building that is in your midst now; it is that which will be revealed, with me, that was already prepared from the moment that I decided to create Paradise. And I showed it to Adam before he sinned. But when he transgressed the commandment, it was taken away from him – as also Paradise.”
4:4 “After these things I showed it to my servant Abraham in the night between the portions of the victims.”
4:5 “And again I showed it also to Moses on Mount Sinai when I showed him the likeness of the tabernacle and all its vessels.”
4:6 “Behold, now it is preserved with me – as also Paradise.”
4:7 “Now go away and do as I command you.”

Chapter 5

5:1 “And I answered and said: So then I shall be guilty in Zion, that your haters will come to this place and pollute your sanctuary, and carry off your heritage into captivity, and rule over them whom you love. And then they will go away again to the land of their idols, and boast before them. And what have you done to your great name?”
5:2 “And the Lord said to me: My name and my glory shall last unto eternity. My judgment, however shall assert its rights in its own time.”
5:3 “And you shall see with your eyes that the enemy shall not destroy Zion and burn Jerusalem, but that they shall serve the Judge for a time.”
5:4 “You, however, go away and do all which I have said to you.”
5:5 “And I went away and took with me Jeremiah and Adu and Seraiah and Jabish and Gedaliah and all the nobles of the people. And I brought them to the valley of Kidron and told them all which had been said to me.”
5:6 “And they raised their voices and they all lamented.”
5:7 “And we sat there and fasted until the evening.”

Chapter 6

6:1 “Now it happened on the following day that, behold, an army of the Chaldeans surrounded the city. And in the evening I, Baruch, left the people, went outside, and set myself by an oak.”
6:2 “And I was grieving over Zion and sighed because of the captivity which had come upon the people.”
6:3 “And behold, suddenly a strong spirit lifted me and carried me above the wall of Jerusalem.”
6:4 “And I say, and behold, there were standing four angels at the four corners of the city, each of them with a burning torch in his hands.”
6:5 “And another angel came down from heaven and said to them, “Hold your torches and do not light them before I say it to you.”
6:6 “Because I was sent first to speak a word to the earth and then to deposit in it what the Lord, the Most High, has commanded me.”
6:7 “And I saw that he descended in the Holy of Holies and that he took from there the veil, the holy ephod, the mercy seat, and two tablets, the holy raiment of the priests, the altar of incense, the forty-eight precious stones with which the priests were clothed, and all the vessels of the tabernacle.”
6:8 “And said to the earth with a loud voice: Earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the mighty God, and receive the things which I commit to you, and guard them until the last times, so that you may restore them when you are ordered, so that strangers may not get possession of them.”
6:9 “For the time has arrived when Jerusalem will also be delivered up for a time, until the moment that it will be said that it will be restored forever. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up.”

Chapter 7

7:1 “And after these things I heard this angel saying to the angels who held the torches: Now destroy the walls and overthrow them to their foundation so that the enemies do not boast and say, “We have overthrown the wall of Zion and we have burnt down the place of the mighty God.” And they restored me to the place where I once stood.”

Chapter 8

8:1 “Now the angels did as he had commanded them; and when they had broken up the corners of the wall, a voice was heard from the midst of the temple after the wall had fallen, saying:”
8:2 “Enter, enemies, and come, adversaries, because he who guarded the house has left it.”
8:3 “And I, Baruch, went away.”
8:4 “And it happened after these things that the army of the Chaldeans entered and seized the house and all that is around it.”
8:5 “And they carried away the people into captivity and killed some of them. And they put King Zedekiah in irons and sent him to the king of Babylon.”

Chapter 9

9:1 “And I, Baruch, came with Jeremiah, whose heart was found to be pure from sins, and who was not captured during the seizure of the city;”
9:2 “And we rent our garments, and wept and mourned, and fasted for seven days.”

Chapter 10

10:1 “And it happened after seven days that the word of God came to me and said to me:”
10:2 “Tell Jeremiah to go away in order to support the captives unto Babylon.”
10:3 “You, however, stay here in the desolation of Zion and I shall show you after these days what will happen at the end of days.”
10:4 “And I spoke to Jeremiah as the Lord commanded me.”
10:5 “He, then, went away with the people, but I, Baruch, came back and sat in front of the doors of the Temple, and I raised the following lamentations over Zion and said:”
10:6 “Blessed is he who was not born, or he who was born and died.”
10:7 “But we, the living, woe to us, because we have seen these afflictions of Zion, and that which has befallen Jerusalem.”
10:8 “I shall call the Sirens from the sea, and you, Lilin, come from the desert, and you, demons and dragons from the woods. Awake and gird up your loins to mourn, and raise lamentations with me, and mourn with me.”
10:9 “You, farmers, sow not again. And you, O earth, why do you give the fruit of your harvest? Keep within you the sweetness of your sustenance.”
10:10 “And you, vine, why do you still give your wine? For an offering will not be given again from you in Zion, and the firstfruits will not again be offered.”
10:11 “And you, heaven, keep your dew within you, and do not open the treasuries of rain.”
10:12 “And you, sun, keep the light of your rays within you. And you, moon, extinguish the multitude of your light. For why should the light rise again, where the light of Zion is darkened?”
10:13 “And you, bridegrooms, do not enter, and do not let the brides adorn themselves. And you, wives, do not pray to bear children,”
10:14 “For the barren will rejoice more. And those who have children will be sad.”
10:15 “For why do they bear in pains only to bury in grief?”
10:16 “Or why should men have children again? Or why should the generation of their kind be named again, where this mother is lonely, and her children have been carried away in captivity?”
10:17 “Henceforth, do not speak anymore of beauty, and do not talk about gracefulness.”
10:18 “You, priests, take the keys of the sanctuary, and cast them to the highest heaven, and give them to the Lord and say, “Guard your house yourself, because, behold, we have been found to be false stewards.”
10:19 “And you, virgins who spin fine linen, and silk with gold of Ophir, make haste and take all things, and cast them into the fire, so that it may carry them to him who made them. And the flame sends them to him who created them, so that the enemies do not take possession of them.”

Chapter 11

11:1 “Now this I, Baruch, say to you, O Babylon: if you had lived in happiness and Zion in its glory, it would have been a great sorrow to us that you had been equal to Zion.”
11:2 “But now, behold, the grief is infinite and the lamentation is immeasurable, because, behold, you are happy and Zion has been destroyed.”
11:3 “Who will judge over these things? Or to whom shall we complain about that which has befallen us?”
11:4 “O Lord, how have you borne it? Our fathers went to rest without grief and behold, the righteous sleep at rest in the earth.”
11:5 “For they did not know this anguish nor did they hear that which has befallen us.”
11:6 “Would that you had ears, O earth, and would that you had a heart, O dust, so that you might go and announce in the realm of death and say to the dead,”
11:7 “You are more happy than we who live.”

Chapter 12

12:1 “But I shall say as I think and I shall speak to you, O land, that which is happy.”
12:2 “The afternoon will not always burn nor will the rays of the sun always give light.”
12:3 “Do not think and do not expect that you will always have happiness and joy, and do not raise yourself too much and do not oppress.”
12:4 “For surely wrath will arise against you in its own time, because long-suffering is now held back, as it were, by reins.”
12:5 “And having said these things, I fasted for seven days.”

Chapter 13

13:1 “And after these things, it happened that I, Baruch, was standing on Mount Zion and, behold, a voice came from the high heavens, saying to me:”
13:2 “Stand upon your feet, Baruch, and hear the word of the mighty God.”
13:3 “Because you have been astonished at that which has befallen Zion, you will surely be preserved until the end of times to be for a testimony.”
13:4 “This means that if these happy cities will ever say, “Why has the mighty God brought upon us this retribution?”
13:5 “You and those who are like you, those who have seen this evil and retribution coming over you and your nation in their own time, may say to them that the nations will be thoroughly punished.”
13:6 “And this they may expect.”
13:7 “And when they say in that time, “When?”, you will say to them:”
13:8 “You who have drunk the clarified wine, you now drink its dregs, for the judgment of the Most High is impartial.”
13:9 “Therefore, he did not spare his own sons first, but he afflicted them as his enemies because they sinned.”
13:10 “Therefore, they were once punished, that they might be forgiven.”
13:11 “But now, you nations and tribes, you are guilty, because you have trodden the earth all this time, and because you have used creation unrighteously.”
13:12 “For I have always benefited you, and you have always denied the beneficence.”

Chapter 14

14:1 “And I answered and said: Behold, you have shown me the course of times, and that which will happen after these things.”
14:2 “And you have told me that the retribution of that which has been spoken by you will come upon the nations. And now, I know there are many who have sinned and who have lived in happiness and who have left the world, but there will be few nations left in those times to which those words can be spoken which you said.”
14:3 “For what is the advantage of this, or what evil worse than that which we have seen befall us can we expect to see?”
14:4 “But I will continue to speak before you.”
14:5 “What have they profited who have knowledge before you, and who did not walk in vanity like the rest of the nations, and who did not say to the dead: “Give life to us,” but always feared you and did not leave your ways?”
14:6 “And, behold, they have been diligent, and nevertheless, you had no mercy on Zion on their account.”
14:7 “And if there are others who did evil, Zion should have been forgiven on account of the works of those who did good works and should not have been overwhelmed because of the works of those who acted unrighteously.”
14:8 “O Lord, my Lord, who can understand your judgment? Who can explore the depth of your way?”
14:9 “Or who can discern the majesty of your path? Or who can discern your incomprehensible counsel? Or who of those who are born has ever discovered the beginning and the end of your wisdom?”
14:10 “For we all have been made like breath.”
14:11 “For as breath ascends without human control and vanishes, so it is with the nature of men, who do not go away according to their own will, and who do not know what will happen to them in the end.”
14:12 “For the righteous justly have good hope for the end and go away from this habitation without fear because they possess with you a store of good works which is preserved in treasuries.”
14:13 “Therefore, they leave this world without fear and are confident of the world which you have promised to them with an expectation full of joy.”
14:14 “But woe to those of us who have also now been treated shamefully and who await evils at that time.”
14:15 “But you know exactly what you have made of your servants, for we are not able to understand that which is good like you, our Creator.”
14:16 “I shall continue to speak before your presence, O Lord, my Lord.”
14:17 “When in the beginning the world did not exist with its inhabitants, you devised and spoke by means of your word and at the same time the works of your creation stood before you.”
14:18 “And you said that you would make a man for this world as a guardian over your works that it should be known that he was not created for the world, but the world for him.”
14:19 “And now, I see that the world which was made for us, behold, it remains; but we, for whom it was made, depart.”

