The Lord speaks to Baruch through Jeremiah, addressing Baruch's lament about his sorrow and lack of rest. The Lord responds by stating that He destroys and uproots those He has built up and planted, and warns Baruch not to seek great things for himself. Instead, the Lord promises to spare Baruch's life and give him salvation wherever he goes, despite the evil that will come upon all flesh.
1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch, the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book, from the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, saying 2 "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, Baruch 3 You have said: ‘Woe to me, a wretched man! For the Lord has added sorrow to my sorrow. I have labored in my groaning, and I have not found rest. 4 Thus says the Lord: So shall you say to him: Behold, those whom I have built up, I destroy, and those whom I have planted, I uproot, even this entire land 5 And are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not choose to seek them. For behold, I will lead evil over all that is flesh, says the Lord. But I will give your life to you unto salvation, in every place, wherever you may travel.