Content

CAP 1
1 And these ben the wordis of the book, which Baruk, the sone of Nerie, sone of Maasie, sone of Sedechie, sone of Sedei, sone of Helchie, wroot in Babilonye;
2 in the fyuethe yeer, in the seuenthe dai of the monethe, in the tyme wherynne Caldeis token Jerusalem, and brenten it with fier.
3 And Baruk redde the wordis of this book to the eeris of Jeconye, sone of Joachym, kyng of Juda, and to the eeris of al the puple comynge to the book;
4 and to the eeris of the myyti sones of kyngis, and to the eeris of prestis, and to the eeris of the puple, fro the mooste `til to the leeste of hem, of alle dwellynge in Babiloyne, and at the flood Sudi.
5 Whiche herden, and wepten, and fastiden, and preieden in the siyt of the Lord.
6 And thei gaderiden monei, bi that that ech mannus hond myyte;
7 and senten in to Jerusalem to Joachym, the prest, sone of Helchie, sone of Salen, and to the preestis, and to al the puple that weren foundun with hym in Jerusalem;
8 whanne he took the vessels of the temple of the Lord, that weren takun awei fro the temple, to ayen clepe in to the lond of Juda, in the tenthe dai of the monethe Siban; the siluerne vessels, which Sedechie, the kyng of Juda, the sone of Josie,
9 made, aftir that Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, hadde take Jeconye, and princes, and alle myyti men, and the puple of the lond fro Jerusalem, and ledde hem boundun in to Babiloyne.
10 And thei seiden, Lo! we han sent to you richessis, of whiche bie ye brent sacrifices, and encense, and make ye sacrifice, and offre ye for synne at the auter of youre Lord God.
11 And preye ye for the lijf of Nabugodonosor, king of Babiloyne, and for the lijf of Balthasar, his sone, that the daies of hem ben on erthe as the daies of heuene;
12 that the Lord yyue vertu to vs, and liytne oure iyen, that we lyue vndur the schadewe of Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, and vndur the schadewe of Balthasar, his sone; and that we serue hem bi many daies, and fynde grace in the siyt of hem.
13 And preye ye for `vs silf to our Lord God, for we han synned to oure Lord God, and his strong veniaunce is not turned awei fro vs, `til in to this dai.
14 And rede ye this book, which we senten to you, to be rehersid in the temple of the Lord, in a solempne dai, and in a couenable dai.
15 And ye schulen seie, Riytfulnesse is to oure Lord God, but schenschipe of oure face is to vs, as this dai is, to al Juda, and to dwelleris in Jerusalem,
16 to oure kyngis, and to oure princes, to oure preestis, and to oure profetis, and to oure fadris.
17 We synneden bifor oure Lord God, and bileuyden not, and tristiden not in hym.
18 And we weren not redi to be suget to hym, and we obeiden not to the vois of oure Lord God, that we yeden in hise comaundementis, whiche he yaf to vs;
19 fro the dai in which he ledde oure fadris out of the lond of Egipt, til in to this dai, we weren vnbileueful to oure Lord God; and we weren scaterid, and yeden awei, that we herden not the vois of hym.
20 And many yuels and cursyngis, whiche the Lord ordeynede to his seruaunt Moises, cleuyden to vs; which Lord ledde oure fadris out of the lond of Egipt, to yyue to vs a lond flowynge mylk and hony, as in this dai.
21 And we herden not the vois of oure Lord God, bi alle the wordis of prophetis, whiche he sente to vs, and to oure iugis;
22 and we yeden awei, ech man in to the wit of his yuel herte, to worche to alien goddis, and we diden yuels bifore the iyen of oure Lord God.