Chapter 15

15:1 “And the Lord answered and said to me: You are rightly astonished about man’s departure, but your judgment about the evils which befell those who sin is incorrect.”
15:2 “And with regard to what you say about the righteous who are taken away and the wicked ones who are happy,”
15:3 “And with regard to what you say that man does not know your judgment,”
15:4 “For this reason, now, listen and I shall speak to you; pay attention and I shall let my words be heard.”
15:5 “It is true that man would not have understood my judgment if he had not received the Law and if he were not instructed with understanding.”
15:6 “But now, because he trespassed, having understanding, he will be punished because he has understanding.”
15:7 “And with regard to the righteous ones, those whom you said the world has come on their account, yes, also that which is coming is on their account.”
15:8 “For this world is to them a struggle and an effort with much trouble. And that accordingly which will come, a crown with great glory.”

Chapter 16

16:1 “And I answered and said: O Lord, my Lord, behold, the present years are few and evil, and who can inherit that which is immeasurable in this short time?”

Chapter 17

17:1 “And the Lord answered and said to me: With the Most High no account is taken of much time and of few years.”
17:2 “For what did it profit Adam that he lived nine hundred and thirty years and transgressed that which he was commanded?”
17:3 “Therefore, the multitude of time that he lived did not profit him, but it brought death and cut off the years of those who were born from him.”
17:4 “Or what did it harm Moses that he lived only one hundred and twenty years and, because he subjected himself to him who created him, he brought the Law to the descendants of Jacob and he lighted a lamp to the generations of Israel?”

Chapter 18

18:1 “And I answered and said: He who lighted took from the light, and there are few who imitated him.”
18:2 “But many whom he illuminated took from the darkness of Adam and did not rejoice in the light of the lamp.”

Chapter 19

19:1 “And he answered and said to me: Therefore he appointed a covenant for them at that time and said, “Behold, I appoint for you life and death,” and he called heaven and earth as a witness against them.”
19:2 “For he knew that his time was short, but that heaven and earth will stay forever.”
19:3 “They, however, sinned and trespassed after his death, although they knew that they had the Law to reprove them and that light in which nothing could err, apart from the spheres, which witnessed, and me. And I judge everything that exists.”
19:4 “You, however, should not think about this in your heart and you should not be afflicted because of the things which have been.”
19:5 “For now the end of times is at stake whether it be property, happiness, or shame; and not its beginning.”
19:6 “For when a man is happy in his youth and is treated badly in his old age, he forgets all happiness he possessed.”
19:7 “And further, when a man is badly treated in his youth but will be happy in the end, he does not remember his disgrace anymore.”
19:8 “And further, listen: Even if everyone had been happy continually since the day death was decreed against those who trespassed, but was destroyed in the end, everything would have been in vain.”

Chapter 20

20:1 “Therefore, behold, the days will come and the times will hasten, more than the former, and the periods will hasten more than those which are gone, and the years will pass more quickly than the present ones.”
20:2 “Therefore, I now took away Zion to visit the world in its own time more speedily.”
20:3 “Now, however, remember everything which I commanded you and seal it in the interior of your mind.”
20:4 “And then I shall show you my strong judgment and my unexplorable ways.”
20:5 “Therefore, go away and sanctify yourself for seven days and do not eat bread and do not drink water and do not speak to anybody.”
20:6 “And after this time come to this place, and I shall reveal myself to you, and I shall speak to you true things, and I shall command you with regard to the course of times, for they will come and will not tarry.”

Chapter 21

21:1 “I went from there and sat in the valley of Kidron in a cave of the earth and sanctified myself there and ate no bread, but I was not hungry; I drank no water, but I was not thirsty. And I stayed there until the seventh day as he had commanded me.”
21:2 “And after this I came to the place where he had spoken with me.”
21:3 “And it happened at sunset that my soul received many thoughts, and I began to speak in the presence of the Mighty One, and said:”
21:4 “O hear me, you who created the earth, the one who fixed the firmament by the word and fastened the height of heaven by the spirit, the one who in the beginning of the world called that which did not yet exist and they obeyed you.”
21:5 “You who gave commandments to the air with your sign and have seen the things which are to come as well as those which have passed.”
21:6 “You who reign with great thoughts over the powers which stand before you, and who rules with indignation the countless holy beings, who are flame and fire, whom you created from the beginning, those who stand around your throne.”
21:7 “For you alone all this exists so that you may create at once all that you want.”
21:8 “You are the one who causes the rain to fall on earth with a specific number of raindrops. You alone know the end of times before it has arrived. Hear my prayer.”
21:9 “For only you can sustain those who exist, those who have gone and those who will come, those who sin and those who have proved themselves to be righteous, since you are the Living One, the Inscrutable One.”
21:10 “For you are the only Living One, the Immortal One and the Inscrutable One, and you know the number of men.”
21:11 “And while many have sinned once, many others have proved themselves to be righteous.”
21:12 “You know where you have preserved the end of those who have sinned or the fulfillment of those who have proved themselves to be righteous.”
21:13 “For if only this life exists which everyone possesses here, nothing could be more bitter than this.”
21:14 “For of what help is strength which changes into weakness, or food in abundance which changes into famine, or beauty which changes into ugliness?”
21:15 “For the nature of men is always changeable.”
21:16 “For as we were once, we are no longer, and as we are now, we shall not remain in the future.”
21:17 “For if an end of all things had not been prepared, their beginning would have been senseless.”
21:18 “But let me know all that which comes from you, and regarding that which I ask you, enlighten me.”
21:19 “How long will corruption remain, and until when will the time of mortals be in this world?”
21:20 “Therefore, command mercifully and confirm all that you have said that you would do so that your power will be recognized by those who believe that your long-suffering means weakness”
21:21 “And now show it to them, those who do not know, but who have seen that which has befallen us and our city, up to now, that it is in agreement with the long-suffering of your power, because you called us a beloved people on account of your name.”
21:22 “From now, therefore, everything is in a state of dying.”
21:23 “Therefore, reprove the angel of death, and let your glory appear, and let the greatness of your beauty be known, and let the realm of death be sealed so that it may not receive the dead from this time, and let the treasuries of the souls restore those who are enclosed in them.”
21:24 “For as many years have passed as those which passed since the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all those who were like them, who sleep in the earth – those on whose account you have said you have created the world.”
21:25 “And now, show your glory soon and do not postpone that which was promised by you.”
21:26 “And it happened that when I had ended the words of this prayer, I became very weak.”

Chapter 22

22:1 “And afterward it happened that, behold, the heaven was opened, and I saw, and strength was given to me, and a voice was heard from on high which said to me:”
22:2 “Baruch, Baruch, why are you disturbed?”
22:3 “Who starts on a journey and does not complete it? Or who will be comforted making a sea voyage unless he can reach a harbor?”
22:4 “Or he who promises to give a present to somebody -is it not a theft, unless it is fulfilled?”
22:5 “Or he who sows the earth – does he not lose everything unless he reaps its harvest in its own time?”
22:6 “Or he who plants a vineyard – does the planter expect to receive fruit from it, unless it grows until its appointed time?”
22:7 “Or a woman who has conceived – does she not surely kill the child when she bears untimely?”
22:8 “Or he who builds a house, can it be called a house, unless it is provided with a roof and is finished? Tell this to me first.”

Chapter 23

23:1 “And I answered and said: No, Lord, my Lord.”
23:2 “And he answered and said to me: Why, then, are you disturbed about that which you do not know, and why are you restless about that of which you do not possess any knowledge?”
23:3 “For as you have not forgotten men who exist and who have passed away, I remember those who will come.”
23:4 “For when Adam sinned and death was decreed against those who were to be born, the multitude of those who would be born was numbered. And for that number a place was prepared where the living ones might live and where the dead might be preserved.”
23:5 “No creature will live again unless the number that has been appointed is completed. For my spirit creates the living, and the realm of death receives the dead.”
23:6 “And further, it is given to you to hear that which will come after these times.”
23:7 “For truly, my salvation which comes has drawn near and is not as far away as before.”

Chapter 24

24:1 “For behold, the days are coming, and the books will be opened in which are written the sins of all those who have sinned, and moreover, also the treasuries in which are brought together the righteousness of all those who have proven themselves to be righteous.”
24:2 “And it will happen at that time that you shall see, and many with you, the long-suffering of the Most High, which lasts from generation to generation, who has been long-suffering toward all who are born, both those who sinned and those who proved themselves to be righteous.”
24:3 “And I answered and said: But, behold, O Lord, a man does not know the number of things which pass away nor those which come.”
24:4 “For behold, I also know what has befallen me; but that which will happen with our enemies, I do not know, or when you will command your works.”

Chapter 25

25:1 “And he answered and said to me: You also will be preserved until that time, namely until that sign which the Most High will bring about before the inhabitants of the earth at the end of days.”
25:2 “This then will be the sign.”
25:3 “When horror seizes the inhabitants of earth, and they fall into many tribulations and further, they fall into great torments.”
25:4 “And it will happen that they will say in their thoughts because of their great tribulations, “The Mighty One does not anymore remember the earth”; It will happen when they lose hope, that the time will awake.”

Chapter 26

26:1 “And I answered and said: That Tribulation which will be will it last a long time; and that distress, will it embrace many years?”

