1 Almighty Lord, God of Israel, a soul in anguish and a discouraged spirit cries out to you.
2 Listen, Lord, and have pity for we have sinned against you;
3 for you reign forever while we perish forever.
4 Lord, all-powerful God of Israel, listen then to the prayers of the dead of Is rael. We are the sons of those who sinned against you, who did not listen to the voice of their God, and this is why disgrace has come upon us.
5 Do not remember any longer the wrongdoing of our fathers, but remember at this time your power and your name;
6 for you are the Lord, our God and we will praise you, Lord.
7 That is why you have put your fear into our hearts and we call upon your name. And we will praise you in our exile for we have removed from our hearts all the wrong of our fathers who sinned against you.
8 We are here today in our exile where you have scattered us to be insulted, cursed and condemned for the wrongdoing of our fathers, who separated themselves from the Lord our God.
Who has found wisdom?
9 Listen, Israel, to the commands of life, give ear so as to learn prudence,
10 Why, Israel! Why are you in the land of your foes? Why are you growing old in a for eign country, contaminated by pagans,
11 counted among those who go to the pit?
12 You have abandoned the source of Wisdom.
13 If you had walked in the way of God, peace would be your dwelling place forever.
14 Learn where is Wisdom, where is Strength and Understanding,
that you may know, at the same time, where are length of days and life,
light of the eyes and Peace.
15 Who will find Wisdom’s dwelling?
Who will enter her storage rooms?
16 Where are the leaders of the nations, those who commanded the beasts of the earth,
17 who played with the birds of the heavens,
who piled up silver and gold – in which people put their trust –
and who never tired of collecting it?
18 Amassing money was their only con cern,
their business beyond measure.
19 But they have disappeared,
they have gone down to the dead
and others have risen in their place.
20 A younger generation is there
on the earth and enjoys the light,
but they have not known the ways of knowledge;
they have not seen his tracks nor have they met him,
21 and their children after them did not leave their paths.
22 No one in Canaan has heard of Wisdom, no one has seen her in Teman.
23 The sons of Agar, who seek knowledge of the earth,
the traders of Madian and Teman,
the tellers of fables and philosophers,
they have not known the path of Wisdom,
they have not discovered her ways.
24 O Israel, how great is the house of God, how vast his dominion!
25 It is great and has no limits.
It is lofty, wide and immeasurable.
26 There were born the ancient and famous giants
of high stature and skillful in war.
27 God did not choose them,
he did not teach them the ways of Wisdom,
28 and they perished because of their folly, because they lacked knowledge.
29 Who has ascended to Heaven that he may lay hold of her
and bring her down from the clouds?
30 Who has crossed seas and found her, and bought her with the purest of gold?
31 There is no one who knows her path, no one who thinks of her way.
32 But he who knows everything recognizes her.
He has found her in his own intellect.
He who created the earth, for all time, and has filled it with four-footed beings.
33 He who sends the light, and it goes, who recalls it, and trembling it obeys.
34 The stars shine, full of joy, to keep their night watches.
He calls them and they answer, “Here we are.”
They shine with joy for their Creator.
35 It is he who is our God, no other can be compared with him.
36 He has found the way of understanding and has given her to Jacob his servant and to Israel his well-beloved.
37 Then Wisdom was seen on earth and lived among humans.
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Comments Baruch, Chapter 3
• 3.9 This poem is inspired by chapter 28 of Job.
The author addresses believers who are very impressed by the culture and material wealth of the pagans among whom they live. He reminds them that authentic human wisdom is not mere technical knowledge, nor is it the art of making money or pure human reflection. Wisdom consists in knowing what is God’s plan in creating this world. What does God ask of humankind?
For Jewish believers, true wisdom was found in God’s words, in their “Law.” In their turn, Christians know that the wisdom ruling the universe is none other than the one known in the words and the person of Jesus.