1 In the thirtieth year after the ruin of the city, I was in Baḇel, and lay troubled upon my bed, and my thoughts overwhelmed my heart;
2 for I saw the desolation of Tsiyon, and the wealth of those who dwelt in Baḇel.
3 And my spirit was greatly moved, so that I began to speak words full of reverence to the Most High, and said,
4 “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 who reigns, You spoke in the beginning, when You established the earth, and by You alone, and commanded the dust,
5 and gave a body to Aḏam without being, which was the workmanship of Your hands, and breathed into him the breath of life, and he was made living before You.
6 “And You led him into paradise, which Your right hand had planted, before the earth ever appeared.
7 “And You gave a Command to him to love Your Way; which he transgressed, and immediately You appointed death in him and in his generations, from whom came nations, tribes, people, and clans, without number.
8 “And all people walked after their own desire, and acted arrogantly before You, and despised Your Commands.
9 “And again it came to be, You brought the flood upon those who dwelt on the earth, and destroyed them.
10 “And it came to be in each of them, that as death was to Aḏam, so was the flood to these.
11 “Nevertheless You left one of them, namely, Noaḥ with his household, from whom came all righteous men.
12 “And it came to be, that when those who dwelt upon the earth began to multiply, and had brought forth many children, and were a great people, they began again to be more wicked than the first.
13 “Now when they lived so wickedly before You, You chose a man from among them, whose name was Aḇraham.
14 “You loved him, and You showed Your desire to him alone,
15 and made an everlasting Covenant with him, promising to him that You would never forsake his seed.
16 “And to him you gave Yitsḥaq, and to Yitsḥaq you also gave Ya’aqoḇ and Ĕsaw. As for Ya’aqoḇ You chose him for Yourself, and put Ĕsaw aside; and so Ya’aqoḇ became a great multitude.
17 “And it came to be, that when You led his seed out of Mitsrayim, You brought them up to Mount Sinai.
18 “And bowing the shamayim, You established the earth, moved the whole world, and made the depths to tremble, and troubled the men at that time.
19 “And Your esteem passed through four gates, of fire and of earthquake and of wind and of cold; that You might give the Law to the seed of Ya’aqoḇ, and Commandments to the generation of Yisra’ĕl.
20 “And yet You did not take away from them a wicked heart, that Your Law might bring forth fruit in them.
21 “For the first Aḏam bearing a wicked heart transgressed, and was overcome; and so are all those who are descended from him.
22 “Thus sickness was made permanent; and the Law in the heart of the people with the evil root; so that the good departed, and the evil still stayed.
23 “So the days passed, and the years were brought to an end; then You raised You up a servant, named Dawiḏ,
24 whom You commanded to build a city for Your Name, and to offer incense and offerings to You within it.
25 “When this was done many years, then those who inhabited the city forsook You,
26 and acted in all manner even as Aḏam and all his generations had done; for they also had a wicked heart.
27 “And so You gave Your city over into the hands of Your enemies.
28 “Are their deeds then any better who inhabit Baḇel, that they should therefore have the reign over Tsiyon?
29 “For when I came there, and had seen unrighteousnesses without number, and my being saw many evil-doers in these thirty years, so that my heart failed me.
30 “For I have seen how You endure those sinning and have spared evil-doers; and have destroyed Your people, and have preserved Your enemies, and have not declared it.
31 “I do not remember how to depart from this way. Are those of Baḇel then better than those of Tsiyon?
32 “Or is there any other people that knows You besides Yisra’ĕl, or what generation has believed Your Covenants so much as Ya’aqoḇ?
33 “And yet their reward does not appear, and their labour has no fruit; for I have gone here and there among the gentiles, and I see that they overflow in wealth, and do not think upon Your Commands.
34 “Now therefore weigh our wickedness in the balance, and also theirs who dwell on the earth; and so shall Your Name be found nowhere but in Yisra’ĕl.
35 “Or when was it that those who dwell on the earth have not sinned in Your sight, or what people have so kept Your Commands?
36 “You shall find that Yisra’ĕl by name has kept Your Orders; but not the gentiles.”