The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

CAPI. I.

[unspec A]

¶ Baruch wrote a boke, durynge the captiuyte of Babylō, whiche he redde before Iecontah & all the people. The Ie∣wes sent the boke with money, vnto Ierusalē to theyr other brethren: to the intent that they shulde praye for them.

ANd these are the wor∣des of the booke, whiche were wrytten by Baruch the sōne of Nerias, the sonne of Maasias, the sonne of Sedechias / y^e sōne of Sedeias / the sonne of Helchias / at Ba∣bylon in the fyfte yeare / and in the seuenth day of the moneth / what tyme as y^• Caldees toke Ierusalem / and brent it vp with fyre.

And Baruch dyd rede y^• wordes of thys booke, that Iechoniah the sonne of Ioac•••• kynge of Iuda myght heare: and in the pre∣sence of all the people, y^• were come to heare the booke: yee and before all the noble kyn∣ges sonnes / before the Lordes of the coūcell and elders: and before the whole people, trō the lowest vnto the hyest: before all them that dwelt at Babylō, by y^• water of Sody. Whiche whan they herde it / wepte, fasted, and prayed before the Lorde.

They made a colleccyon also of money, [unspec B] accordynge to euery mans power / and sent it to Ierusalem vnto Ioachim the sonne of Helchia / the sonne of Salon prest with the other prestes: and to all the people whiche were with him at Ierusalem / what tyme as they had gotten the ornamentes of the tem∣ple of the Lorde (that were taken awaye out of the temple) that they myght brynge them agayne in to the lande of Iuda / the tenth daye of the moneth Siban: namely / syluer vessels (which Sedechiah the sonne of Io∣siah kynge of Iuda had made) after that Nabuchodonosor kynge of Babylon had taken Iechomah, with al his prīces / lordes, [unspec C] and all the people / and led them captyne from Ierusalem vnto Babylon.

And they sayd: Behold, we haue sent you money, to bye you burnt offerynges and

insence withall: make you vnleuened bred, and offre for synne vpon the aulter of the Lorde our God. And praye for the prospe∣ryte of Naburchodonosor kynge of Babylō / and for the welfare of Balthasar his sonne: that theyr dayes may be vpon earth / as the dayes of heauen: that God also maye geue vs strength, and lyghten our eyes: that we may lyue vnder the defence of Nabuchodo nosor kynge of Babylon, and vnder the pro¦teccyon of Balthasar his sonne: y^• we maye longe do them seruyce / and fynde fauoure in theyr syght. Praye for vs also vnto the Lord our God, for we haue synned agaynst the Lorde our God & vnto thys daye is not his wrath turned yet awaye frō vs. And se y^• ye rede this boke (whiche we haue sent vnto you to be rehearced in the tēple of y^• Lorde) vpon the hye dayes, & at a tyme conuenient. [unspec D]

Thus shal ye saye: The Lorde our God is ryghteous, but we are worthye of confu∣syon & shame: lyke as it is come to passe this daye / vnto all Iuda, and to euery one that dwelleth at Ierusalem: to our kynges prin∣ces, prestes, prophetes and to oure fathers. We haue synned before the Lorde our God, we haue not put our trust in him / nor geuen hym credence / we haue not obeyed him, we haue not herkened vnto y^• voyce of y^• Lorde our God, to walke in the commaundemen∣tes that the gaue vs. Sens the daye that he brought oure forfathers out of the lande of Egypt vnto this present daye, we haue bene euer amys beleuyng and an vnfaythful peo∣ple vnto the Lorde our God: destroyng our selues vtterly, and shrynkynge backe, that we shulde not heare hys voyce.

Wherfore there are come vpō vs great plages and dyuers curses, lyke as the Lorde [unspec E] deuysed by Moses his seruaunt: whiche brought our forefathers out of the lande of Egypte / to geue vs a lande, that floweth w^t mylck and hony, lyke as it is to se this day, Neuerthelesse, we haue not herkened vnto the voyce of the Lorde our God, accordyng to all the wordes of the prophetes, whom he sente vnto vs & to our rulers: but euery mā folowed his owne mynde & wycked ymagi∣nacyon: to offre vnto straunge goddes, & to do euell in the syght of the Lorde oure God.

Notes

• Den. xiiii c. Iere. 29. b.
• 1. Tim. 2. b.
• Baru••. ii b. Da••••, ix. ••.
• Leui. 26 Deu. 28
• Exodi. 12, 23, 14.