The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to ^1aBaruch the son of Neriah, when he had ^bwritten these words in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the ^cfourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, 2 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: 3 ‘You said, “Woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am ^aweary with my groaning and sighing and I find no rest.”’ 4 Say this to him, ‘The LORD speaks in this way, “Behold, ^awhat I have built I will break down, and that which I have planted I will uproot, that is, the whole land.” 5 And do you ^aseek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will ^bbring disaster on all flesh,’ says the LORD, ‘but I will ^cgive your life to you as your only reward and as a prize of war wherever you go.’”