Baruch 6

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	VULGATA
1 A copy of the letter which Jeremiah sent to those who were being led captive to Babylon by the king of the Babylonians, to convey to them what God had commanded him:	1 Propter peccata quæ peccastis ante Deum, abducemini in Babyloniam captivi a Nabuchodonosor rege Babylonis.
2 When you reach Babylon you will be there many years, a period seven generations long; after which I will bring you back from there in peace.	2 Ingressi itaque in Babylonem, eritis ibi annis plurimis, et temporibus longis, usque ad generationes septem : post hoc autem educam vos inde cum pace.
3 And now in Babylon you will see borne upon men's shoulders gods of silver and gold and wood, which cast fear upon the pagans.	3 Nunc autem videbitis in Babylonia deos aureos et argenteos, et lapideos et ligneos, in humeris portari, ostentantes metum gentibus.
4 Take care that you yourselves do not imitate their alien example and stand in fear of them,	4 Videte ergo ne et vos similes efficiamini factis alienis, et metuatis, et metus vos capiat in ipsis.
5 when you see the crowd before them and behind worshiping them. Rather, say in your hearts, "You, O LORD, are to be worshiped!";	5 Visa itaque turba de retro et ab ante, adorantes dicite in cordibus vestris : Te oportet adorari, Domine.
6 for my angel is with you, and he is the custodian of your lives.	6 Angelus enim meus vobiscum est : ipse autem exquiram animas vestras.
7 Their tongues are smoothed by woodworkers; they are covered with gold and silver-but they are a fraud, and cannot speak.	7 Nam lingua ipsorum polita a fabro ; ipsa etiam inaurata et inargentata : falsa sunt, et non possunt loqui.
8 People bring gold, as to a maiden in love with ornament,	8 Et sicut virgini amanti ornamenta, ita accepto auro fabricati sunt.
9 and furnish crowns for the heads of their gods. Then sometimes the priests take the silver and gold from their gods and spend it on themselves,	9 Coronas certe aureas habent super capita sua dii illorum : unde subtrahunt sacerdotes ab eis aurum et argentum, et erogant illud in semetipsos.
10 or give part of it to the harlots on the terrace. They trick them out in garments like men, these gods of silver and gold and wood;	10 Dant autem et ex ipso prostitutis, et meretrices ornant : et iterum cum receperint illud a meretricibus, ornant deos suos.
11 but though they are wrapped in purple clothing, they are not safe from corrosion or insects.	11 Hi autem non liberantur ab ærugine et tinea.
12 They wipe their faces clean of the house dust which is thick upon them.	12 Opertis autem illis veste purpurea, extergunt faciem ipsorum propter pulverem domus qui est plurimus inter eos.
13 Each has a scepter, like the human ruler of a district; but none does away with those that offend against it.	13 Sceptrum autem habet ut homo, sicut judex regionis, qui in se peccantem non interficit.
14 Each has in its right hand an axe or dagger, but it cannot save itself from war or pillage. Thus it is known they are not gods; do not fear them.	14 Habet etiam in manu gladium et securim, se autem de bello et a latronibus non liberat. Unde vobis notum sit quia non sunt dii :
15 As useless as one's broken tools	15 non ergo timueritis eos. Sicut enim vas hominis confractum inutile efficitur, tales sunt et dii illorum.
16 are their gods, set up in their houses; their eyes are full of dust from the feet of those who enter.	16 Constitutis illis in domo, oculi eorum pleni sunt pulvere a pedibus introëuntium.
17 Their courtyards are walled in like those of a man brought to execution for a crime against the king; the priests reinforce their houses with gates and bars and bolts, lest they be carried off by robbers.	17 Et sicut alicui qui regem offendit circumseptæ sunt januæ, aut sicut ad sepulchrum adductum mortuum : ita tutantur sacerdotes ostia clausuris et seris, ne a latronibus expolientur.
18 They light more lamps for them than for themselves, yet not one of these can they see.	18 Lucernas accendunt illis, et quidem multas, ex quibus nullam videre possunt : sunt autem sicut trabes in domo.
