The Lost Books of the Bible: The Great Rejected Texts Read online

  36: And dung of men to the camel’s hock.

  37: And there will be great fearfulness and trembling upon earth and they that see the rage will be afraid, and trembling will come upon them.

  38: And then will there come great storms from the south, and from the north, and another section (piece) from the west.

  39: And strong winds will arise from the east, and will open it; and the cloud which he raised up in rage, and the star stirred to cause fear toward the east and west wind, will be destroyed.

  40: The great and mighty clouds will be puffed up full of rage, and the star, that they may make all the earth afraid, and them that dwell therein; and they will pour out over every high and eminent place an horrible star,

  41: Fire, and hail, and flying swords, and many waters, that all fields may be full, and all rivers, with the abundance of great waters.

  42: And they will break down the cities and walls, mountains and hills, trees of the wood, and grass of the meadows, and their corn.

  43: And they will go steadfastly to Babylon, and make her afraid.

  44: They will come to her, and besiege her, the star and all rage will they pour out upon her: then will the dust and smoke go up to the heaven, and all they that be about her will bewail her.

  45: And they that remain under her will do service to them that have put her in fear.

  46: And you, Asia, that are partaker of the hope of Babylon, and are the glory of her person:

  47: Woe be to you, you wretch, because you have made yourself like to her; and have decked your daughters in whoredom, that they might please and glory in your lovers, which have always desired to commit whoredom with you.

  48: You have followed her that is hated in all her works and inventions: therefore says God,

  49: I will send plagues upon you; widowhood, poverty, famine, sword, and pestilence, to waste your houses with destruction and death.

  50: And the glory of your Power will be dried up as a flower, the heat will arise that is sent over you.

  51: You will be weakened as a poor woman with stripes, and as one covered with wounds, so that the mighty and lovers will not be able to receive you.

  52: Would I with jealousy have so proceeded against you, says the Lord,

  53: If you had not always slain my chosen, exalting the stroke of yours hands, and saying over their dead, when you was drunken,

  54: Set forth the beauty of your countenance?

  55: The reward of your whoredom will be in your bosom, therefore will you receive payment in full.

  56: Like as you have done to my chosen, says the Lord, even so will God do to you, and will deliver you into mischief

  57: Your children will die of hunger, and you will fall through the sword: your cities will be broken down, and all yours will perish with the sword in the field.

  58: They that be in the mountains will die of hunger, and eat their own flesh, and drink their own blood, for very hunger of bread, and thirst of water.

  59: You as unhappy will come through the sea, and receive plagues again.

  60: And in the passage they will rush on the idle city, and will destroy some portion of your land, and consume part (piece) of your glory, and will return to Babylon that was destroyed.

  61: And you will be cast down by them as stubble, and they will be to you as fire;

  62: And will consume you, and your cities, your land, and your mountains; all your woods and your fruitful trees will they burn up with fire.

  63: Your children will they carry away captive, and, look, what you have, they will spoil it, and mar the beauty of your face.

  4 Ezra Chapter 16

  1: Woe be to you, Babylon and Asia! Woe be to you, Egypt and Syria!

  2: Gird up yourselves with cloths of sack and hair, bewail your children, and be sorry; for your destruction is at hand.

  3: A sword is sent upon you, and who may turn it back?

  4: A fire is sent among you, and who may quench it?

  5: Plagues are sent to you, and what is he that may drive them away?

  6: May any man drive away an hungry lion in the wood? Or may any one quench the fire in stubble when it has begun to burn?

  7: May one turn again the arrow that is shot of a strong archer?

  8: The mighty Lord sends the plagues and who is he that can drive them away?

  9: A fire will go forth from his rage and who is he that may quench it?

  10: He will cast lightning, and who will not fear? He will thunder and who will not be afraid?

  11: The Lord will threaten, and who will not be utterly beaten to powder at his presence?

  12: The earthquakes, and the foundations thereof; the sea rises up with waves from the deep, and the waves of it are troubled, and the fishes thereof also, before the Lord, and before the glory of his power:

  13: For strong is his right hand that bends the bow, his arrows that he shoots are sharp and will not miss when they are shot into the ends of the world.

  14: Behold, the plagues are sent, and will not return again, until they come upon the earth.

  15: The fire is kindled, and will not be put out, till it consume the foundation of the earth.

  16: Like as an arrow which is shot of a mighty archer returns not backward: even so the plagues that will be sent upon earth will not return again.

  17: Woe is me! woe is me! Who will deliver me in those days?

  18: The beginning of sorrows and great mourning; the beginning of famine and great death; the beginning of wars, and the powers will stand in fear; the beginning of evils! What will I do when these evils will come?

  19: Behold, famine and plague, tribulation and anguish, are sent as scourges for amendment.

  20: But for all these things they will not turn from their wickedness, nor be always mindful of the scourges.

  21: Behold, victuals will be so good and cheap upon earth, that they will think themselves to be in good case, and even then will evils grow upon earth, sword, famine, and great confusion.

