2 BARUCH 10
Baruch's lamentation
10:1 And it happened after seven days that the Word of YAHWEH came to me and said to me:
10:2 Tell YermeYah to go away in order to support the captives unto Babylon.
10:3 You, however, stay here in the desolation of Zion and I shall show you after these days what will happen at the end of days.
10:4 And I spoke to YermeYah as YAHWEH commanded me.
10:5 He, then, went away with the people, but I, Baruch, came back and sat in front of the doors of the Great Tabernacle, and I raised the following lamentation over Zion and said:
10:6 Blessed is he who was not born, or he who was born and died.
10:7 But we, the living, woe to us, because we have seen those afflictions of Zion, and that which has befallen Yerusalem.
10:8 I shall call the Sirens from the sea, and you, Lilin, come from the desert, and you, demons and dragons from the woods. Awake and gird up your loins to mourn, and raise lamentations with me, and mourn with me.
10:9 You, farmers, sow not again. And you, O earth, why do you give the fruit of your harvest? Keep within you the sweetness of your sustenance.
10:10 And you, vine, why do you still give your wine? For an offering will not be given again from you in Zion, and the firstfruits will not again be offered.
10:11 And you, heaven, keep your dew within you, and do not open the treasuries of rain.
10:12 And you, sun, keep the light of your rays within you. And you, moon, extinguish the multitude of your light. For why should the light rise again, where the light of Zion is darkened?
10:13 And you, bridegrooms, do not enter, and do not let the brides adorn themselves.
10:14 And you, wives, do not pray to bear children, for the barren will rejoice more. And those who have no children will be glad, and those who have children will be sad.
10:15 For why do they bear in pains only to bury in grief?
10:16 Or why should men have children again? Or why should the generation of their kind be named again, where this mother is lonely, and her children have been carried away in captivity?
10:17 Henceforth, do not speak anymore of beauty, and do not talk about comeliness.
10:18 You, kohenim, take the keys of the sanctuary, and cast them to the highest heaven, and give them to YAHWEH and say, "Guard YOUR house YOURSELF, because, behold, we have been found to be false stewards."
10:19 And you, virgins who spin fine linen, and silk with gold of Ophir, make haste and take all things, and cast them into the fire, so that it may carry them to HIM who made them. And the flame sends them to HIM who created them, so that the enemies do not take possession of them.