Chapter 27

27:1 “And he answered and said to me: That time will be divided into twelve parts, and each part has been preserved for that for which it was appointed.” (2 Esdras 14:10-12)
27:2 “In the first part: the beginning of commotions.”
27:3 “In the second part: the slaughtering of the great.”
27:4 “In the third part: the fall of many into death.”
27:5 “In the fourth part: the drawing of the sword.”
27:6 “In the fifth part: famine and the withholding of rain.”
27:7 “In the sixth part: earthquakes and terrors.”
(the seventh part is absent)
27:9 “In the eighth part: a multitude of spirits and the appearances of demons.”
27:10 “In the ninth part: the fall of fire.”
27:11 “In the tenth part: rape and much violence.”
27:12 “In the eleventh part: injustice and unchastity.”
27:13 “In the twelfth part: disorder and a mixture of all that has been before.”
27:14 “These parts of that time will be preserved and will be mixed, one with another, and they will minister to each other.”
27:15 “For some of these parts will withhold a part of themselves and take from others and will accomplish that which belongs to them and to others; hence, those who live on earth in those days will not understand that it is the end of times.”

Chapter 28

28:1 “But everyone who will understand will be wise at that time.”
28:2 “For the measure and the calculation of that time will be two parts: two weeks of seven days.”
28:3 “And I answered and said: It is good that man should come so far and see, but it is better that he should not come so far lest he fall.”
28:4 “But I shall also say this:”
28:5 “Will he who is incorruptible despise those who are corruptible, and will he despise what happens with those who are corruptible so that he might only look to those who are not corruptible?”
28:6 “But when, O Lord, these things will surely come of which you spoke to me before, let me also know this, if I have found grace in your eyes:”
28:7 “Is it in one place or in one part of the earth that these things will come or will they be noticed by the whole earth?”

Chapter 29

29:1 “And he answered and said to me: That which will happen at that time bears upon the whole earth. Therefore, all who live will notice it.”
29:2 “For at that time I shall only protect those found in this land at that time.”
29:3 “And it will happen that when all that which should come to pass in these parts has been accomplished, the Anointed One will begin to be revealed.”
29:4 “And Behemoth will reveal itself from its place, and Leviathan will come from the sea, the two great monsters which I created on the fifth day of creation and which I shall have kept until that time. And they will be nourishment for all who are left.”
29:5 “The earth will also yield fruits ten thousandfold. And on one vine will be a thousand branches, and one branch will produce a thousand clusters and one cluster will produce a thousand grapes, and one grape will produce a cor of wine.”
29:6 “And those who are hungry will enjoy themselves and they will, moreover, see marvels every day.”
29:7 “For winds will go out in front of me every morning to bring the fragrance of aromatic fruits and clouds at the end of the day to distill the dew of health.”
29:8 “And it will happen at that time that the treasury of manna will come down again from on high, and they will eat of it in those years because these are they who will have arrived at the consummation of time.”

Chapter 30

30:1 “And it will happen after these things when the time of the appearance of the Anointed One has been fulfilled and he returns with glory, that then all who sleep in hope of him will rise.”
30:2 “And it will happen at that time that those treasuries will be opened in which the number of the souls of the righteous were kept, and they will go out and the multitudes of the souls will appear together, in one assemblage, of one mind. And the first ones will enjoy themselves and the last ones will not be sad.”
30:3 “For they know that the time has come of which it is said that it is the end of times.”
30:4 “But the souls of the wicked will the more waste away when they shall see all these things.”
30:5 “For they know that their torment has come and that their perditions have arrived.”

Chapter 31

31:1 “And it happened after these things, that I went to the people and said to them: Assemble to me all our elders and I shall speak words to you.”
31:2 “And they all assembled in the valley of Kidron.”
31:3 “And I began to speak and said to them: Hear, O Israel, and I shall speak to you, and you, O seed of Jacob, pay attention, and I shall teach you.”
31:4 “Do not forget Zion but remember the distress of Jerusalem.”
31:5 “For, behold, the days are coming, that all that has been will be taken away to be destroyed, and it will become as though it had not been.”

Chapter 32

32:1 “You, however, if you prepare your minds to sow into them the fruits of the law, he shall protect you in the time in which the Mighty One shall shake the entire creation.”
32:2 “For after a short time, the building of Zion will be shaken in order that it will be rebuilt.”
32:3 “That building will not remain; but it will again be uprooted after some time and will remain desolate for a time.”
32:4 “And after that it is necessary that it will be renewed in glory and that it will be perfected into eternity.”
32:5 “We should not, therefore, be so sad regarding the evil which has come now, but much more distressed regarding that which is in the future.”
32:6 “For greater than the two evils will be the trial when the Mighty One will renew his creation.”
32:7 “And now, do not draw near to me for some days and do not call upon me until I shall come to you.”
32:8 “And it happened after having said all these words to them that I, Baruch, went my way. And when the people saw that I went away, they raised their voices and lamented and said:”
32:9 “Where are you going from us, Baruch, and do you leave us as a father who leaves his children as orphans and goes away from them?”

Chapter 33

33:1 “These are the commands which your friend Jeremiah, the prophet, gave to you. And he said to you,”
33:2 “Look to this people during the time I am absent, while I help the rest of our brothers in Babylon, against whom has been declared the sentence that they should be carried away into captivity.”
33:3 “And now, if you abandon us too, it would have been better for all of us that we shall die first, and then you should abandon us.”

Chapter 34

34:1 “And I answered and said to the people: Heaven forbid that I should abandon you or that I should go away from you. But I shall go to the Holy of Holies to ask from the Mighty One on behalf of you and Zion so that I may receive in some ways more light and after that I shall return to you.”

Chapter 35

35:1 “And I, Baruch, went to the holy place and sat on the ruins and wept and said:”
35:2 “O that my eyes were springs, and my eyelids, that they were a fountain of tears.”
35:3 “For how shall I be sad over Zion,”
35:4 “And lament over Jerusalem? For at the place where now I am prostrate, the high priests used to offer holy sacrifices, and placed thereon incense of fragrant spices. Now, however, that of which we are proud has become dust, and that which our soul desired is ashes.”

Chapter 36

36:1 “And when I had said this, I fell asleep at that place and saw a vision in the night.”
36:2 “And behold there was a forest with trees that was planted on the plain and surrounded by high mountains and rugged rocks. And the forest occupied much space.”
36:3 “And behold, over against it a vine arose, and from under it a fountain ran peacefully.”
36:4 “And that fountain came to the forest and changed into great waves, and those waves submerged the forest and suddenly uprooted the entire forest and overthrew all the mountains which surrounded it.”
36:5 “And the height of the forest became low, and that top of the mountains became low. And that fountain became so strong that it left nothing of the great forest except one cedar.”
36:6 “When it had also cast that one down, it destroyed the entire forest and uprooted it so that nothing was left of it, and its place was not even known anymore. Then that vine arrived with the fountain in peace and in great tranquillity and arrived at a place which was not far away from the cedar, and they brought to him that cedar which had been cast down.”
36:7 “And I saw, and behold, that vine opened its mouth and spoke and said to the cedar, “Are you not that cedar which remained of the forest of wickedness? Because of you, wickedness remained and has been done during all these years, but never goodness.”
36:8 “And you possessed power over that which did not belong to you; you did not even show compassion to that which did belong to you. And you extended your power over those who were living far from you, and you keep those who are close to you in the nets of your wickedness, and you uplift your soul always like one who could not be uprooted.”
36:9 “But now your time has hastened and your hour has come.”
36:10 “Therefore O cedar, follow the forest which has departed before you and become ashes with it, and let your earth be mixed together.”
36:11 “And now, sleep in distress and rest in pain until your last time comes in which you will return to be tormented even more.”

Chapter 37

37:1 “And after these things I saw that the cedar was burning and the vine growing, while it and all around it became a valley full of unfading flowers. And I awoke and arose.”

Chapter 38

38:1 “And I prayed and said: O Lord, my Lord, you are the one who has enlightened those who conduct themselves with understanding.”
38:2 “Your Law is life, and your wisdom is the right way.”
38:3 “Now, show me the explanation of this vision.”
38:4 “For you know that my soul has always been associated with your Law, and that I did not depart from your wisdom from my earliest days.”

Chapter 39

39:1 “And he answered and said to me: Baruch, this is the explanation of the vision which you have seen.”
39:2 “As you have seen the great forest surrounded by high and rocky mountains, this is the word:”
39:3 “Behold, the days come when this kingdom that destroyed Zion once will be destroyed and that it will be subjected to that which will come after it.”
39:4 “This again will also be destroyed after some time. And another, a third, will rise and also that will possess power in its own time and will be destroyed.”
39:5 “After that a fourth kingdom arises whose power is harsher and more evil than those which were before it, and it will reign a multitude of times like the trees on the plain, and it will rule the times and exalt itself more than the cedars of Lebanon.”
39:6 “And the truth will hide itself in this and all who are polluted with unrighteousness will flee to it like the evil beasts flee and creep into the forest.”
39:7 “And it will happen when the time of its fulfillment is approaching in which it will fall, that at that time the dominion of my Anointed One which is like the fountain and the vine, will be revealed. And when it has revealed itself, it will uproot the multitude of its host.”
39:8 “And that which you have seen, namely the tall cedar, which remained of that forest, and with regard to the words which the vine said to it which you heard, this is the meaning.”

Chapter 40

40:1 “The last ruler who is left alive at that time will be bound, whereas the entire host will be destroyed. And they will carry him on Mount Zion, and my Anointed One will convict him of all his wicked deeds and will assemble and set before him all the works of his hosts.”
40:2 “And after these things he will kill him and protect the rest of my people who will be found in the place that I have chosen.”
40:3 “And his dominion will last forever until the world of corruption has ended and until the times which have been mentioned before have been fulfilled.”
40:4 “This is your vision, and this is its explanation.”

Chapter 41

41:1 “And I answered and said: For whom and for how many will these things be? Or who will be worthy to live in that time?”
41:2 “I shall now say before you everything that I think, and I shall ask you about the things of which I meditate.”
41:3 “For behold, I see many of your people who separated themselves from your statutes and who have cast away from them the yoke of the Law.”
41:4 “Further, I have seen others who left behind their vanity and who have fled under your wings.”
41:5 “What will, therefore, happen with those? Or how will that last time receive them?”
41:6 “Their time will surely not be weighed exactly, and they will certainly not be judged as the scale indicates?”

