Paralipomena of Jeremiah

The Remaining Word of Baruch, which was hidden when they went to Babylon. Part 1. And it came to pass when the king of the Chaldeans took the children of Israel away, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah and said to him, "Jeremiah, my chosen one, arise and go out from this land, you and Baruch, for I have become weary because of the multitude of the sins of those who dwell within it; for your prayer is like a strong pillar in the midst of the land and like a wall of adamant surrounding it. And now arise and go and depart before the force of the Chaldeans comes and destroys the land." And Jeremiah spoke, saying, "I beseech you, my Lord, command your servant that he may speak before you." And the Lord said to him, "Speak, my chosen one, Jeremiah." And Jeremiah spoke and said, "O Lord, who takes everything, will you deliver this land, the city, into the hands of the Chaldeans, so that the king with his people may be scattered and say, 'I have been defeated, this is the land of God'? Nay, O Lord, if you have willed it, it is in your hand to weary me.

And the Lord said to Jeremiah, "Because you are my chosen one, arise, go out, you and Baruch, for I have hidden myself on account of the sins of those who dwell within it. The king and his army cannot enter the city if I have not preceded and opened its gates. Arise now and go to Baruch and tell him this matter. And when the sixth hour of the night comes, come to the wall of the city, and I will show you. And if I have not preceded to hide the city, they cannot enter it." And having said this, the Lord departed from Jeremiah. Part 2. And Jeremiah, when he rent his garments and placed dust upon his head, entered into the temple. And Baruch saw Jeremiah, with dust full upon his head and his garments rent, crying out in a loud voice, saying, "My father Jeremiah, what has become of you?" And he saw the sin of the people's deed, for when the people sin, Jeremiah grieves and places dust upon his head and prays on behalf of the people until their transgression is forgiven them. And Baruch asked, saying, "My father Jeremiah, what has become of you, and what has become of the people?" And Jeremiah said to him, "Keep from rending our garments; let us not rend our garments, and let us not pour water into our mouths as if weeping truly until we fill them with tears, for from now on they will not have mercy on this people.

And Baruch said, "My father Jeremiah, what has happened to you?" And Jeremiah said to him, "Because the Lord will deliver the city into the hand of the king of the Chaldeans, for he will punish the people with destruction." And when Baruch heard all this, he tore his garments and said, "My father Jeremiah, what shall I do, and what shall you do?" And Jeremiah said to him, "Be strong with me until the sixth hour of the night, so that you may know the true thing." And they remained in the temple, weeping. Part 3. And when it was the sixth hour of the night, the Lord said to Jeremiah that he should go out with Baruch, and they arrived at the wall of the city, and they remained there, fasting. And there was the sound of a horn, and angels came down from heaven, and in their hands they held torches of fire, and they stood at the wall of the city. And then Jeremiah and Baruch wept, saying, "Now we know that it is a true thing." And Jeremiah greeted the angels, saying, "I greet you; do not destroy the city until I ask one thing of the Lord." And the Lord commanded the angels, saying, "Do not destroy the city until I speak with my chosen Jeremiah." And then Jeremiah spoke, saying, "I greet you, my Lord; command me that I may speak with you." And the Lord said to him, "Speak, my chosen Jeremiah, what you wish." And Jeremiah said to him, "Now we know.

My Lord, as the city will be delivered into the hand of the enemy, and the people from Babylon will carry them off; and what do you wish that I should do for the holy vessels of the temple in secret, that we may hide them, and what do you wish that I should do for them? And the Lord said to him, "Take them and swallow them into the earth and into the temple, while you say, 'And you, O earth, hear the voice of your Creator who created you by the power of the waters, who sealed you with seven seals; swallow your form and conceal the vessels of your temple until the coming of the Beloved.'" And Jeremiah read and said, "I have understood, my Lord. Show me what I should do for Abimelech the Ethiopian, who is the one who greatly preserved the people and for your servant Jeremiah especially more than all the people of the city, and he is the one who brought me out from within the pit of the cistern, and he does not wish for himself to see the destruction and ruin of the city, so that he may not grieve." And the Lord said to Jeremiah, "Send him into the vineyard of Agrippas, on the path of the mountain, and I will hide him until I have brought the people into the city; and you, Jeremiah, go with the people until you reach the land of Babylon, and dwell and mourn for them until I have brought them into their city; and leave Baruch here in Jerusalem." And the Lord told all this to Jeremiah, and he departed from Jeremiah into heaven. And Jeremiah and Baruch were in the temple, and all the vessels of their temple they swallowed into the earth as the Lord had commanded them. And then the earth swallowed them, and the two of them remained and wept.