19 They are like any beam in the house; it is said their hearts are eaten away. Though the insects out of the ground consume them and their garments, they do not feel it.	19 Corda vero eorum dicunt elingere serpentes qui de terra sunt, dum comedunt eos, et vestimentum ipsorum, et non sentiunt.
20 Their faces are blackened by the smoke of the house.	20 Nigræ fiunt facies eorum a fumo qui in domo fit.
21 Bats and swallows alight on their bodies and on their heads; and cats as well as birds.	21 Supra corpus eorum et supra caput eorum volant noctuæ, et hirundines, et aves etiam, similiter et cattæ.
22 Know, therefore, that they are not gods, and do not fear them.	22 Unde sciatis quia non sunt dii : ne ergo timueritis eos.
23 Despite the gold that covers them for adornment, unless someone wipes away the corrosion, they do not shine; nor did they feel anything when they were molded.	23 Aurum etiam quod habent ad speciem est : nisi aliquis exterserit æruginem, non fulgebunt : neque enim dum conflarentur, sentiebant.
24 They are bought at any price, and there is no spirit in them.	24 Ex omni pretio empta sunt, in quibus spiritus non inest ipsis.
25 Having no feet, they are carried on men's shoulders, displaying their shame to all; and those who worship them are put to confusion	25 Sine pedibus, in humeris portantur, ostentantes ignobilitatem suam hominibus : confundantur etiam qui colunt ea.
26 because, if they fall to the ground, the worshipers must raise them up. They neither move of themselves if one sets them upright, nor come upright if they fall; but one puts gifts beside them as beside the dead.	26 Propterea si ceciderint in terram, a semetipsis non consurgunt : neque si quis eum statuerit rectum, per semetipsum stabit : sed sicut mortuis munera eorum illis apponentur.
27 Their priests resell their sacrifices for their own advantage. Even their wives cure parts of the meat, but do not share it with the poor and the weak;	27 Hostias illorum vendunt sacerdotes ipsorum, et abutuntur : similiter et mulieres eorum decerpentes, neque infirmo, neque mendicanti, aliquid impertiunt.
28 the menstruous and women in childbed handle their sacrifices. Knowing from this that they are not gods, do not fear them.	28 De sacrificiis eorum fœtæ et menstruatæ contingunt. Sciens itaque ex his quia non sunt dii, ne timeatis eos.
29 How can they be called gods? For women bring the offerings to these gods of silver and gold and wood;	29 Unde enim vocantur dii ? quia mulieres apponunt diis argenteis, et aureis, et ligneis :
30 and in their temples the priests squat with torn tunic and with shaven hair and beard, and with their heads uncovered.	30 et in domibus eorum sacerdotes sedent habentes tunicas scissas, et capita et barbam rasam, quorum capita nuda sunt.
31 They shout and wail before their gods as others do at a funeral banquet.	31 Rugiunt autem clamantes contra deos suos sicut in cœna mortui.
32 The priests take some of their clothing and put it on their wives and children.	32 Vestimenta eorum auferunt sacerdotes, et vestiunt uxores suas et filios suos.
33 Whether they are treated well or ill by anyone, they cannot requite it; they can neither set up a king nor remove him.	33 Neque si quid mali patiuntur ab aliquo, neque si quid boni, poterunt retribuere : neque regem constituere possunt, neque auferre.
34 Similarly, they cannot give anyone riches or coppers; if one fails to fulfill a vow to them, they cannot exact it of him.	34 Similiter neque dare divitias possunt, neque malum retribuere. Si quis illis votum voverit et non reddiderit, neque hoc requirunt.
35 They neither save a man from death, nor deliver the weak from the strong.	35 Hominem a morte non liberant, neque infirmum a potentiori eripiunt.
36 To no blind man do they restore his sight, nor do they save any man in an emergency.	36 Hominem cæcum ad visum non restituunt ; de necessitate hominem non liberabunt.