Chapter 42

42:1 “And he answered and said to me:”
42:2 “Also these things I shall show you. As for what you said: “To whom and to how many will these things be?” The good that was mentioned before will be to those who have believed, and the opposite of these things will be to those who have despised.”
42:3 “And as for that which you said with regard to those who have drawn near and to those who have withdrawn, this is the explanation.”
42:4 “As for those who have first subjected themselves and have withdrawn later and who mingled themselves with the seed of the mingled nations, their first time will be considered as mountains.”
42:5 “And those who first did not know life and who later knew it exactly and who mingled with the seed of the people who have separated themselves, their first time will be considered as mountains.”
42:6 “And times will inherit times, and periods periods, and they will receive from one another. And then, with a view to the end, all will be compared according to the length of times and the hours of periods.”
42:7 “For corruption will take away those who belong to it, and life those who belong to it.”
42:8 “And dust will be called, and told, “Give back that which does not belong to you and raise up all that you have kept until its own time.”

Chapter 43

43:1 “You, however, Baruch, strengthen your heart with a view to that which has been said to you, and understand that which has been revealed to you because you have many consolations which will last forever.”
43:2 “For you will go away from this place and leave the regions which are now before your eyes. And you shall forget that which is corruptible and not again remember that which is among the mortal ones.”
43:3 “Go away, therefore, and command your people and come to this place and afterward fast seven days. And then I shall come to you and speak with you.”

Chapter 44

44:1 “And I, Baruch, went from there and came to my people and called my firstborn son and the Gedaliahs, my friends, and seven of the elders of the people and said to them:”
44:2 “Behold, I go to my fathers in accordance with the way of the whole earth.”
44:3 “You, however, do not withdraw from the way of the Law, but guard and admonish the people who are left lest they withdraw from the commandments of the Mighty One.”
44:4 “For you see that he whom we serve is righteous and that our Creator is impartial.”
44:5 “And see what has befallen Zion and what happened to Jerusalem.”
44:6 “That the judgment of the Mighty One will be made known, as well as his ways which are inscrutable and right.”
44:7 “For when you endure and persevere in his fear and do not forget his Law, the time again will take a turn for the better for you. And they will participate in the consolation of Zion.”
44:8 “For that which is now is nothing. But that which is in the future will be very great.”
44:9 “For everything will pass away which is corruptible, and everything that dies will go away, and all present time will be forgotten, and there will be no remembrance of the present time which is polluted by evils.”
44:10 “For he who runs now runs in vain and he who is happy will fall quickly and be humiliated.”
44:11 “For that which will be in the future, that is what one will look for, and that which comes later, that is what we shall hope for. For there is a time that does not pass away.”
44:12 “And that period is coming which will remain forever; and there is the new world which does not carry back to corruption those who enter into its beginning, and which has no mercy on those who come into torment or those who are living in it, and it does not carry to perdition.”
44:13 “For those are the ones who will inherit this time of which it is spoken, and to these is the heritage of the promised time.”
44:14 “These are they who prepared for themselves treasures of wisdom. And stores of insight are found with them. And they have not withdrawn from mercy and they have preserved the truth of the Law.”
44:15 “For the coming world will be given to these, but the habitation of the many others will be in the fire.”

Chapter 45

45:1 “You, therefore, admonish the people as much as you can. For this is our work.”
45:2 “For, when you instruct them, you will make them alive.”

Chapter 46

46:1 “And my son and the elders of the people said to me: Did the Mighty One humiliate us to such an extent that he will take you away from us quickly?”
46:2 “And shall we truly be in darkness, and will there be no light anymore for that people who are left?”
46:3 “For where shall we again investigate the Law, or who will distinguish between death and life for us?”
46:4 “And I said to them: I cannot resist the throne of the Mighty One. But Israel will not be in want of a wise man, nor the tribe of Jacob, a son of the Law.”
46:5 “But only prepare your heart so that you obey the Law, and be subject to those who are wise and understanding with fear. And prepare your soul that you shall not depart from them.”
46:6 “If you do this, those good tidings will come to you of which I spoke to you earlier, and you will not fall into the torment of which I spoke to you earlier.”
46:7 “But with regard to the word that I shall be taken up, I did not let it be known to them at that time, not even to my son.”

Chapter 47

47:1 “And after I had left, having dismissed them, I returned from there and said to them: Behold, I go to Hebron, for to there the Mighty One has sent me.”
47:2 “And I arrived at that place where the word was spoken to me, and I sat there and fasted seven days.”

Chapter 48

48:1 “And it happened after seven days that I prayed before the Mighty One and said:”
48:2 “O Lord, you summon the coming of the times, and they stand before you. You cause the display of power of the worlds to pass away and they do not resist you. You arrange the course of the periods, and they obey you.”
48:3 “Only you know the length of the generations, and you do not reveal your secrets to many.”
48:4 “You make known the multitude of the fire, and you weigh the lightness of the wind.”
48:5 “You investigate the end of the heights, and you scrutinize the depths of darkness.”
48:6 “You command the number which will pass away, and which will be preserved. And you prepare a house for those who will be.”
48:7 “You remember the beginning which you created, and you do not forget that destruction which will come.”
48:8 “With signs of fear and threat you command the flames, and they change into winds. And with the word you bring to life that which does not exist, and with great power you hold that which has not yet come.”
48:9 “You instruct the creation with your understanding, and you give wisdom to the spheres so that they minister according to their positions.”
48:10 “Innumerable hosts stand before you, and serve peacefully your sign according to their positions.”
48:11 “Hear your servant, and regard my appeal.”
48:12 “For we are born in a short time, and in a short time we return.”
48:13 “With you, however, the hours are like times, and the days like generations.”
48:14 “Be, therefore, not angry at man because he is nothing; and do not take count of our works; for what are we?”
48:15 “For behold, by your gift we come into the world, and we do go not of our own will.”
48:16 “For we did not say to our parents: “Beget us,” nor have we sent to the realm of death saying “Receive us.”
48:17 “What therefore is our strength that we can bear your wrath, or what are we that we can endure your judgment?”
48:18 “Protect us in your grace, and in your mercy help us.”
48:19 “Look at the small ones who submit to you, and save all those who come to you. And do not take away the hope of our people, and do not make short the times of our help.”
48:20 “For these are the people whom you have elected, and this is the nation of which you found no equal.”
48:21 “But I shall speak to you now, and I shall say as my heart thinks.”
48:22 “In you we have put our trust, because, behold, your Law is with us, and we know that we do not fall as long as we keep your statutes.”
48:23 “We shall always be blessed; at least, we did not mingle with the nations. For we are all a people of the Name;”
48:24 “We, who received one Law from the One. And that Law that is among us will help us, and that excellent wisdom which is in us will support us.”
48:25 “And when I had prayed these things I became very weak.”
48:26 “And he answered and said to me: You have prayed honestly, Baruch, and all your words have been heard.”
48:27 “But my judgment asks for its own, and my Law demands its right.”
48:28 “For from your words I shall answer you, and from your prayer I shall speak with you.”
48:29 “Because it is as follows: There is nothing that will be destroyed unless it acted wickedly, if it had been able to do something without remembering my goodness and accepting my long-suffering.”
48:30 “For this reason surely you will be taken up, as I said to you before.”
48:31 “And the time will come of which I spoke to you and that time is appearing which brings affliction. For it will come and pass away with enormous vehemence; and arriving in the heat of indignation, it will be turbulent.”
48:32 “And it will be in those days that all inhabitants of the earth will live with each other in peace [or: shall be moved one against the other], because they do not know that my judgment has come near.”
48:33 “For in that time there will not be found many wise men and there will also not be many intelligent ones, but, in addition, they who know will be silent more and more.”
48:34 “And there will be many tidings and not a few rumors, and the works of the phantoms will be visible, and not a few promises will be told, some idle and others affirmed.”
48:35 “And honor will change itself into shame, and strength will be humiliated to contempt, and the strong one will be broken down, and beauty will become contemptible.”
48:36 “And many will say to many in that time, “Where did the multitude of intelligence hide itself and where did the multitude of wisdom depart?”
48:37 “And when one thinks about these things, jealousy will arise in those who did not think much of themselves, and passion will take hold of those who were peaceful, and many will be agitated by wrath to injure many, and they will raise armies to shed blood; and they will perish with those at the end.”
48:38 “And it will happen in that time that a change of times will reveal itself openly for the eyes of everyone because they polluted themselves in all those times and caused oppression, and each one walked in his own works and did not remember the Law of the Mighty One.”
48:39 “Therefore, a fire will consume their thoughts, and with a flame the meditations of their innermost self will be examined. For the Judge will come and will not hesitate.”
48:40 “For each of the inhabitants of the earth knew when he acted unrighteously, and they did not know my Law because of their pride.”
48:41 “But many will surely weep at that time – more, however, because of the living ones than of the dead.”
48:42 “And I answered and said: O Adam, what did you do to all who were born after you? And what will be said of the first Eve who obeyed the serpent,”
48:43 “So that this whole multitude is going to corruption? And countless are those whom the fire devours.”
48:44 “But again I shall speak before you.”
48:45 “You, O Lord, my Lord, you know that which is in your creation.”
48:46 “For you commanded the dust one day to produce Adam; and you knew the number of those who are born from him and how they sinned before you, those who existed and who did not recognize you as their Creator.”
48:47 “And concerning all of those, their end will put them to shame, and your Law which they transgressed will repay them on your day.”
48:48 “But now, let us cease talking about the wicked and inquire about the righteous.”
48:49 “And I will tell about their blessedness and I shall not be silent about their glory which is kept for them.”
48:50 “For surely, as you endured much labor in the short time in which you live in this passing world, so you will receive great light in that world which has no end.”

Chapter 49

49:1 “But further, I ask you, O Mighty One; and I shall ask grace from him who created all things.”
49:2 “In which shape will the living live in your day? Or how will remain their splendor which will be after that?”
49:3 “Will they, perhaps, take again this present form, and will they put on the chained members which are in evil and by which evils are accomplished? Or will you perhaps change these things which have been in the world, as also the world itself?”