And on the third day, at dawn, Jeremiah sent Abimelech, saying, "Take the basket and go along the mountain path into the vineyard of Agrippas, and bring a few figs for the sick of the people, for the joy of the Lord is in your head and his praise." And he went as he had commanded him. Chapter 4. And on the third day, at dawn, the army of the Chaldeans attacked the city, and a great trumpet-blast angel blew and said, "It is the army of the Chaldeans; now the gates are opened for you." And then the king entered with his army, and they carried off all the people. And then Jeremiah took the vessels of the temple and went out secretly from the city, and he cast these vessels before the sun, saying, "I say to you, O sun, take the vessels of the house of God and keep them until the times when the Lord will ask for them from you; for we have been found unworthy of the covenant of our birth for its preservation, because we have sinned in our transgressions." And while Jeremiah was weeping for the people, they led him out, mocking him, and they led him away with the people as far as Babylon.

And Baruch took the ashes and placed them on his head, and he sat down and wept over these calamities, and he said, "For what sin of Jerusalem, is it not because of the sin of the beloved people, that she was given into the hand of her enemies because of our sin and that of the people? Is it not that the sinners have not been ashamed, and they say, 'We are able to take the city of God by our strength'? Is it not that by your might you were able to do it? Is it not that because of our sin she was given to you? And may our God have mercy on us and bring us back into our city; but for you there is no life. Blessed are those our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they departed from this world and did not see the ruin of this city." And after he spoke thus, he went out weeping and said, "I grieve for you, Jerusalem." And he went out from the city and dwelt in a tomb, and angels come and inform him about everything. Chapter 5. And Abimelech brought the figs at the time of noon from the place of the oak tree, and he found the fig tree withered, and he sat down and shaded himself as if to rest a little, and he laid his head upon a basket of figs and slept for sixty-six years and did not wake from his sleep. And after these times, he arose and woke from his sleep, and he said, "Still, when I slept a little, for my head still feels heavy, and I have not had enough sleep." And he uncovered this basket of figs and found these figs fresh, and they were dripping with their moisture.

And he again made his head heavy with sleep, and he said, "I am afraid, for he is not and he does not mourn, for he does not know my father Jeremiah, because he sent me early in the morning. And now I will arise and go, for my lament has ceased, and there is no time to delay in all his weeping." And he arose, and he took the basket of figs, and he entered into the city of Jerusalem, and he did not recognize the city and its houses. And Baruch said, "O Lord, for a great calamity has fallen upon him." And he said, "Is this not the city of Jerusalem? Woe is me, woe is me, for I have come from the mountain path. And if not, for my head is heavy, and I have not tasted sleep, and my heart is troubled. And how shall I tell this matter to Jeremiah, that the city has been destroyed before me?" And he searched for every sign that was in the city, so that he might know whether this was Jerusalem. And he entered again into the city, and he searched for something that would recognize him, and he failed. And Baruch said, "O Lord, for a great calamity has fallen upon me." And he went out again from the city, far away, and he remained, mourning, and as he went, he did not know. And he placed the basket of figs, and he said, "I will stay here until the Lord removes this affliction from me." And after this, while he was sitting, he saw an old man coming from the field, and Abimelech said to him, "I will tell you, old man, where is this city?" And the old man said to him, "Jerusalem it is.

And he said to him, "Abimelech, where is Jeremiah the priest, and Baruch the Levite, and all the people of the land? For I have found no one." And the old man said to him, "Are you not from this land? And now do you remember Jeremiah, that you ask about him? For all these days you have dwelt here. But Jeremiah is in Babylon with the people, for he was taken and given into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Persia, and he went there to prophesy to them." And when Abimelech heard from that old man, he said to him, "Abimelech said, 'If you are not an old man, I would have cursed you and laughed at you, for it is not fitting that old men should mock people.' And if you are not one who has lost his mind from old age, why do you say that the people were taken to Babylon? For the sound of heaven is great, if it had fallen upon them, it would not have been the time for them to go to Babylon. And you say they were taken to Babylon. And I, as my father Jeremiah sent me, went to the vineyard of Agrippas for the sake of a basket of figs to give to the sick among the people.

