en_wbms - Bar 3 - Ozzuu Bible

¹ And now, Lord Almighty, God of Israel, a soul in anguishes, and a spirit annoyed [or tormented], crieth to thee.

² Lord, hear thou, and have mercy, for thou art merciful, God; and have thou mercy on us, for we have sinned before thee,

³ thou [or that] sittest without end, and we shall not perish without end.

⁴ Lord God Almighty, God of Israel, hear thou now the prayer of the dead men of Israel, and of the sons of them, that [have] sinned before thee, and heard not the voice of their Lord God [or of the Lord their God], and evils be fastened [or joined] to us.

⁵ Do not thou have mind on the wickedness of our fathers, but have thou mind on thine hand, and on thy name, in this time;

⁶ for thou art our Lord God [or thou art Lord our God], and, Lord, we shall praise thee.

⁷ For why for this thing thou hast given thy dread in our hearts, that we call thy name to help [or we inwardly call thy name], and praise thee in our captivity; for we shall be converted [or turned] from the wickedness of our fathers, that sinned against thee.

⁸ And lo! we be in our captivity today, whither thou scatteredest us, into shame, and into cursing, and into sin, by [or after] all the wickedness of our fathers, that went away from thee, thou our Lord God [or Lord our God].

⁹ Israel, hear thou the command-ments of life; perceive thou with ears, that thou know prudence.

¹⁰ Israel, what is it, that thou art in the land of enemies? Thou waxedest eld in an alien land, thou art defouled with dead men,

¹¹ thou art areckoned with them, that go down into hell?

¹² Thou hast forsaken the well of wisdom;

¹³ for why if thou haddest gone in the ways of God, soothly thou haddest dwelled in peace on earth.

¹⁴ Learn thou, where is wisdom, where is prudence, where is virtue, where is understanding, that thou know altogether, where is long enduring [or long abiding] of life, and lifelode, where is light of eyes, and peace.

¹⁵ Who found the place thereof, and who entered into the treasures thereof?

¹⁶ Where be the princes of heathen men, and that be lords over the beasts, that be on earth?

¹⁷ Which played with the birds of heaven; which treasure silver and gold, in which men trust, and none end is [or there is none end] of the purchasing of them?

¹⁸ Which make silver, and be busy, and no finding is of their works?

¹⁹ They be destroyed, and went down to hells [or to hell]; and other men rose in the place of them.

²⁰ The young men of them saw light, and dwelled on earth. But they knew not the way of wisdom [or of discipline],

²¹ neither understood the paths thereof; neither the sons of them received it. It was made far from the face of them;

²² it is not heard in the land of Canaan, neither [it] is seen in Teman.

²³ Also the sons of Hagar, that sought out prudence which is of earth, the merchants of earth, and of Teman, and the tale tellers, [or the fablers, or janglers], and seekers out of prudence, and of understanding. But they knew not the way of wisdom, neither had mind on the paths thereof.

²⁴ O! Israel, the house of God is full great, and the place of his possession is great; [O! Israel, how great is the house of God, and how great the place of his possession;]

²⁵ it is great and hath none end, high and great without measure.

²⁶ Named giants were there; they that were of great stature at the beginning, and knew battle.

²⁷ The Lord chose not these, neither they found the way of wisdom [or of discipline]; therefore they perished.

²⁸ And for they had not wisdom, they perished for their unwisdom.

²⁹ Who ascended into heaven, and took that wisdom, and brought it down from the clouds?

³⁰ Who passed over the sea, and found it, and brought it more than chosen gold?

³¹ None is [or There is not], that may know the way thereof, neither that seeketh [out] the paths thereof;

³² but he that have all things [or that knoweth all things], knew it, and found it by his prudence. Which made ready the earth in everlasting time, and filled it with two-footed beasts, and four-footed beasts.

³³ Which sendeth out light, and it goeth, and called it; and it obeyeth to him in trembling.

³⁴ Forsooth stars gave light in their keepings, and were glad; those were called, and those said, We be present; and those shined to him with mirth, that made those, [or they be called, and they said, We come to; and they shined to him with mirth, that made them].

³⁵ This is our God, and none other shall be guessed against him.

³⁶ This [or He] found each way of wisdom, and gave it to Jacob, his child, and to Israel, his darling [or his dearworthy].

³⁷ After these things he was seen in lands, and lived with men.