Chapter 50

50:1 “And he answered and said to me: Listen, Baruch, to this word and write down in the memory of your heart all that you shall learn.”
50:2 “For the earth will surely give back the dead at that time; it receives them now in order to keep them, not changing anything in their form. But as it has received them so it will give them back. And as I have delivered them to it so it will raise them.”
50:3 “For then it will be necessary to show those who live that the dead are living again, and that those who went away have come back.”
50:4 “And it will be that when they have recognized each other, those who know each other at this moment, then my judgment will be strong, and those things which have been spoken of before will come.”

Chapter 51

51:1 “And it will happen after this day which he appointed is over that both the shape of those who are found to be guilty as also the glory of those who have proved to be righteous will be changed.”
51:2 “For the shape of those who now act wickedly will be made more evil than it is (now) so that they shall suffer torment.”
51:3 “Also, as for the glory of those who proved to be righteous on account of my law, those who possessed intelligence in their life, and those who planted the root of wisdom in their heart – their splendor will then be glorified by transformations, and the shape of their face will be changed into the light of their beauty so that they may acquire and receive the undying world which is promised to them.”
51:4 “Therefore, especially they who will then come will be sad, because they despised my Law and stopped their ears lest they hear wisdom and receive intelligence.”
51:5 “When they, therefore, will see that those over whom they are exalted now will then be more exalted and glorified than they, then both these and those will be changed, these into the splendor of angels and those into startling visions and horrible shapes; and they will waste away even more.”
51:6 “For they will first see and then they will go away to be tormented.”
51:7 “Miracles, however, will appear at their own time to those who are saved because of their works and for whom the Law is now a hope, and intelligence, expectation, and wisdom a trust.”
51:8 “For they shall see that world which is now invisible to them, and they will see a time which is now hidden to them.”
51:9 “And time will no longer make them older.”
51:10 “For they will live in the heights of that world and they will be like the angels and be equal to the stars. And they will be changed into any shape which they wished, from beauty to loveliness, and from light to the splendor of glory.”
51:11 “For the extents of Paradise will be spread out for them, and to them will be shown the beauty of the majesty of the living beings under the throne, as well as all the hosts of the angels, those who are held by my word now lest they show themselves, and those who are withheld by my command so that they may stand at their places until their coming has arrived.”
51:12 “And the excellence of the righteous will then be greater than that of the angels.”
51:13 “For the first will receive the last, those whom they expected; and the last, those of whom they had heard that they had gone away.”
51:14 “For they have been saved from this world of affliction and have put down the burden of anguishes.”
51:15 “Because of which men lost their life and for what have those who were on the earth exchanged their soul?”
51:16 “For once they chose for themselves that time which cannot pass away without afflictions. And they chose for themselves that time of which the end is full of lamentations and evils. And they have denied the world that does not make those who come to it older. And they have rejected the time which causes glory so that they are not coming to the glory of which I spoke to you before.”

Chapter 52

52:1 “And I answered and said:”
52:2 “How shall we forget those for whom at that time woe is preserved? And why are we again sad for those who die? Or why do we weep for those who go into the realm of death?”
52:3 “The lamentations should be kept for the beginning of that coming torment; let the tears be laid down for the coming of that destruction which will then come.”
52:4 “But with a view of these things, I shall also speak.”
52:5 “And concerning the righteous ones, what will they do now?”
52:6 “Enjoy yourselves in the suffering which you suffer now. For why do you look for the decline of your enemies?”
52:7 “Prepare your souls for that which is kept for you, and make ready your souls for the reward which is preserved for you. And when I had said this I fell asleep there.”

Chapter 53

53:1 “And I saw a vision. And behold, a cloud was coming up from the great sea. And I was looking at it, and behold, it was entirely filled with black water and there were many colors in that water. And something like great lightning appeared at its top.”
53:2 “And I saw that the cloud was rapidly passing in a quick run and covering the whole earth.”
53:3 “And it happened after this that the cloud began to pour the water that it contained upon the earth.”
53:4 “And I saw that the water which descended from it was not of the same likeness.”
53:5 “For at first, it was very black until a certain time. And then, I saw that the water became bright, but there was not much of it. And after this, I saw black water again, and after this bright again, and black again and bright again.”
53:6 “This, now, happened twelve times, but the black were always more than the bright.”
53:7 “And it happened at the end of the cloud that, behold, it poured black water and it was much darker than all the water that had been before. And fire was mingled with it. And where that water descended, it brought about devastation and destruction.”
53:8 “And after this I saw how the lightning which I had seen at the top of the cloud seized it and pressed it down to the earth.”
53:9 “That lightning shone much more, so that it lighted the whole earth and healed the regions where the last waters had descended and where it had brought about destruction.”
53:10 “And it occupied the whole earth and took command of it.”
53:11 “And after this I saw, behold, twelve rivers came from the sea and surrounded the lightning and became subject to it.”
53:12 “And because of my fear I awoke.”

Chapter 54

54:1 “And I asked the Mighty One and said: You alone, O Lord, knew the heights of the world beforehand and that which will happen in the times which you bring about by your word. And against the works of the inhabitants of the earth you hasten the beginnings of the times. And the ends of the periods you alone know.”
54:2 “You are the one for whom nothing is hard; but you are, however, the one who easily accomplishes all by a sign.”
54:3 “You are the one to whom both the depths and the heights come together, and whose word the beginnings of the periods serve.”
54:4 “You are the one who reveals to those who fear that which is prepared for them so that you may comfort them.”
54:5 “You show your mighty works to those who do not know. You pull down the enclosure for those who have no experience and enlighten the darknesses, and reveal the secrets to those who are spotless, to those who subjected themselves to you and your Law in faith.”
54:6 “You showed this vision to your servant; open to me its exposition also.”
54:7 “For I know that I have received the answer regarding the subjects about which I asked you, and that you gave me a revelation about that which I asked, and that you have let me know with what voice I should honor you or from which members I should cause glory and praise to go up to you.”
54:8 “For if my members should be mouths and the hairs of my head voices, even so I should not be able to honor you properly; and I should not be able to utter your glory or to express the excellence of your beauty.”
54:9 “For who am I among men or what is my significance among those who are more excellent than I that I have heard all these marvelous things from the Most High and innumerable promises from him who created me?”
54:10 “Blessed is my mother among those who bear, and praised among women is she who bore me.”
54:11 “For I shall not be silent in honoring the Mighty One but with the voice of glory I shall narrate his marvelous works.”
54:12 “For who is able to imitate your miracles, O God, or who understands your deep thoughts of life?”
54:13 “For with your counsel, you reign over all creation which your right hand has created, and you have established the whole fountain of light with yourself, and you have prepared under your throne the treasures of wisdom.”
54:14 “And those who do not love your Law are justly perishing. And the torment of judgment will fall upon those who have not subjected themselves to your power.”
54:15 “For, although Adam sinned first and has brought death upon all who were not in his own time, yet each of them who has been born from him has prepared for himself the coming torment. And further, each of them has chosen for himself the coming glory.”
54:16 “For truly, the one who believes will receive reward.”
54:17 “But now, turn yourselves to destruction, you unrighteous ones who are living now, for you will be visited suddenly, since you have once rejected the understanding of the Most High.”
54:18 “For his works have not taught you, nor has the artful work of his creation which has existed always persuaded you.”
54:19 “Adam is, therefore, not the cause, except only for himself, but each of us has become our own Adam.”
54:20 “You, however, O Lord, explain to me what you have revealed to me. And inform me about that which I asked you.”
54:21 “For at the end of the world, a retribution will be demanded with regard to those who have done wickedly in accordance with their wickedness, and you will glorify the faithful ones in accordance with their faith.”
54:22 “For those who are among your own, you rule; and those who sin, you blot out among your own.”

Chapter 55

55:1 “And it happened that when I had finished the words of this prayer, I sat down there under a tree to rest in the shadow of branches.”
55:2 “And I was surprised and astonished, and I pondered in my thoughts about the multitude of the goodness which the sinners who are on earth have rejected from them, and about the great punishment which they have despised, when they knew that they should be punished because of the sins they have committed.”
55:3 “And while I was pondering these and similar things, behold, Ramael, the angel who is set over true visions, was sent to me and said to me:”
55:4 “Why does your heart trouble you, Baruch, and why are you disturbed by your thought?”
55:5 “For if you are already disturbed, only hearing about the judgment, what about when you see it with your eyes openly?”
55:6 “And if you are already so disturbed by the expectation with which you expect the day of the Mighty One, what about when you arrive at its coming?”
55:7 “And if you are so fully terrified by the words of the announcement of the punishment of those who have transgressed, how much more when this event itself will reveal marvelous things?”
55:8 “And if you have heard the names of the good and evil things which will come at that time, and if you are grieved, what about when you will see what the Majesty will reveal, who will convince some and cause others to rejoice?”

Chapter 56

56:1 “But now, since you have asked the Most High to reveal to you the explanation of the vision which you have seen, I have been sent to say to you:”
56:2 “That the Mighty One has let you know the course of times, namely those which have passed and those which in his world will come to pass, from the beginning of his creation until the end, (the times) which are known by deceit and by truth.”
56:3 “For as you saw a great cloud which came up from the sea and went and covered the earth; this is the length of the world which the Mighty One has created when he took counsel in order to create the world.”
56:4 “And it happened when the word had gone out from him, that the length of the world was standing as something small, and it was established in accordance with the abundance of the intelligence of him who let it go forth.”
56:5 “And as you first saw the black waters on the top of the cloud which first came down upon the earth; this is the transgression which Adam, the first man, committed.”
56:6 “For when he transgressed, untimely death came into being, mourning was mentioned, affliction was prepared, illness was created, labor accomplished, pride began to come into existence, the realm of death began to ask to be renewed with blood, the conception of children came about, the passion of parents was produced, the loftiness of men was humiliated, and goodness vanished.”
56:7 “What could, therefore, have been blacker and darker than these things?”
56:8 “This is the beginning of the black waters which you have seen.”
56:9 “And from these black waters again black were born, and very dark darkness originated.”
56:10 “For he who was a danger to himself was also a danger to the angels.”
56:11 “For they possessed freedom in that time in which they were created.”
56:12 “And some of them came down and mingled themselves with women.”
56:13 “At that time they who acted like this were tormented in chains.”
56:14 “But the rest of the multitude of angels, who have no number, restrained themselves.”
56:15 “And those living on earth perished together through the waters of the flood.”
56:16 “Those are the first black waters.”