I went and arrived there, and I took what he had commanded me, and I was amazed. And as I was going, I found a tree and sat under it for shade, because it was the time of heat. And from there I fell asleep in the basket of figs, and I slept. And when I awoke, it seemed to me that I had dozed off, and I uncovered this basket of figs and found that the figs were dripping milk, just as I had taken them fresh. And you, were the people not taken away into Babylon? And behold, see how the figs have ripened for me, they said to me. And he uncovered the basket of figs and showed him. And the old man looked, and the figs were as if new and dripping milk. And then the old man was amazed, and he said to Abimelech, "You are righteous, my son, because God wished to show you through me the ruin of the city and to bring a testament of God upon you and to save you. Behold, today sixty-six years have passed since the people were taken away into Babylon. And if you wish to know and to ask, my son, look and see in your own eyes how the seeds have sprouted, and the figs also, as if their time had not come." And he knew that the time for all this had passed. Then Abimelech said in a loud voice, "I bless you, O Lord my God, God of heaven and earth; the repose of the souls of the righteous in all the ways." And he said to the old man, "What month is this?" And he said, "The tenth and the eleventh of the month of Nisan, which is Miyazya.

And after this, Abimelech gave to this old man from this fig, and he said to him, "May God guide you to what is above the city of Jerusalem." Section 6. And Abimelech arose and went out from the city and prayed to the Lord, and behold, an angel came and led him to Baruch, and he found him dwelling in a tomb. And when they had embraced and greeted each other, and they sat down and ate from the basket, and he lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed, saying, "Great is the God who gives their reward to his righteous ones. My soul is troubled and rejoices while you tell me the heart of the flesh for the holy house, and the flame is extinguished in the light, and after this the faithful one will come and gather you into your body. Preserve your virginity, faith, and if you live, preserve the flesh. Now, six and sixty years from the time they were captured and they did not hunger nor thirst, but their strength flourishes until now. Likewise, it will be done to you, my flesh, because you have kept your commandment from the angel of righteousness. He who preserved the basket of flesh is the one who will also preserve you by his power." And having said thus, Baruch finished and said to Abimelech, "Arise again, let us pray that the Lord may show us the words of the writing of Jeremiah in Babylon, the concealment that he concealed from me.

And Baruch prayed and said, "My strength is the Lord God, and the light that goes forth from His mouth. I have placed my trust in You, and also for Your mercy. Great is Your name, and there is none who can comprehend it. Fulfill the prayer of Your servant, so that faith may be in my heart, Your will for the servant, and send to Your priest Jeremiah into Babylon." And while he was praying thus, an angel came and said to Baruch, "The counselor of light, how will you send yourself to Jeremiah? At the hour of light, an eagle will come to you, and you yourself, write concerning Jeremiah, and write in a book, and tell them that for the children of Israel, what will happen, a stranger among you, shall be separated, that only until the tenth and fifth day. And after this, I will bring you into the city." The Lord said, "He who is separated on the tenth and fifth from Babylon, Jeremiah will enter the city and will lead the people of Babylon." The Lord said, and having said this, the angel departed from Baruch. And Baruch sent him as far as the harbor, and he brought paper and ink of wisdom, and wrote, saying, "Concerning Baruch, servant of God, he writes a letter to Jeremiah in the prison of Babylon: 'Joy and gladness, for God has not abandoned us. Our sorrow has departed by the grace of victory and mercy. Because of this, the Lord has placed mercy upon our heads and remembered the covenant which He made with our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.'

And he sent an angel to me, and he told me these things which I have told you. These are the things which the Lord God of Israel did, who brought us out of the land of Egypt by fire, because I have kept all his righteousness. Did I not raise you up from your place and bind your necks before him and throw you into the furnace of Babylon, because you heard my voice? The Lord said through the mouth of Jeremiah his servant: For those who heard, he brought them out of Babylon, and they will not be captives from Jerusalem in Babylon. And if you wish to test their knowledge and their wisdom, test them with the water of the Jordan. And he who does not hear will be known by this sign of knowledge which is greater than a seal. Part 7. And Baruch arose and went out quickly as if from a tomb. And the eagle said to him, "Greetings, Baruch, guardian of the faith." And Baruch said to him, "Because you are chosen from all the birds of the sky, you speak; from the light of your eyes you are dead. And now show me what you are doing here." And the eagle said to him, "I was sent here so that I might bring you all the words that you wish to send to me." And Baruch said to him, "Can you deliver these words to Jeremiah in Babylon?" And the eagle said to him, "For this reason I was sent." And Baruch took a book of 15 leaves from that basket of leaves which Abimelech had brought, and he bound it around the neck of the eagle.