  22: For many of them that dwell upon earth will perish of famine; and the other, that escape the hunger, will the sword destroy.

  23: And the dead will be cast out as dung, and there will be no man to comfort them: for the earth will be wasted, and the cities will be cast down.

  24: There will be no man left to till the earth, and to sow it

  25: The trees will give fruit, and who will gather them?

  26: The grapes will ripen, and who will tread them? For all places will be desolate of men;

  27: So that one man will desire to see another, and to hear his voice.

  28: For of a city there will be ten left, and two of the field, which will hide themselves in the thick groves, and in the clefts of the rocks.

  29: As in an orchard of olives upon every tree there are left three or four olives;

  30: Or as when a vineyard is gathered, there are left some clusters of them that diligently seek through the vineyard.

  31: Even so in those days there will be three or four left by them that search their houses with the sword.

  32: And the earth will be laid waste, and the fields thereof will wax old, and her ways and all her paths will grow full of thorns, because no man will travel through it.

  33: The virgins will mourn, having no bridegrooms; the women will mourn, having no husbands; their daughters will mourn, having no helpers.

  34: In the wars will their bridegrooms be destroyed and their husbands will perish of famine.

  35: Hear now these things and understand them, you servants of the Lord.

  36: Behold, the word of the Lord, receive it and believe not the gods of whom the Lord spoke.

  37: Behold, the plagues draw near, and are not slack.

  38: As when a woman with child in the ninth month brings forth her son, with two or three hours of her birth great pains compass her womb, which pains, when the child cometh forth, they slack not a moment.

  39: Even so will not the plagues be slack to come upon the ea
rth, and the world will mourn, and sorrows will come upon it on every side.

  40: O my people, hear my word and make you ready to your battle, and in those evils be even as pilgrims upon the earth.

  41: He that sells, let him be as he that runs away and he that buys, as one that will lose.

  42: He that occupies merchandise, as he that has no profit by it, and he that builds, as he that will not dwell therein.

  43: He that sows, as if he should not reap so also he that plants the vineyard, as he that will not gather the grapes.

  44: They that marry, as they that will get no children; and they that marry not, as the widowers.

  45: And therefore they that labor do so in vain;

  46: For strangers will reap their fruits, and spoil their goods, overthrow their houses, and take their children captives, for in captivity and famine will they get children.

  47: And they that occupy their merchandise with robbery, the more they deck their cities, their houses, their possessions, and their own persons;

  48: The more will I be angry with them for their sin, says the Lord.

  49: Like as a whore envies a right honest and virtuous woman;

  50: So will righteousness hate iniquity, when she covers herself, and will accuse her to her face, when he cometh that will defend him that diligently searches out every sin upon earth.

  51: And therefore be you not like thereto, nor to the works thereof.

  52: For yet a little, and iniquity will be taken away out of the earth, and righteousness will reign among you.

  53: Let not the sinner say that he has not sinned, for God will burn coals of fire upon his head, which says before the Lord God and his glory, I have not sinned.

  54: Behold, the Lord knows all the works of men, their imaginations, their thoughts, and their hearts;

  55: Which spoke but the word, Let the earth be made and it was made; Let the heaven be made and it was created.

  56: In his word were the stars made, and he knows the number of them.

  57: He searches the deep, and the treasures thereof; he has measured the sea, and what it contains.

  58: He has shut the sea in the midst of the waters, and with his word has he hanged the earth upon the waters.

  59: He spreads out the heavens like a vault; upon the waters has he founded it.

  60: In the desert has he made springs of water, and pools upon the tops of the mountains, that the floods might pour down from the high rocks to water the earth.

  61: He made man, and put his heart in the midst of the body, and gave him breath, life, and understanding.

  62: Yea and the Spirit of Almighty God, which made all things, and searches out all hidden things in the secrets of the earth,

  63: Surely he knows your inventions, and what you think in your hearts, even them that sin, and would hide their sin.

  64: Therefore has the Lord exactly searched out all your works, and he will put you all to shame.

  65: And when your sins are brought forth, you will be ashamed before men, and your own sins will be your accusers in that day.

  66: What will you do? Or how will you hide your sins before God and his angels?

  67: Behold, God himself is the judge, fear him. Leave off from your sins, and forget your iniquities, to meddle no more with them for ever; so will God lead you forth, and deliver you from all trouble.

  68: For, behold, the burning rage of a great multitude is kindled over you, and they will take away certain of you, and feed you, being idle, with things offered to idols.

  69: And they that consent to them will be had in derision and in reproach, and trodden under foot.

  70: For there will be in every place, and in the next cities, a great insurrection upon those that fear the Lord.

  71: They will be like mad men, sparing none, but still spoiling and destroying those that fear the Lord.

  72: For they will waste and take away their goods, and cast them out of their houses.

  73: Then will they be known, who are my chosen; and they will be tried as the gold in the fire.

  74: Hear, O you my beloved, says the Lord, behold, the days of trouble are at hand, but I will deliver you from the same.

