4 Baruch

Chapter 9

  1. 1 And those who were with Jeremiah remained, rejoicing and offering sacrifice for the people nine days.
  2. 2 And on the tenth day Jeremiah alone offered sacrifice,
  3. 3 and he prayed a prayer, saying: Holy, holy, holy, the incense of the living trees, the true light that enlightens me until I am taken up to thee; for the sake of the sweet voice of the two seraphim,
  4. 4 I pray for another fragrance of incense;
  5. 5 and let my meditation be Michael the archangel of righteousness, until he bring in the righteous.
  6. 6 I beseech thee, Lord Almighty of all creation, the unbegotten and incomprehensible, in whom all judgement was hidden before these things came to be.
  7. 7 As Jeremiah was saying these things, standing at the altar with Baruch and Abimelech, he became as one of those who give up their soul.
  8. 8 And Baruch and Abimelech remained weeping and crying with a loud voice: Our father Jeremiah has left us, the priest of God, and is gone.
  9. 9 And all the people heard their weeping, and they all ran to them, and saw Jeremiah lying dead upon the ground; and they rent their garments, and put dust upon their heads, and wept bitterly.
  10. 10 And after this they made ready to bury him.
  11. 11 And behold, a voice came, saying: Bury not him who yet lives, for his soul is coming into his body again.
  12. 12 And hearing the voice they did not bury him, but stayed around his body three days, talking and wondering at what hour he would rise.
  13. 13 And after three days his soul came into his body, and he lifted up his voice in the midst of them all, and said: Glorify God, all of you glorify God, and the Son of God who awakens us, Jesus Christ, the light of all the ages, the lamp that is never quenched, the life of faith.
  14. 14 And after these times there shall be four hundred and seventy-seven years more, and he comes to the earth;
  15. 15 and the tree of life planted in the midst of paradise shall make all the unfruitful trees bear fruit, and they shall grow and sprout, and their fruit shall abide with the angels. And the trees that have sprouted and boast and say, We have given our top to the air, it shall make them wither, together with the height of their branches, and shall make them bend low, that firmly planted tree; and it shall make the scarlet become white as wool.
  16. 16 The snow shall be made black, the sweet waters shall become salt, in the great light of the gladness of God.
  17. 17 And he shall bless the islands, that they bear fruit by the word of the mouth of his Christ.
  18. 18 For he shall come and go forth, and shall choose for himself twelve apostles, that they may preach the gospel among the nations: he whom I have seen adorned by his Father, and coming into the world upon the Mount of Olives; and he shall fill the hungry souls.
  19. 19 As Jeremiah was saying these things concerning the Son of God, that he is coming into the world,
  20. 20 the people were angered and said: These are again the words spoken by Isaiah the son of Amoz, who said: I saw God and the Son of God.
  21. 21 Come then, let us not kill him by that man's death, but let us stone him with stones.
  22. 22 And Baruch and Abimelech were greatly grieved at this madness, and because they wished to hear in full the mysteries that he had seen.
  23. 23 And Jeremiah said to them: Be silent and weep not; for they shall not kill me until I have told you all that I have seen.
  24. 24 And he said to them: Bring me a stone.
  25. 25 And he set it up, and said: O light of the ages, make this stone to become in my likeness.
  26. 26 And the stone took on the likeness of Jeremiah.
  27. 27 And they stoned the stone, thinking that it was Jeremiah.
  28. 28 And Jeremiah delivered all the mysteries that he had seen to Baruch and to Abimelech.
  29. 29 And then he stood in the midst of the people, wishing to fulfil his ministry.
  30. 30 And the stone cried out, saying: O foolish children of Israel, why do ye stone me, thinking that I am Jeremiah? Behold, Jeremiah stands in the midst of you.
  31. 31 And when they saw him, they ran at him at once with many stones; and his ministry was fulfilled.
  32. 32 And Baruch and Abimelech came and buried him, and took the stone and set it upon his tomb, writing on it thus: This is the stone that was the helper of Jeremiah.