Chapter 57

57:1 “And after these you saw the bright waters; that is the fountain of Abraham and his generation, and the coming of his son, and the son of his son, and of those who are like them.”
57:2 “For at that time the unwritten law was in force among them, and the works of the commandments were accomplished at that time, and the belief in the coming judgment was brought about, and the hope of the world which will be renewed was built at that time, and the promise of the life that will come later was planted.”
57:3 “Those are the bright waters which you have seen.”

Chapter 58

58:1 “And the third black waters which you have seen; that is the mingling of all sins which the nations committed afterward, after the death of those righteous men, and the wickedness of the land of Egypt, in which they acted wickedly in the oppression with which they oppressed their sons.”
58:2 “But also these perished at the end.”

Chapter 59

59:1 “And the fourth bright waters which you have seen; that is the coming of Moses, and of Aaron, and of Miriam, and of Joshua, the son of Nun, and of Caleb, and all those who are like these.”
59:2 “For at that time the lamp of the eternal law which exists forever and ever illuminated all those who sat in darkness. This lamp will announce to those who believe the promise of their reward and to those who deny the punishment of the fire which is kept for them.”
59:3 “But also the heaven will be shaken from its place at that time; that is, the heavens which are under the throne of the Mighty One were severely shaken when he took Moses with him.”
59:4 “For he showed him many warnings together with the ways of the Law and the end of time, as also to you; and then further, also the likeness of Zion with its measurements which was to be made after the likeness of the present sanctuary.”
59:5 “But he also showed him, at that time, the measures of fire, the depths of the abyss, the weight of the winds, the number of the raindrops,”
59:6 “The suppression of wrath, the abundance of long-suffering, the truth of judgment,”
59:7 “The root of wisdom, the richness of understanding, the fountain of knowledge,”
59:8 “The height of the air, the greatness of Paradise, the end of the periods, the beginning of the day of judgment,”
59:9 “The number of offerings, the worlds which have not yet come,”
59:10 “The mouth of hell, the standing place of vengeance, the place of faith, the region of hope,”
59:11 “The picture of the coming punishment, the multitude of the angels which cannot be counted, the powers of the flame, the splendor of lightnings, the voice of the thunders, the orders of the archangels, the treasuries of the light, the changes of the times, and the inquiries into the Law.”
59:12 “These are the fourth bright waters.”

Chapter 60

60:1 “And the fifth black waters which you have seen poured down; those are the works which the Amorites have done, and the invocations of their incantations which they wrought, and the wickedness of their mysteries, and the mingling of their pollutions.”
60:2 “But even Israel was polluted with sins in these days of the judges, although they saw many signs which were from him who created them.”

Chapter 61

61:1 “And the sixth bright waters which you have seen; this is the time in which David and Solomon were born.”
61:2 “And at that time the building of Zion took place, and the dedication of the sanctuary, and the shedding of much blood of the nations which sinned at that time, and the many offerings which were offered at that time at the inauguration of the sanctuary.”
61:3 “And rest and peace reigned at that time.”
61:4 “And wisdom was heard in the assembly, and the richness of understanding was magnified in the congregations.”
61:5 “And the holy festivals were fulfilled in happiness and much joy.”
61:6 “And the judgment of the rulers was seen at that time without deceit, and the righteousness of the commandments of the Mighty One was accomplished in truth.”
61:7 “And the land which then received mercy, since its inhabitants did not sin, was praised above all countries, and the city of Zion ruled over all countries and regions at that time.”
61:8 “These are those bright waters you have seen.”

Chapter 62

62:1 “And the seventh black waters you have seen; that is the perversion of the ideas of Jeroboam who planned to make two golden calves.”
62:2 “And all the iniquities accomplished by the kings who succeeded him,”
62:3 “And the curse of Jezebel, and the idolatry which Israel practiced at that time,”
62:4 “And the withholding of rain, and the famines of such a kind that the women ate the fruits of their womb,”
62:5 “And the time of their exile which befell the nine and a half tribes because they lived in many sins.”
62:6 “And Salmanassar, the king of the Assyrians, came and carried them away into captivity.”
62:7 “And concerning the nations much could be said: how they acted unrighteously and wickedly, and how they never proved themselves to be righteous.”
62:8 “These are those seventh black waters you have seen.”

Chapter 63

63:1 “And the eighth bright waters you have seen; that is the righteousness and the integrity of Hezekiah, King of Judah, and the grace which came upon him.”
63:2 “For at that time Sennacherib was moved to destroy, and his wrath roused him, and also the multitude of the nations which were with him in order to destroy;”
63:3 “When Hezekiah the king heard that which the Assyrian king devised, namely, to come and seize and destroy his people – the two and a half tribes which were left – and that he also wanted to destroy Zion, then Hezekiah trusted upon his works, and hoped upon his righteousnesses, and spoke with the Mighty One and said:”
63:4 “Pay attention, behold, Sennacherib is ready to destroy us, and he will boast and be uplifted when he has destroyed Zion.”
63:5 “And the Mighty One heard him for Hezekiah was wise, and he paid attention to his prayers for he was righteous.”
63:6 “And the Mighty One then commanded Ramael, his angel who speaks with you.”
63:7 “And I went away and destroyed their multitude, of which the number of the chiefs alone was one hundred and eighty-five thousand, and each of them had an equal number.”
63:8 “And at that time I burned their bodies within, but I preserved their clothes and their arms on the outside so that still more of the marvelous words of the Mighty One might be seen, and so that his name might be mentioned throughout the entire earth.”
63:9 “Thus Zion was saved, and Jerusalem was delivered from its tribulations.”
63:10 “And all those who were in the holy land rejoiced, and the name of the Mighty One was praised so that it was spoken of.”
63:11 “These are those bright waters which you have seen.”

Chapter 64

64:1 “And the ninth black waters you have seen; that is the wickedness that existed in the days of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah.”
64:2 “For he acted very wickedly, and killed the righteous, and perverted judgment, and shed innocent blood, and violently polluted married women, and overturned altars, and abolished their offerings, and drove away the priests lest they minister in the sanctuary.”
64:3 “And he made a statue with five faces; Four of them looked into the direction of the four winds, and the fifth was on the top of the statue so as to challenge the zeal of the Mighty One.”
64:4 “And then the wrath of the Mighty One went out so that Zion should be uprooted as has also happened in your days.”
64:5 “But also the judgment went out against the two and a half tribes so that they also should be carried away into captivity as you have now seen.”
64:6 “And the impiety of Manasseh increased to such a degree that the glory of the Most High removed itself from the sanctuary.”
64:7 “Therefore, Mannasseh was called the impious one in that time, and finally his habitation was in the fire.”
64:8 “For although the Most High had heard his prayer, in the end when he fell into the brazen horse and the brazen horse was melted, it became to him as a sign regarding the hour (which was to come).”
64:9 “For he had not lived perfectly since he was not worthy, but (the sign was given to him) that he might know henceforth by whom he should be punished at the end.”
64:10 “For he who is able to benefit is also able to punish.”

Chapter 65

65:1 “This Manasseh sinned and he thought in his time that the Mighty One would not call account for these things.”
65:2 “These are those ninth black waters you have seen.”

Chapter 66

66:1 “And the tenth bright waters you have seen; that is the purity of the generation of Josiah, the king of Judah, who was the only one in his time who subjected himself to the Mighty One with his whole heart and his whole soul.”
66:2 “He purified the country from the idols, sanctified all the vessels which were polluted, restored the offerings to the altar, raised the horn of the holy, exalted the righteous, and honored all those who were wise with understanding. He brought the priests back to their ministry, and destroyed and removed the magicians, enchanters, and diviners from the land.”
66:3 “And he not only killed the impious who were living, but also the bones were taken from the graves of the dead and burned with fire.”
66:4 “And he established the festivals and the sabbaths with their holy practices, and he burned the polluted with fire, and as for the lying prophets who deceived the people, also these he burned with fire. He cast the people who obeyed them, as long as they lived, into the Kidron valley, and heaped stones upon them.”
66:5 “And he was zealous with the zeal of the Mighty One with his whole soul, and he alone was strong in the Law at that time so that he left no one uncircumcised or anyone who acted wickedly in the whole country all the days of his life.”
66:6 “He, then, is one who shall receive reward forever and ever and be honored with the Mighty One more than many in the last time.”
66:7 “For on his account and on account of those who are like him, the precious glories have been created and prepared which were spoken to you earlier.”
66:8 “These are those bright waters which you have seen.”

Chapter 67

67:1 “And the eleventh black waters you have seen; that is the disaster which has befallen Zion now.”
67:2 “Do you think that there is no mourning among the angels before the Mighty One, that Zion is delivered up in this way? Behold, the nations rejoice in their hearts, and the multitudes are before their idols and say, She who has trodden others down for such a long time has been trodden down; and she who has subjugated has been subjugated.”
67:3 “Do you think that the Most High rejoices in these things or that his name has been glorified?”
67:4 “But how will it be with his righteous judgment?”
67:5 “But after these things those scattered among the nations will be taken hold of by tribulations and live in shame in every place.”
67:6 “For so far as Zion has been delivered up and Jerusalem laid waste, the idols in the cities of the nations are happy and the flavor of the smoke of the incense of the righteousness of the Law has been extinguished everywhere in the region of Zion; behold, the smoke of the impiety is there.”
67:7 “But the king of Babylon will arise, the one who now has destroyed Zion, and he will boast over the people and speak haughtily in his heart before the Most High.”
67:8 “And he too will fall finally.”
67:9 “These are those black waters.”

