הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא אֶל־בָּרוּךְ בֶּן־נֵרִיָּה בְּכָתְבוֹ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה עַל־סֵפֶר מִפִּי יִרְמְיָהוּ בַּשָּׁנָה הָרְבִעִית לִיהוֹיָקִים בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה לֵאמֹר׃

The matter that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Barukh son of Neriya upon his writing of these matters in a scroll from the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Yehoyakim son of Yoshiyahu, king of Judah. In that year, Barukh transcribed some of Jeremiah’s prophecies onto a scroll. After Yehoyakim burned that scroll, Barukh recorded them again in a new book (chap. 36). This prophecy, which was stated in that period, was addressed personally to Barukh, saying:

כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עָלֶיךָ בָּרוּךְ׃

So said the Lord, God of Israel, concerning you, Barukh:

אָמַרְתָּ אוֹי־נָא לִי כִּי־יָסַף ה' יָגוֹן עַל־מַכְאֹבִי יָגַעְתִּי בְּאַנְחָתִי וּמְנוּחָה לֹא מָצָאתִי

You said: Woe now to me, as the Lord has added sorrow upon my previous pain; I have grown weary in my sighing, and I have not found rest. As Jeremiah’s personal secretary, some of the mockery and objections raised against the prophet were also directed against Barukh, as indicated in the previous story (43:3). However, the prophet himself could take comfort in his prophecy, during which he could sense God’s closeness, whereas his scribe and attendant did not share those experiences; he was left to focus on his troubles and his miserable state.

כֹּה תֹּאמַר אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר ה' הִנֵּה אֲשֶׁר־בָּנִיתִי אֲנִי הֹרֵס וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר־נָטַעְתִּי אֲנִי נֹתֵשׁ וְאֶת־כָּל־הָאָרֶץ הִיא

So you shall say to him: So said the Lord: Behold, that which I built in Judah I am destroying, and that which I planted I am uprooting, and the entire land is so, suffering from severe retribution.

וְאַתָּה תְּבַקֶּשׁ־לְךָ גְדֹלוֹת! אַל־תְּבַקֵּשׁ כִּי הִנְנִי מֵבִיא רָעָה עַל־כָּל־בָּשָׂר נְאֻם־ה' וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ אֶת־נַפְשְׁךָ לְשָׁלָל עַל כָּל־הַמְּקֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֶךְ־שָׁם

And you, in this period of general destruction, will you seek for yourself great things? Do not seek; for behold, I am bringing evil upon all flesh – the utterance of the Lord – but I will give you your life as spoils in all the places where you will go. You should be satisfied with the promise that you will remain alive despite all the surrounding turmoil and death.