The Priests as False Stewards

2 Baruch 10:18

Early 2nd Century

You, priests, take the keys of the sanctuary,
and cast them to the highest heaven,
and give them to the Lord and say,
“Guard your house yourself,
because, behold, we have been found to be false stewards.”

Translated by A. F. J. Klijn.

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In this pseudepigraphic work, Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch, laments the destruction of Jerusalem, calling on the priests to turn the keys of the Temple over to God in acknowledgment that they have been false stewards. For the larger context of this passage, see “Laments of Baruch for the Destruction of Jerusalem.”

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