Chapter 68

68:1 “And the twelfth bright waters which you have seen; this is the word.”
68:2 “For there will come a time after these things, and your people will fall into such a distress so that they are all together in danger of perishing.”
68:3 “They, however, will be saved, and their enemies will fall before them.”
68:4 “And to them will fall much joy one day.”
68:5 “And at that time, after a short time, Zion will be rebuilt again, and the offerings will be restored, and the priests will again return to their ministry.”
68:6 “And the nations will again come to honor it.”
68:7 “But not as fully as before.”
68:8 “But it will happen after these things that there will be a fall of many nations.”
68:9 “These are the bright waters you have seen.”

Chapter 69

69:1 “With regard to the last waters you have seen which are blacker than all those preceding which came after the twelfth, those which were brought together; they apply to the whole world.”
69:2 “For the Most High made a division at the beginning for only he knows what will happen in the future.”
69:3 “For with regard to the evils of the coming impieties which occurred before him, he saw six kinds.”
69:4 “And of the good works of the righteous which would be accomplished before him, he foresaw six kinds, with the exclusion of that which he should accomplish himself at the end of the world.”
69:5 “These are, therefore, not black waters with black, nor bright with bright. For that is the end.”

Chapter 70

70:1 “Therefore, hear the exposition of the last black waters which will come after the black waters. This is the word.”
70:2 “Behold, the days are coming and it will happen when the time of the world has ripened and the harvest of the seed of the evil ones and the good ones has come that the Mighty One will cause to come over the earth and its inhabitants and its rulers confusion of the spirit and amazement of the heart.”
70:3 “And they will hate one another and provoke one another to fight. And the despised will rule over the honorable, and the unworthy will raise themselves over the illustrious.”
70:4 “And many will be delivered to the few, those who were nothing will rule over the strong, the poor will be greater in number than the rich, and the impious will exalt themselves over the brave.”
70:5 “The wise will be silent, and the foolish will speak. And the thought of men will not be realized then, nor the counsel of the strong, and the hope of those who hope will not be realized.”
70:6 “Then it will happen when those things occur which have been said before will come to pass, that confusion will fall upon all men. And some of them will fall in war, and others will perish in tribulations, and again others of them will be troubled by their own.”
70:7 “The Most High will then give a sign to those nations which he has prepared before, and they will come and wage war with the rulers who will then remain.”
70:8 “And it will happen that everyone who saves himself from the war will die in an earthquake, and he who saves himself from the earthquake will be burned by fire, and he who saves himself from the fire will perish by famine.”
70:9 “And it will happen that everyone who will save himself and escape from all things which have been said before – both those who have won and those who have been overcome – that all will be delivered into the hands of my Servant, the Anointed One.”
70:10 “For the whole earth will devour its inhabitants.”

Chapter 71

71:1 “And the holy land will have mercy on its own and will protect its inhabitants at that time.”
71:2 “This is the vision which you have seen, and this is its explanation. For I have come to tell you these things since your prayer has been heard by the Most High.”

Chapter 72

72:1 “Now hear also about the bright waters which come at the end after these black ones. This is the word.”
72:2 “After the signs have come of which I have spoken to you before, when the nations are moved and the time of my Anointed One comes, he will call all nations, and some of them he will spare, and others he will kill.”
72:3 “These things will befall the nations which will be spared by him.”
72:4 “Every nation which has not known Israel and which has not trodden down the seed of Jacob will live.”
72:5 “And this is because some from all nations have been subjected to your people.”
72:6 “All those, now, who have ruled over you or have known you, will be delivered up to the sword.”

Chapter 73

73:1 “And it will happen that after he has brought down everything which is in the world, and has sat down in eternal peace on the throne of the kingdom, then joy will be revealed and rest will appear.”
73:2 “And then health will descend in dew, and illness will vanish, and fear and tribulation and lamentation will pass away from among men, and joy will encompass the earth.”
73:3 “And nobody will again die untimely, nor will any adversity take place suddenly.”
73:4 “Judgment, condemnations, contentions, revenges, blood, passions, zeal, hate, and all such things will go into condemnation since they will be uprooted.”
73:5 “For these are the things that have filled this earth with evils, and because of them life of men came in yet greater confusion.”
73:6 “And the wild beasts will come from the wood and serve men, and the asps and dragons will come out of their holes to subject themselves to a child.”
73:7 “And women will no longer have pain when they bear, nor will they be tormented when they yield the fruits of their womb.”

Chapter 74

74:1 “And it will happen in those days that the reapers will not become tired, and the farmers will not wear themselves out, because the products of themselves will shoot out speedily, during the time that they work on them in full tranquility.”
74:2 “For that time is the end of that which is corruptible and the beginning of that which is incorruptible.”
74:3 “Therefore, the things which were said before will happen in it. Therefore, it is far away from the evil things and near to those which do not die.”
74:4 “Those are the last bright waters which have come after the last dark waters.”

Chapter 75

75:1 “And I answered and said: Who can equal your goodness, O Lord? for it is incomprehensible.”
75:2 “Or who can fathom your grace which is without end?”
75:3 “Or who can understand your intelligence?”
75:4 “Or who can narrate the thoughts of your spirit?”
75:5 “Or who of those born can hope to arrive at these things, apart from those to whom you are merciful and gracious?”
75:6 “For if you were not merciful to men, those who are under your right hand, they were not able to come to them, apart from those who are named among the famous number.”
75:7 “But we who exist, when we know why we have come, and then subject ourselves to him who brought us out of Egypt, we shall come again and remember those things which have passed away, and rejoice with regard to the things which have been.”
75:8 “But if we do not know now why we have come, and do not recognize the sovereignty of him who brought us up from Egypt, we will come again and ask for that which has now occurred, and shall be severely grieved because of that which has happened.”

Chapter 76

76:1 “And he answered and said to me: Since the revelation of this vision has been explained to you as you prayed for, hear the word of the Most High that you know that which will happen to you after these things.”
76:2 “For you will surely depart from this world, nevertheless not to death but to be kept unto (the end) of times.”
76:3 “Therefore, go up to the top of this mountain and all the countries of this earth will pass before you, as well as the likeness of the inhabited world, and the top of the mountains, and the depths of the valleys, and the depths of the seas, and the number of rivers, so that you may see that which you leave and where you go.”
76:4 “This will happen after forty days.”
76:5 “Go, therefore, now during these days and instruct the people as much as you can so that they may learn lest they die in the last times, but may learn so that they live in the last times.”

Chapter 77

77:1 “And I, Baruch, went away from there and came to the people, and assembled them from the smallest to the greatest and said to them:”
77:2 “Hear, O children of Israel, behold how many are left from the twelve tribes of Israel.”
77:3 “To you and your fathers the Lord gave the Law above all nations.”
77:4 “And because your brothers have transgressed the commandments of the Most High, he brought vengeance upon you and upon them and did spare the ancestors, but he also gave the descendants into captivity and did not leave a remnant of them.”
77:5 “And, behold, you are here, with me.”
77:6 “If, therefore, you will make straight your ways, you will not go away as your brothers went away, but they will come to you.”
77:7 “For he is merciful whom you honor, and gracious in whom you hope, and true so that he will do good to you and not evil.”
77:8 “Have you not seen what has befallen Zion?”
77:9 “Or do you think that the place has sinned and that it has been destroyed for this reason, or that the country has done some crime and that it is delivered that reason?”
77:10 “And do you not know that because of you who sinned the one who did not sin was destroyed, and that because of those who acted unrighteously, the one who has not gone astray has been delivered up to the enemies?”
77:11 “And the whole people answered and they said to me: Everything which we can remember of the good things which the Mighty One has done to us we shall remember, and that which we do not remember he knows in his grace.”
77:12 “But do this for us, your people: Write also to our brothers in Babylon a letter of doctrine and a roll of hope so that you might strengthen them also before you go away from us.”
77:13 “For the shepherds of Israel have perished, and the lamps which gave light are extinguished, and the fountains from which we used to drink have withheld their streams.”
77:14 “Now we have been left in the darkness and in the thick forest and in the aridness of the desert.”
77:15 “And I answered and said to them: Shepherds and lamps and fountains came from the Law and when we go away, the Law will abide.”
77:16 “If you, therefore, look upon the Law and are intent upon the wisdom, then the lamp will not be wanting and the shepherd will not give way and the fountain will not dry up.”
77:17 “Nevertheless, I shall also write to your brothers in Babylon, as you have said to me, and I shall send it by means of men. Also I shall write to the nine and a half tribes, and send it by means of a bird.”
77:18 “And it happened on the twenty-first day of the ninth month that I, Baruch, came and sat down under the oak in the shadow of the branches, and nobody was with me; I was alone.”
77:19 “And I wrote two letters. One I sent by means of an eagle to the nine and a half tribes, and the other I sent by means of three men to those who were in Babylon.”
77:20 “And I called an eagle and said to him these words:”
77:21 “You have been created by the Most High that you should be higher than any other bird.”
77:22 “But now go and do not stay in any place, do not go into a nest, do not sit on any tree until you have flown over the breadth of the many waters of the river Euphrates and have come to the people that live there and cast down to them this letter.”
77:23 “Remember that Noah at the time of the flood received the fruit of the olive tree from a dove when he sent it away from the ark.”
77:24 “And also the ravens served Elijah when they brought food to him as they were commanded.”
77:25 “Also Solomon, in the time of his kingship, commanded a bird whither he wanted to send a letter and in whatever he was in need of and it obeyed him as he commanded it.”
77:26 “And do not be reluctant and do not deviate to the right nor to the left, but fly and go straight away that you may preserve the command of the Mighty One as I said to you.”