37 They neither pity the widow nor benefit the orphan.	37 Viduæ non miserebuntur, neque orphanis benefacient.
38 These gilded and silvered wooden statues are like stones from the mountains; and their worshipers will be put to shame.	38 Lapidibus de monte similes sunt dii illorum, lignei, et lapidei, et aurei, et argentei : qui autem colunt ea, confundentur.
39 How then can it be thought or claimed that they are gods?	39 Quomodo ergo æstimandum est aut dicendum illos esse deos ?
40 Even the Chaldeans themselves have no respect for them; for when they see a deaf mute, incapable of speech, they bring forward Bel and ask the god to make noise, as though the man could understand;	40 Adhuc enim ipsis Chaldæis non honorantibus ea : qui cum audierint mutum non posse loqui, offerunt illud ad Bel, postulantes ab eo loqui :
41 and they are themselves unable to reflect and abandon these gods, for they have no sense.	41 quasi possint sentire qui non habent motum ! Et ipsi, cum intellexerint, relinquent ea : sensum enim non habent ipsi dii illorum.
42 And their women, girt with cords, sit by the roads, burning chaff for incense;	42 Mulieres autem circumdatæ funibus in viis sedent, succendentes ossa olivarum :
43 and whenever one of them is drawn aside by some passer-by who lies with her, she mocks her neighbor who has not been dignified as she has, and has not had her cord broken.	43 cum autem aliqua ex ipsis, attracta ab aliquo transeunte, dormierit cum eo, proximæ suæ exprobrat quod ea non sit digna habita, sicut ipsa, neque funis ejus diruptus sit.
44 All that takes place around these gods is a fraud: how then can it be thought or claimed that they are gods?	44 Omnia autem quæ illi fiunt, falsa sunt : quomodo æstimandum aut dicendum est illos esse deos ?
45 They are produced by woodworkers and goldsmiths, and they are nothing else than what these craftsmen wish them to be.	45 A fabris autem et ab aurificibus facta sunt : nihil aliud erunt, nisi id quod volunt esse sacerdotes.
46 Even those who produce them are not long-lived;	46 Artifices etiam ipsi, qui ea faciunt, non sunt multi temporis : numquid ergo possunt ea, quæ fabricata sunt ab ipsis, esse dii ?
47 how then can what they have produced be gods? They have left frauds and opprobrium to their successors.	47 Reliquerunt autem falsa et opprobrium postea futuris.
48 For when war or disaster comes upon them, the priests deliberate among themselves where they can hide with them.	48 Nam cum supervenerit illis prælium et mala, cogitant sacerdotes apud se ubi se abscondant cum illis.
49 How then can one not know that these are no-gods, which do not save themselves either from war or from disaster?	49 Quomodo ergo sentiri debeant quoniam dii sunt, qui nec de bello se liberant, neque de malis se eripiunt ?
50 They are wooden, gilded and silvered; they will later be known for frauds. To all peoples and kings it will be clear that they are not gods, but human handiwork; and that God's work is not in them.	50 Nam cum sint lignea, inaurata et inargentata, scietur postea quia falsa sunt ab universis gentibus et regibus : quæ manifesta sunt quia non sunt dii, sed opera manuum hominum, et nullum Dei opus cum illis.
51 Who does not know that they are not gods?	51 Unde ergo notum est quia non sunt dii, sed opera manuum hominum, et nullum Dei opus in ipsis est.
52 They set no king over the land, nor do they give men rain.	52 Regem regioni non suscitant, neque pluviam hominibus dabunt.
53 They neither vindicate their own rights, nor do they recover what is unjustly taken, for they are unable;	53 Judicium quoque non discernent, neque regiones liberabunt ab injuria, quia nihil possunt, sicut corniculæ inter medium cæli et terræ.
54 they are like crows between heaven and earth. For when fire breaks out in the temple of these wooden or gilded or silvered gods, though the priests flee and are safe, they themselves are burnt up in the fire like beams.	54 Etenim cum inciderit ignis in domum deorum ligneorum, argenteorum et aureorum, sacerdotes quidem ipsorum fugient, et liberabuntur : ipsi vero sicut trabes in medio comburentur.
