Baruch 6

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	NOVA 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 Exemplum epistulae, quam mi sit Ieremias ad abducendos cap tivos inBabyloniam a rege Babyloniorum, ut nuntiaret illis secundum quod praeceptum estei a Deo. Propter peccata, quae peccastis ante Deum, abducemini in Babyloniam captivi aNabuchodonosor rege Babyloniorum.
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 illicannis pluribus et tempus longum usque ad generationes septem; post hoc autemeducam 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 Babylone deos argenteos etaureos et ligneos in umeris portari, ostentantes metum gentibus.
4 Take care that you yourselves do not imitate their alien example and stand in fear of them,	4 Cavete ergo,ne et vos assimilati assimilemini alienigenis, 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 Videntes turbam ante et retro adorantem eos, dicite autem in corde vestro: “Te oportet adorare, Domine ”.
6 for my angel is with you, and he is the custodian of your lives.	6 Angelus enim meus vobiscum est; ipse autemexquiret 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 eorum polita a fabro; ipsa etiam inaurataet inargentata falsa sunt et non possunt loqui.
8 People bring gold, as to a maiden in love with ornament,	8 Et sicut virgini ornatumamanti, accepto auro fabricantur
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 super capita deorum suorum. Interdumautem accidit etiam, ut sacerdotes, subtrahentes a diis aurum et argentum,erogent 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 et dent ex ipso et prostitutis in lupanari. Etornant illos ut homines vestimentis, deos argenteos et aureos et ligneos.
11 but though they are wrapped in purple clothing, they are not safe from corrosion or insects.	11 Hiautem non liberantur ab aerugine et tinea.
12 They wipe their faces clean of the house dust which is thick upon them.	12 Opertis illis veste purpurea,extergunt faciem eorum propter pulverem domus, qui est plurimus super eos.
13 Each has a scepter, like the human ruler of a district; but none does away with those that offend against it.	13 Etsceptrum habet ut homo, iudex regionis, qui in se peccantem non interficiet.
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 gladium in manu dextera et securim, se autem de bello et alatronibus non liberabit. Unde notum est quia non sunt dii;
15 As useless as one's broken tools	15 non ergotimueritis eos. Sicut enim vas hominis confractum inutile fit, tales sunt dii eorum.
16 are their gods, set up in their houses; their eyes are full of dust from the feet of those who enter.	16 Collocatis illis in domo, oculi eorum pleni sunt pulvere ex pedibusintroeuntium.
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, circumsaeptae sunt aulae,tamquam ad mortem ducto, domus eorum muniunt sacerdotes ostiis et clausuris etseris, ne a latronibus exspolientur.
18 They light more lamps for them than for themselves, yet not one of these can they see.	18 Lucernas accendunt et quidem plures quamsibi ipsis, quarum nullam videre possunt.
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 Sunt autem sicut trabes in domo;corda vero eorum dicunt elingere serpentes, qui de terra sunt; dum comedunt eoset vestimentum eorum, non sentiunt.
20 Their faces are blackened by the smoke of the house.	20 Nigrae fiunt facies eorum a fumo, qui indomo fit.
21 Bats and swallows alight on their bodies and on their heads; and cats as well as birds.	21 Super corpus eorum et super caput volitant noctuae et hirundines etaves, similiter et cattae.
22 Know, therefore, that they are not gods, and do not fear them.	22 Unde scietis quia non sunt dii; non ergotimueritis 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 enim, quod circa se habent ad speciem, nisi aliquis exterseritaeruginem, non fulgebit; neque enim, cum conflabantur, sentiebant.
24 They are bought at any price, and there is no spirit in them.	24 Ex omnipretio empta sunt, in quibus spiritus non est.
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 umerisportantur, ostentantes ignobilitatem suam hominibus; confunduntur et, quiexcolunt 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 propter quod, ne forte cadat in terram, per ipsos erigetur.Neque, si quis illud erectum statuerit, per semetipsum movebitur neque, siinclinatum fuerit, erigetur; sed sicut mortuis munera illis apponuntur.
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 vero eorum sacerdotes eorum vendunt et abutuntur; similiter et uxoreseorum, ex ipsis partes sale condientes, neque mendico neque infirmo aliquidimpertiunt. De sacrificiis eorum menstruatae et fetae contingunt.
28 the menstruous and women in childbed handle their sacrifices. Knowing from this that they are not gods, do not fear them.	28 Scientesitaque ex his quia non sunt dii, ne timueritis 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 vocabuntur dii? Quia mulieres apponunt diis argenteis et aureis etligneis,
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 illorum sacerdotes sedent habentes tunicas scissas etcapita 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 clamantescoram diis suis sicut in cena mortui.
32 The priests take some of their clothing and put it on their wives and children.	32 A vestimento eorum auferunt sacerdoteset 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 patiantur abaliquo neque si bonum, poterint retribuere; neque constituere regem possuntneque 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 divitias neque aes poterunt dare. Si quisillis votum voverit nec reddiderit, non requirent.