Chapter 78

78:1 “The letter of Baruch, the son of Neriah which he wrote to the nine and a half tribes. And these are the words of the letter which Baruch, the son of Neriah, sent to the nine and a half tribes which were across the river in which were written the following things.”
78:2 “Thus speaks Baruch, the son of Neriah, to the brothers who were carried away in captivity:”
78:3 “Grace and peace be with you. I remember, my brothers, the love of him who created me, who loved us from the beginning and who never hated us but, on the contrary, chastised us.”
78:4 “And truly I know: Are we not all, the twelve tribes, bound by one captivity as we also descend from one father?”
78:5 “Therefore, I have been the more diligent to leave you the words of this letter before I die so that you may be comforted regarding the evils which have befallen you, and you may also be grieved with regard to the evils which have befallen your brothers, and them further, so that you may consider the judgment of him who decreed it against you to be righteous, namely, that you should be carried away into captivity, for what you have suffered is smaller than what you have done, in order that you may be found worthy of your fathers in the last times.”
78:6 “Therefore, if you think about the things you have suffered now for your good so that you may not be condemned at the end and be tormented, you shall receive hope which lasts forever and ever, particularly if you remove from your hearts the idle error for which you went away from here.”
78:7 “For if you do these things in this way, he shall continually remember you. He is the one who always promised on our behalf to those who are more excellent than we that he will not forever forget or forsake our offspring, but with much mercy assemble all those again who were dispersed.”

Chapter 79

79:1 “Therefore, my brothers, learn first what befell Zion, namely, that Nebucadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came up against us.”
79:2 “For we had sinned against him who created us, and had not observed the commandments which he ordered us.”
79:3 “And yet he has not chastised us as we deserved.”
79:4 “For what befell you, we suffered even more, for it befell us also.”

Chapter 80

80:1 “And now, my brothers, when the enemies had surrounded the city, angels were sent from the Most High. And they demolished the fortification of the strong wall, and he destroyed their solid iron corners which could not be loosened.”
80:2 “Nevertheless, they hid the holy vessels lest they be polluted by the enemies.”
80:3 “And when they had done these things, they left the demolished wall, the looted house, the burned temple, and the people who were overcome to the enemies, for they were delivered up lest the enemies should boast and say, “We have overcome to such an extent that we have even destroyed the house of the Most High.”
80:4 “They have also bound your brothers and carried them away to Babylon and have caused them to live there.”
80:5 “And we have been left here with very few.”
80:6 “That is the affliction about which I write to you.”
80:7 “For truly I know that the inhabitants of Zion were a comfort to you. As long as you knew that they were happy, this was more important than the affliction you endured being separated from them.”

Chapter 81

81:1 “But also hear the word of consolation.”
81:2 “For I mourned with regard to Zion and asked grace from the Most High and said.”
81:3 “Will these things exist for us until the end?”
81:4 “And will these evils befall us always? And the Mighty One did according to the multitude of his grace, and the Most High according to the magnitude of his mercy, and he revealed to me a word that I might be comforted, and showed me visions that I might not be again sorrowful, and made known to me the mysteries of the times, and showed me the coming of the periods.”

Chapter 82

82:1 “My brothers, therefore I have written to you that you may find consolation with regard to the multitude of tribulations.”
82:2 “But you ought to know that our Creator will surely avenge us on all our brothers according to everything which they have done against us and among us; in particular that the end which the Most High prepared is near, and that his grace is coming, and that the fulfillment of his judgment is not far.”
82:3 “For now we see the multitude of the happiness of the nations although they have acted wickedly; but they are like a vapor.”
82:4 “And we behold the multitude of their power while they act impiously; but they will be made like a drop.”
82:5 “And we see the strength of their power while they resist the Mighty One every hour, but they will be reckoned like spittle.”
82:6 “And we will ponder about the glory of their majesty while they do not keep the statutes of the Most High; but as smoke they will pass away.”
82:7 “And we think about the beauty of their gracefulness (life) while they go down in impurities; but like grass which is withering, they will fade away.”
82:8 “And we ponder about the strength of their cruelty while they themselves do not think about the end; but they will be broken like a passing wave.”
82:9 “And we notice the pride of their power while they deny the goodness of God by whom it was given to them; but as a passing cloud they will vanish.”

Chapter 83

83:1 “For the Most High will surely hasten his times, and he will certainly cause his periods to arrive.”
83:2 “And he will surely judge those who are in his world, and will truly inquire into everything with regard to all their works which were sins.”
83:3 “He will certainly investigate the secret thoughts and everything which is lying in the inner chambers of all their members which are in sin. And he will make them manifest in the presence of everyone with blame.”
83:4 “Therefore, nothing of the present things should come into your heart, but they should, on the contrary, be expected, since that which was promised will come.”
83:5 “And we should not look upon the delights of the present nations, but let us think about that which has been promised to us regarding the end.”
83:6 “For the ends of the times and the periods will surely pass away and all which is in them together.”
83:7 “The end of the world will then show the great power of our Ruler since everything will come to judgment.”
83:8 “You should, therefore, prepare your hearts for that which you have believed before, lest you should be excluded from both worlds, namely, that you were carried away into captivity here and tormented there.”
83:9 “For that which exists now or that which has passed away or that which will come, in all of that, neither the evil in it is fully evil, nor the good is even fully good.”
83:10 “For all sorts of health which exist now changes into illnesses.”
83:11 “And every might which exists now changes into weakness, and every power that exists now changes into miseries,”
83:12 “And every youthful energy changes into old age and consummation. And every beauty of gracefulness which exists now changes into withering and ugliness.”
83:13 “And every infantile pride which exists now changes into lowliness and shame. And every glory of haughtiness which exists now changes into the shame of silence.”
83:14 “And every delight and all splendor which exists now changes into ruin of silence.”
83:15 “And every joy and every delight which exist now changes into rejection and ruin.”
83:16 “And every clamor of pride changes into silent dust.”
83:17 “And every possession of richness which exists now changes into the realm of death alone.”
83:18 “And every seizing desire which exists now changes into involuntary death, and every desire of lust changes into the judgment of punishment.”
83:19 “And every capability of deceit which exists now changes into refutation by truth.”
83:20 “And every sweetness of ointments which exists now changes into judgment and condemnation.”
83:21 “And every friendship changes into silent defamations.”
83:22 “Since all these things happened now, do you think that they will not be avenged?”
83:23 “But the end of everything will come to light.”

Chapter 84

84:1 “Now, I gave you knowledge, while I still live. For I have said that you should particularly learn my mighty commandments which he has instructed you. And I shall set before you some of the commandments of his judgment before I die.”
84:2 “Remember that once Moses called heaven and earth to witness against you and said, “If you trespass the law, you shall be dispersed. And if you shall keep it, you shall be planted.”
84:3 “And also other things he said to you when you were in the desert as twelve tribes together.”
84:4 “And after his death you cast it away from you and, therefore, that which has been said before has come upon you.”
84:5 “And now, Moses spoke to you before it befell you and, behold, it has befallen you for you have forsaken the Law.”
84:6 “Also I, behold, I say to you after you suffered that if you obey the things which I have said to you, you shall receive from the Mighty One everything which has been prepared and has been preserved for you.”
84:7 “Therefore, let this letter be a witness between me and you that you may remember the commandments of the Mighty One, and that it also may serve as my defense in the presence of him who has sent me.”
84:8 “And remember Zion and the Law and the holy land and your brothers and the covenant and your fathers, and do not forget the festivals and the sabbaths.”
84:9 “And give this letter and the traditions of the Law to your children after you as also your fathers handed down to you.”
84:10 “And ask always and pray seriously with your whole soul that the Mighty One may accept you in mercy and that he may not reckon the multitude of your sinners, but remember the integrity of your fathers.”
84:11 “For if he judges us not according to the multitude of his grace, woe to all us who are born.”

Chapter 85

85:1 “Further, know that our fathers in former times and former generations had helpers, righteous prophets and holy men.”
85:2 “But we were also in our country, and they helped us when we sinned, and they intervened for us with him who has created us since they trusted in their works. And the Mighty One heard them and purged us from our sins.”
85:3 “But now, the righteous have been assembled, and the prophets are sleeping. Also we have left our land, and Zion has been taken away from us, and we have nothing now apart from the Mighty One and his Law.”
85:4 “Therefore, if we direct and dispose our hearts, we shall receive everything which we lost again by many times.”
85:5 “For that which we lost was subjected to corruption, and that which we receive will not be corruptible.”
85:6 “We also have written to our brothers in Babylon so that I may attest to them these things also.”
85:7 “And these things which I have said earlier should be before your eyes always, since we are still in the spirit of the power of our liberty.”
85:8 “And further, the Most High is also long-suffering to us hear and has shown to us that which comes and has not concealed from us what will happen at the end.”
85:9 “Therefore, before his judgment exacts his own and truth of that which is its due, let us prepare ourselves that we may possess and not be possessed, and that we may hope and not be put to shame, and that we may rest with our fathers and not be punished with those who hate us.”
85:10 “For the youth of this world has passed away, and the power of creation is already exhausted, and the coming of the times is very near and has passed by. And the pitcher is near the well, and the ship to the harbor, and the journey to the city, and life to its end.”
85:11 “Further, prepare yourselves so that, when you sail and ascend from the ship, you may have rest and not be condemned when you have gone away.”
85:12 “For behold, the Most High will cause all these things to come. There will not be an opportunity to repent anymore, nor a limit to the times, nor a duration of the periods, nor a change to rest, nor an opportunity to prayer, nor sending up petition, nor giving knowledge, nor giving love, nor opportunity of repentance, nor supplicating for offenses, nor prayers of the fathers, nor intercessions of the prophets, nor help of the righteous.”
85:13 “There is the proclamation of judgment to corruption, regarding the way to the fire and the path that leads to the glowing coals.”
85:14 “Therefore, there is one Law by One, one world and an end for all those who exist.”
85:15 “Then he will make alive those whom he has found, and he will purge them from sins, and at the same time he will destroy those who are polluted with sins.”

Chapter 86

86:1 “When you, therefore, receive the letter, read it carefully in your assemblies. And think about it, in particular, however, on the days of your fasts. And remember me by means of this letter in the same way as I remember you by means of this, and always.”

Chapter 87

87:1 “And it happened when I had finished all the words of this letter and had written it carefully until the end, I folded it, sealed it cautiously, and bound it to the neck of the eagle. And I let it go and sent it away.”

The end of the letter of Baruch, the son of Neriah.