And he said to him, “I will tell you, the eagle, king of all the birds, go in peace and in life; bring us news. And do not be like the raven that Noah sent, and which did not return again to him, nor like the dove that brought a message of peace to Noah. Likewise, you, take these good words to Jeremiah and to those who are with him, the Israelites, so that it may be good for you. And take this joy to the chosen people of God. And if the birds harm you, and all the enemies of righteousness, while they seek to kill you, be separated, and the Lord will give you strength. And do not be troubled, neither to the right nor to the left, but like an arrow that goes straight, go with the strength of God.” And having said this, Baruch buried the eagle with the book, and he went into Babylon, and he placed it upon a pillar at the entrance of the city, in a place of the wilderness, and he remained there until Jeremiah and the rest of the people passed by. And they passed by there, as they would bury a dead man, because Jeremiah had asked Nebuchadnezzar, saying, “Give me a place where I may bury my people.” And he gave it to him. And as they were walking and weeping over the dead, they arrived before this eagle, and the eagle cried out in a loud voice and said, “I tell you, Jeremiah, chosen of God, go and gather all the people, and let them come here, so that they may hear the good news that I have brought.

And when he had heard this praise to the Lord, he assembled all the people, their women and their children, and they came to where the eagle was. And this eagle descended to the ground, and went and lived, and did this so that all the people might believe and marvel at what had happened. And they said, “Jeremiah, this is the God who appeared to our fathers in the wilderness with Moses, and he took the form of an eagle and appeared to us as a great eagle.” And the eagle said to Jeremiah, saying, “Come and hear this book, and read it to the people.” And he read it to them. And when the people heard, they all wept together and put ashes on their heads. And they said to Jeremiah, “Save us; what shall we do to enter our city?” And Jeremiah arose and said to them, “All that you have heard in the book, do likewise, and it will bring you into your city.” And Jeremiah wrote a book for Baruch, saying, “My beloved son, do not cease to pray to the Lord on our behalf, that he may have mercy on us on our journey until we go out by the command of this sinful king. And you, who have found righteousness before the Lord, who has forgiven you, come with me so that you may not see the evil that will be done to the people in Babylon.

As for Ob, who had one son, and he was given so that he might be sustained, and those who were with his father, who were watching him, they covered their faces so that they might not see his father, for he was lacking in sorrow. Thus, the Lord has mercy on you and has not abandoned you; you will come to Babylon so that you may not see the distress of the people. For from the time we entered this city, we have not known until today from sorrow, sixty-six years, while we seek and find from the people the slain, from Nebuchadnezzar the king, while they weep and say, "The Lord has mercy on us, Sore." And when I heard this matter, I sorrowed and wept when they called upon another god of the slain and said, "He has mercy on us." And again, I remember what we did in Jerusalem without shame, and I will enter my house while I am angry and weeping. And now, I have entreated our Lord where you and Abimelech were, concerning the people, that they might hear my voice and the speech of my mouth, so that they might go out from Persia. And now, I tell you all the days that we dwelt here, they seized us while saying, "Tell us a new hymn from your melody for Zion, the melody of your God." And we said to them, "How can we sing for you while we are in a foreign land?" Thus, Jeremiah wrote and bound his book on the neck of the eagle and said to it, "Go in peace, and the Lord will protect you.

And the eagle went and hastened and brought the book to Baruch. And Baruch took it, read the book, and wept when he heard the sufferings of the people and their afflictions. And Jeremiah took that same [book] and gave it to the sick among the people, and he remained teaching them how they should not perform the deeds of the people of Babylon. Chapter 8. And when the day arrived on which God would bring the people out of Babylon, the Lord said to Jeremiah, "Arise, you and your people, and let us go to the Jordan." And he said to the people, "The Lord wishes to test the deeds of the people of Babylon. For the abominations which the women have committed against you, and the women who have committed [abominations] from among them, [are] their test. And those who have obeyed you, bring them into Jerusalem; and those who have not obeyed you, leave them; they will be buried within it." And Jeremiah read all this to them and brought them to the Jordan to test them. And while he was telling them this word which the Lord had said to him, those who had committed abominations were afraid and did not wish to listen to Jeremiah. And there were those who said to him, "We will not leave our wives forever; we will take them with us to our country." And they crossed the Jordan and arrived in Jerusalem. And Jeremiah, Baruch, and Abimelech stood, saying, "Every man who has committed an abomination from Babylon shall not enter our country." And those who had committed abominations said to their companions, "Arise, let us go to Babylon," and they crossed over and went.

