2 Baruch

Historical printed page 522

Il BARUCH 78. 6—82. 2 carried away captive—for what ye have suffered is disproportioned to what ye have done—in order 6 that, at the last times, ye may be found worthy of your fathers. Therefore, if ye consider that ye have now suffered those things for your good, that ye may not finally be condemned and tormented, then ye will receive eternal hope; if above all ye destroy from your heart vain error, on account of 7 which ye departed hence. For if ye so do these things, He will continually remember you, He who always promised on our behalf to those who were more excellent than we, that He will never forget or forsake us, but with much mercy will gather together again those who were dispersed. 1 Now, my brethren, learn first what befell Zion: how that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came 2 up against us. For we have sinned against Him who made us, and we have not kept the command- 3 ments which he commanded us, yet he hath not chastened us as we deserved. For what befell you we also suffer in a pre-eminent degree, for it befell us also. 80: And now, my brethren, I make known unto you that when the enemy had surrounded the city, 81 the angels of the Most High were sent, and they overthrew the fortifications of the strong wall, and 2 they destroyed the firm iron corners, which could not be rooted out. Nevertheless, they hid all 3 the vessels of the sanctuary, lest the enemy should get possession of them. And when they had done these things, they delivered thereupon to the enemy the overthrown wall, and the plundered house, and the burnt temple, and the people who were overcome because they were delivered up, lest the enemy should boast and say: ‘ Thus by force have we been able to lay waste even the house of the 4 Most High in war.’ Your brethren also have they bound and led away to Babylon, and have caused 5, 6 them to dwell there. But we have been left here, being very few. This is the tribulation about 7 which I wrote to you. For assuredly I know that (the consolation of) the inhabitants of Zion consoleth you: so far as ye knew that it was prospered (your consolation) was greater than the tribulation which ye endured in having to depart from it. 1,2 But regarding consolation, hear ye the word. For I was mourning regarding Zion, and I prayed for mercy from the Most High, and I said : 3 * How long will these things endure for us Ὁ And will these evils come upon us always?’ 4 And the Mighty One did according to the multitude of His mercies, And the Most High according to the greatness of His compassion, And He revealed unto me the word, that I might receive consolation, And He showed me visions that I should not again endure anguish, And He made known to me the mystery of the times. And the advent of the hours he showed me. 82: Therefore, my brethren, I have written to you, that ye may comfort yourselves regarding the ty multitude of your tribulations. For know ye that our Maker will assuredly avenge us on all our enemies, according to all that they have done to us, also that the consummation which the Most High will make is very nigh, and His mercy that is coming, and the consummation of His judgement, is by no means far off. 5. the last times, i.e. the Return, verse 7. 7. those who were more excellent. The patriarchs. with much mercy. In 4 Ezra xiv. 34, 35, after death the righteous obtain mercy. Here Israel obtains it in their Return. gather together ... dispersed. Cf. Ixxvii. 6; Ixxxiv. 2, 8, 1c. For the Return spoken of in the O.T. and elsewhere, see my Commentary, 7 /oc. The return in B! accords well with the rebuilding of Jerusalem expected in BY. See i. 4; vi. 9, notes. LXXIX. 2. chastened. Cf. i. 5; xiii. 10. LXXX. This chapter resembles and implies vi-viii, but conflicts with xvii. 2. all the vessels. Syr. ‘the vessels of the vessels’ = bon 55, corrupt for %> 55. lest the enemy should get possession of them. Syr. reads ‘lest they should be polluted by the enemy’ = BIW Ἵν 4D, corrupt for DINK DIST ID, as in vi. 8. 4. Jeremiah not mentioned. See x. 2, note. 5. Jer. xlii. 2. 7. {the consolation of) the inhabitants of Zion consoleth, ἄς. Mas requires a subject. In Ixxvii. 12 the people ask Baruch to send to their brethren in Babylon ‘a scroll of hope’. Hence some such word is needed here, i.e. J4e> = ‘ consolation’ as in lxxxi. 1, 4. Ryssel proposes most extraordinarily to insert ‘tribulation’ where I have added ‘consolation’. ‘he tribulation of the Jews in Zion is to comfort the exiles in Babylon ! LXXXI. As in lxxx. 7 the nine and a half tribes were consoled when Jerusalem prospered and were grieved at its downfall, Baruch has now a word of consolation for them touching Zion ; for God has comforted him by a revelation regarding it. 1. consolation, i.e. Zion’s restoration. Cf. xliv. 7. 4. mystery. ch read ‘ mysteries.’ LXXXII. I am doubtful whether Ixxxii. 2-9 belongs to Β' or Β΄; perhaps the latter. 522 Sx, ΤΟ -Ἅ ———