  75: Be you not afraid neither doubt; for God is your guide,

  76: And the guide of them who keep my commandments and precepts, says the Lord God. Let not your sins weigh you down, and let not your iniquities lift up themselves.

  77: Woe be to them that are bound with their sins, and covered with their iniquities like as a field is covered over with bushes, and the path thereof covered with thorns, that no man may travel through!

  78: It is left undressed, and is cast into the fire to be consumed therewith.

  2 Baruch - History

  2 Baruch is also known as the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch. It is part of the Jewish pseudepigraphical. It is a text written in the late first to early second century, after the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 AD.

  It is not part of the canon of either the Jewish or "Western" Christian Bibles but is part of the Syriac Bible. Syriac Christianity is a distinctive and separate family. It is propagated in part by the Syriac language and culture as part of Near Eastern Christianity. The Aramaic origins borrowed much from early Judaism and Mesopotamian culture. As Christianity grew and was defined more with the Greek and Latin cultures and tongues, Syriac Christianity was persecuted.

  2 Baruch is similar to Jeremiah. The lamentations and anguish seen within the text are attributed to a reaction to the fall of Jerusalem, and particularly the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the text, the Temple’s sacred objects were rescued from destruction by angels, and await the temple’s rebuilding.

  The catastrophe of the Temple destruction caused the Jews to question their faith and their place in God’s divine plan. The plundering and desecration of the temple by gentiles was tantamount to God’s rejection of the Jews and called into question the very foundations of their faith.

  If a religion holds that God’s hand is in all things then one must resolves the question of why an omnipotent God allowed the destruction of his own temple, or the temple belonging to His people.

  2 Baruch attempts to answer this question as it promises a Messiah (Anointed One) who will end the sinful ways and dominance of the heathens and re-establish the Jews as God’s chosen people. Those who are truly called will be the righteous Jews who follow the Torah and its teachings.

  The text presented below is a modern rendition based in part on R. H. Charles’ work done in the early 1900’s. Chapter and verse divisions have been redefined to provide more logical separations. Modern wording has replaced the more archaic phrasing in the text. The result was then compared to other authoritative works and the translation modified to provide the most accurate version possible.

  2 Baruch

  Chapter 1

  1 And it happened in the twenty-fifth year of Jeconiah, king of Judah, that the word of the Lord came to Baruch, the son of Neriah, and said to him:

  2 Have you seen all that this nation (people) are doing to Me, that the evils which these two tribes which remained have done are greater than (those of) the ten tribes which were carried away captive?

  3 For the former tribes were forced by their kings to commit sin, but these two of themselves have been forcing and compelling their kings to commit sin.

  4 For this reason, I bring evil upon this city, and upon its inhabitants, and it will be removed from before Me for a time, and I will scatter these people among the Gentiles that they may do good to the Gentiles. And My people will be chastened, and the time will come when they will seek the prosperity of this period (their times.)

  Chapter 2

  1 For I have said these things to you that you may tell Jeremiah, and all those that are like you, to leave this city.

  2 For your works are to this city as a firm pillar, and your prayers as a strong wall.

  Chapter 3

  1 And I said: O Lord, my Lord, have I come into the world for
this purpose that I might see the evils of my mother?

  2 Not so, my Lord. If I have found grace in Your sight, first take my spirit that I may go to my father’s and not witness the destruction of my mother.

  3 For two things vehemently constrain me: for I cannot resist You, and my soul cannot behold the evils of my mother.

  4 But one thing I will ask in Your presence, O Lord.

  5 What will there be after these things? If You destroy Your city and deliver up Your land to those that hate us, how will the name of Israel be remembered?

  6 Or how will one speak of Your praises?

  7 Or to whom will Your law be explained and all things therein?

  8 Or will the world return to the nature it had before, and the age revert to primeval silence?

  9 And will the multitude of souls be taken away, and the nature of man not again be named? And where is all that which You said to Moses regarding us?

  Chapter 4

  1 And the Lord said to me: This city will be delivered up for a time, and the people will be chastened during a time, And the world will not be given over to oblivion.

  2 Do you think that this is that city of which I said: On the palms of My hands have I graven you?

  3 This building now built in your midst is not that which is revealed with Me, that which was prepared beforehand here from the time when I took counsel to make Paradise, and showed it to Adam before he sinned, but when he transgressed the commandment it was removed from him, as also Paradise.

  4 And after these things I showed it to My servant Abraham by night among the allotted victims.

  5 And again also I showed it to Moses on Mount Sinai when I showed him the likeness of the tabernacle and all its vessels.

  6 And now, behold, it is preserved with Me, as also is Paradise.

  7 Go, therefore, and do as I command you.”

  Chapter 5

  1 And I answered and said: So then I am destined to grieve for Zion, For your enemies will come to this place and pollute your sanctuary, and lead your inheritance into captivity; And make themselves masters of those whom You have loved. They will depart again to the place of their idols, and will boast before them: And what will You do for Your great name?