And when the people of Babylon saw them, they went out as if they would not receive them and would not leave them, so that they might enter Babylon, saying, "You, before us, you hated us, and in secret you went out from us; and because of this, you will not enter our city, for we have sworn in the name of our God that we will not spare you and your children, because you passed by us in secret." And when they heard thus, they entered Jerusalem and built for themselves a city within the houses of Jerusalem, and they named that city Samaria. And Jeremiah sent to them, saying, "Repent and come, for the angel of righteousness will come and gather you into your place of rest." Chapter 9. And they remained rejoicing and feasting for seven days on account of the people. And when the tenth day from the doing of this had come, Jeremiah offered a sacrifice alone. And Jeremiah prayed, saying, "Holy, holy, holy are you, the sweet fragrance for man, and the light of truth that shines for me until I reach before you. I have besought you on behalf of your people, and I ask you concerning the word of the censer of Seraphiel and concerning the fragrance of the incense of Cherubiel. I ask you, yes, my psalmist, Michael the angel of righteousness, it is he who guides the paths of righteousness until they enter. I have besought you, Lord of all, and Lord of everything, who takes everything and creates everything, who reveals and who is not born, who completes everything, and every creature is hidden with him, without being done in secret.

And when he had prayed and finished his prayer, Jeremiah stood in the temple, and with him Baruch and Abimelech. And Jeremiah was like a man whose soul had departed from him. Then Baruch and Abimelech fell down and cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Woe to us! Our father Jeremiah, priest of God, has passed away from us!" And when the people heard this, they ran to him and found Jeremiah fallen and dead, and they wept and tore their garments and put ashes on their heads and wept a bitter lamentation. And after they had prepared where they would bury him, a word came saying, "Do not bury him; he is alive, and his soul will return into his body again." And when they heard this word, they did not bury him, but they kept him, waiting three days until his soul should return into his body. And a word was among all of them, and it said, "Praise him with one word: praise God, and all of you praise the Messiah, the Son of God, who will awaken you and judge you, Jesus, Son of God, light of the whole world, and a covenant that will not perish, and life of faith." And after this there will be three hundred and three sabbaths of days for his coming into the earth, the tree of life which is in paradise, and it will not be planted; it will give to all the tree that produces fruit and abundance, so that they may come to it and it will give to them so that they may make fruit and flourish, and their fruit will abide with the angels.

And concerning the plant of the trees, how they wither and dry up, the morning dew for the river, how it dries up their roots, like a plant whose root has taken hold of the earth, and the one that is bound in red, they make bitter, like a thorn and water that is sweet becomes bitter, and bitter becomes sweet, with great joy. And the rejoicings of God, for the delights, as they judge the fruit by the word of his mouth, his own son. And he himself enters into the world and appears to his apostles, the twelve, as I have seen the mystery that is revealed from his father, which comes into the world and into the Mount of Olives, and he rides and satisfies the hungry soul. And thus Jeremiah spoke concerning the Son of God, that he would come into the world. And when the people heard this, they were astonished concerning this, and they said, "This is the word of Isaiah, son of Amoz, who says, 'I have seen God the Son of God.' Now let us arise and do to him as we did to Isaiah." And they said among themselves, "There is no one else. Let us stone him to death." And Baruch and Abimelech were angry, saying, "In this death you shall not kill him." And Baruch and Abimelech grieved concerning Jeremiah, and again they left him, and they revealed to them the hidden things that he had seen.

And Jeremiah said to them, "Be silent, do not weep, for they cannot kill me until I have told you everything I have seen. And now bring me one stone, and bring him one stone, and set it down." And he said, "The Eternal Light, take this stone as if it were the sight of a person." And then the stone became like the sight of Jeremiah, and they began to stone the stone, while Jeremiah was like them. And Jeremiah told Baruch and Abimelech everything he had seen in secret. And after this, having finished telling them, he went and stood in the midst of the people, having removed his garment. And then he cried out to them, "This stone! O destroyers, children of Israel, why do you stone me while you think I am Jeremiah? And Jeremiah is standing among you!" And when they saw him, they ran with many stones and finished him off, and buried him. And they took that stone and placed it in his tomb, and set it up as if it were a monument, and wrote on it, saying, "Behold, this is the friend of Jeremiah.