Open English Translation BAR Chapter 2

11 And now, Oh master, you God of Yisrael (Israel) who’ve brought your people out of the land of Mitsrayim (Egypt) with a mighty hand, with signs, with wonders, with great power, and with a high arm, and have gotten yourself a name, as at this day: 12 Oh master our god, we’ve sinned. We’ve been ungodly. We’ve done wrong in all your ordinances. 13 Let your anger turn from us, for we’re but a few left among the heathen where you’ve scattered us. 14 Hear our prayer, Oh master, and our petition, and deliver us for your own sake. Give us favour in the sight of those who’ve led us away captive, 15 that all the earth may know that you’re the master our god, because Yisrael and his posterity is called by your name. 16 Oh master, look down from your holy house and consider us. Incline your ear, Oh master, and hear. 17 Open your eyes, and see; for the dead that are in Haidais, whose breath is taken from their bodies, will give to the master neither glory nor righteousness; 18 but the soul who’s greatly vexed, who goes stooping and feeble, and the eyes that fail, and the hungry soul, will declare your glory and righteousness, Oh master.

19 Because we don’t present our supplication before you, Oh master our god, for the righteousness of our fathers and of our kings. 20 Because you’ve sent your anger and your indignation onto us, as you’ve spoken by your servants the prophets, saying, 21 “The master says, ‘Bow your shoulders to serve the king of Bavel (Babylon), and remain in the land that I gave to your fathers. 22 But if you won’t hear the master’s voice to serve the king of Bavel, 23 I’ll cause to cease out of the cities of Yehudah (Judah) and from the region near Yerushalem (Jerusalem) the voice of mirth, the voice of gladness, voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride. The whole land will be desolate without inhabitant.’ ” 24 But we wouldn’t listen to your voice, to serve the king of Bavel. Therefore you’ve made good your words that you spoke by your servants the prophets, that the bones of our kings and the bones of our fathers would be taken out of their places. 25 Listen, they’re thrown out to the heat by day and to the frost by night. They died in great miseries by famine, by sword, and by[fn] pestilence. 26 You’ve made the house that’s called by your name as it’s today because of the wickedness of the house of Yisrael (Israel) and the house of Yehudah.

27 Yet, Oh master our god, you have dealt with us after all your kindness and according to all your great mercy, 28 as you spoke by your servant Mosheh (Moses) in the day when you commanded him to write your law in the presence of the Israeli people, saying, 29 “If you won’t hear my voice, surely this very great multitude will be turned into a small number among the nations where I’ll scatter them. 30 Because I know that they won’t listen to me, because they’re a stiff-necked people; but in the land of their captivity they’ll take it to heart, 31 and will know that I’m the master their god. I’ll give them a heart and ears to hear. 32 Then they’ll praise me in the land of their captivity, and think about my name, 33 and will return from their stiff neck and from their wicked actions; because they’ll remember the way of their fathers who sinned before the master. 34 I’ll bring them again into the land which I promised to their fathers, to Avraham, to Yitshak (Isaac), and to Ya’akov (Jacob), and they’ll rule over it. I’ll increase them, and they won’t be diminished. 35 And I’ll make an eternal covenant with them to be their god, and they’ll be my people. I’ll no more remove my people Yisrael out of the land that I’ve given them.”