35 They neither save a man from death, nor deliver the weak from the strong.	35 De morte hominem nonliberabunt neque infirmiorem a potentiore eripient.
36 To no blind man do they restore his sight, nor do they save any man in an emergency.	36 Hominem caecum ad visumnon restituent, de necessitate hominem non liberabunt.
37 They neither pity the widow nor benefit the orphan.	37 Viduae nonmiserebuntur neque orphano 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,lignea et inaurata et inargentata; qui autem excolunt illa, confundentur.
39 How then can it be thought or claimed that they are gods?	39 Quomodo ergo aestimandum aut dicendum est esse illos 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 etiam ipsi Chaldaei non honorant ea; qui cum viderint mutum non posseloqui, afferunt Bel postulantes illum loqui,
41 and they are themselves unable to reflect and abandon these gods, for they have no sense.	41 quasi ipse possit sentire. Etnon possunt ipsi, cum intellexerint, relinquere ea; sensum enim non habent.
42 And their women, girt with cords, sit by the roads, burning chaff for incense;	42 Mulieres autem circumdatae funibus in viis sedent succendentes furfurem;
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 cumautem aliqua ex ipsis, attracta ab aliquo transeunte, dormierit cum eo, proximaesuae exprobrat quod ea non sit digna habita, sicut ipsa, neque funis eiusdiruptus.
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, quae illis fiunt, falsa sunt; quomodo ergo aestimandumest aut dicendum 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 et ab aurificibus facti sunt; nihil aliud erunt, nisi id quod voluntartifices.
46 Even those who produce them are not long-lived;	46 Ipsi etiam, qui ea faciunt, non erunt multi temporis; itaquenumquid possunt, quae ab ipsis fabricata sunt, esse dii?
47 how then can what they have produced be gods? They have left frauds and opprobrium to their successors.	47 Reliquerunt enimfalsa 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 proelium etmala, cogitant apud se sacerdotes, 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 ergonon est sentiendum quia non sunt dii, qui nec liberant se de bello nec de malis?
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 et inaurata et inargentata, scietur postea quia falsasunt; gentibus universis et regibus manifestum erit quia non sunt dii sed operamanuum hominum, et nullum Dei opus in illis est.
51 Who does not know that they are not gods?	51 Cui ergo non notum est quodnon sunt dii?
52 They set no king over the land, nor do they give men rain.	52 Regem enim regioni non suscitabunt neque pluviam hominibus dabunt.
53 They neither vindicate their own rights, nor do they recover what is unjustly taken, for they are unable;	53 Iudicium quoque eorum non discernent nec regiones liberabunt iniuriam patientes,quia nihil possunt sicut corniculae inter medium caeli et terrae.
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 cuminciderit in domum deorum ligneorum vel inauratorum vel inargentatorum ignis,sacerdotes quidem ipsorum fugient et liberabuntur; ipsi vero sicut trabes inmedio comburentur.
55 They cannot resist a king, or enemy forces.	55 Regi autem et hostibus non resistent. Quomodo ergoaestimandum 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 Neque a furibus neque a latronibus se liberabunt dii lignei et inaurati etinargentati;
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 quibus hi fortiores sunt, quia aurum et argentum et vestimentum,quo operti sunt, auferent illis et abibunt; nec illi 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,quo uti potest is, qui possidet illud, quam falsi dii, aut etiam ostium in domo,quod custodit, quae in ea sunt, quam falsi dii, et columna lignea in regiis quamfalsi 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 et sidera, cum sint splendida et emissa adutilitates, oboediunt;
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;eodem modo 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 imperatumfuerit a Deo perambulare universum orbem, perficiunt, quod imperatum est;
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 praeceptumest: haec 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 Undeneque aestimandum est neque dicendum illos esse deos, quando non possunt nequeiudicium iudicare neque benefacere hominibus.
64 Know, therefore, that they are not gods, and do not fear them.	64 Scientes itaque quia non suntdii, ne 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 in caelo gentibusnon ostendent neque ut sol lucebunt neque illuminabunt sicut luna.
67 The beasts which can help themselves by fleeing to shelter are better than they are.	67 Bestiaemeliores sunt illis, quae possunt, fugientes sub tegumentum, 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 timueritiseos.
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 illorumlignei et inaurati et inargentati.
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 spinae albae, superquam omnis avis sedet; similiter et mortuo proiecto in tenebris similes sunt diieorum 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 et bysso, quae super illostineant, scietis quia non sunt dii; ipsa etiam postremo comeduntur, et eritopprobrium in regione.
72 The better for the just man who has no idols: he shall be far from disgrace!	72 Melior est ergo homo iustus, qui non habet simulacra,nam erit longe ab opprobriis.