2 Baruch

Historical printed page 503

II BARUCH 44. 3—46. 1 But withdraw ye not from the way of the law, But guard and admonish the people which remain, Lest they withdraw from the commandments of the Mighty One. For ye see that He whom we serve is just, And our Creator is no respecter of persons. And see ye what hath befallen Zion, And what hath happened to Jerusalem. For the judgement of the Mighty One shall (thereby) be made known, And His ways, which, though past finding out, are right. For if ye endure and persevere in His fear, And do not forget His law, The times shall change over you for good, And ye shall see the consolation of Zion. Because whatever is now is nothing, xliv. 8-15 But that which shall be is very great. = B For everything that is corruptible shall pass away, And everything that dies shall depart, And all the present time shall be forgotten, Nor shall there be any remembrance of the present time, which is defiled with evils. For that which runs now runs unto vanity, And that which prospers shall quickly fall and be humiliated. For that which is to be shall be the object of desire, And for that which comes afterwards shall we hope ; For it is a time that passes not away, And the hour comes which abides for ever. And the new world (comes) which does not turn to corruption those who depart to its blessedness, And has no mercy on those who depart to torment, And leads not to perdition those who live in it. For these are they who shall inherit that time which has been spoken of, And theirs is the inheritance of the promised time. These are they who have acquired for themselves treasures of wisdom, And with them are found stores of understanding, And from mercy have they not withdrawn, And the truth of the law have they preserved. For to them shall be given the world to come, But the dwelling of the rest who are many shall be in the fire.’ ‘Do ye therefore so far as ye are able instruct the people, for that labour is ours. For if ye xlv-xlvi.6 teach them, ye will quicken them.’ = Bi And my son and the elders of the people answered and said unto me: ‘Has the Mighty One humiliated us to such a degree As to take thee from us quickly ἢ 3: commandments of the Mighty One. Cf. xlviii. 38. 5. These words vividly recall vi-viii. See note on xliii—xlvi above. 6. which, though ... right. The text = ‘ which are past finding out and right’. (εἴ 7. the consolation of Zion, i.e. its restoration. Cf. Ixxxi. 1, 4; for the temple was to be rebuilt, according to B'. vi. 9. 8-15. These verses should be read after xxxii. 6. See note on xliii-xlvi above. g. corruptible. Cf. xxi. 19, note. 12. the new world. Cf. the new creation (xxxii. 6), and li. 3; lii. 9, 16. who depart to its blessedness. The text here has ‘on its beginning’, which gives no parallel to ‘to torment’ in the next clause, and no sense in itself. A corruption in the original Hebrew easily explains the difficulty and restores the sense, NWN2 for WII. Ryssel reproduces this emendation without acknowledgement. 14. This verse presupposes li. 3, 7. The treasures in xxiv. 1 are those of righteousness. 15. in the fire. Cf. xlviii. 39, 43, lix. 2, Ixiv. 7, Ixxxv. 13. XLV. B? reappears here, and the connexion broken at xliv. 7 is resumed. 2. if ye teach, ἄς. Cf. Ps. cxix. 50, 93. This is the true scribe’s work. Cf. xxxviii. 2, xliv. 7. 593