55 They cannot resist a king, or enemy forces.	55 Regi autem et bello non resistent. Quomodo ergo æstimandum est aut recipiendum quia dii sunt ?
56 How then can it be admitted or thought that they are gods? are safe from neither thieves nor bandits, these wooden and silvered and gilded gods;	56 Non a furibus, neque a latronibus se liberabunt dii lignei, et lapidei, et inaurati, et inargentati : quibus hi qui fortiores sunt,
57 those who seize them strip off the gold and the silver, and go away with the clothing that was on them, and they cannot help themselves.	57 aurum et argentum, et vestimentum quo operti sunt, auferent illis, et abibunt, nec sibi auxilium ferent.
58 How much better to be a king displaying his valor, or a handy tool in a house, the joy of its owner, than these false gods; or the door of a house, that keeps safe those who are within, rather than these false gods; or a wooden post in a palace, rather than these false gods!	58 Itaque melius est esse regem ostentantem virtutem suam, aut vas in domo utile, in quo gloriabitur qui possidet illud, vel ostium in domo, quod custodit quæ in ipsa sunt, quam falsi dii.
59 The sun and moon and stars are bright, and obedient in the service for which they are sent.	59 Sol quidem et luna ac sidera, cum sint splendida et emissa ad utilitates, obaudiunt :
60 Likewise the lightning, when it flashes, is a goodly sight; and the same wind blows over all the land.	60 similiter et fulgur cum apparuerit, perspicuum est : idipsum autem et spiritus in omni regione spirat :
61 The clouds, too, when commanded by God to proceed across the whole world, fulfill the order;	61 et nubes, quibus cum imperatum fuerit a Deo perambulare universum orbem, perficiunt quod imperatum est eis :
62 and fire, sent from on high to burn up the mountains and the forests, does what has been commanded. But these false gods are not their equal, whether in beauty or in power;	62 ignis etiam missus desuper, ut consumat montes et silvas, facit quod præceptum est ei : hæc autem neque speciebus, neque virtutibus, uni eorum similia sunt.
63 so that it is unthinkable, and cannot be claimed, that they are gods. They can neither execute judgment, nor benefit man.	63 Unde neque existimandum est, neque dicendum illos esse deos, quando non possunt neque judicium judicare, neque quidquam facere hominibus.
64 Know, therefore, that they are not gods, and do not fear them.	64 Scientes itaque quia non sunt dii, ne ergo timueritis eos.
65 Kings they neither curse nor bless.	65 Neque enim regibus maledicent, neque benedicent.
66 They show the nations no signs in the heavens, nor are they brilliant like the sun, nor shining like the moon.	66 Signa etiam in cælo gentibus non ostendunt : neque ut sol lucebunt, neque illuminabunt ut luna.
67 The beasts which can help themselves by fleeing to shelter are better than they are.	67 Bestiæ meliores sunt illis, quæ possunt fugere sub tectum ac prodesse sibi.
68 Thus in no way is it clear to us that they are gods; so do not fear them.	68 Nullo itaque modo nobis est manifestum quia sunt dii : propter quod ne timeatis eos.
69 For like a scarecrow in a cucumber patch, that is no protection, are their wooden, gilded, silvered gods.	69 Nam sicut in cucumerario formido nihil custodit, ita sunt dii illorum lignei, et argentei, et inaurati.
70 Just like a thornbush in a garden on which perches every kind of bird, or like a corpse hurled into darkness, are their silvered and gilded wooden gods.	70 Eodem modo et in horto spina alba, supra quam omnis avis sedet, similiter et mortuo projecto in tenebris, similes sunt dii illorum lignei, et inaurati, et inargentati.
71 From the rotting of the purple and the linen upon them, it can be known that they are not gods; they themselves will in the end be comsumed, and be a disgrace in the land.	71 A purpura quoque et murice, quæ supra illos tineant, scietis itaque quia non sunt dii : ipsi etiam postremo comeduntur, et erunt opprobrium in regione.
72 The better for the just man who has no idols: he shall be far from disgrace!	72 Melior est homo justus qui non habet simulacra, nam erit longe ab opprobriis.