1 I am Baruch son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah, and my ancestors include Zedekiah, Hasadiah, and Hilkiah. I wrote this book in the city of Babylon
2 on the seventh day of the month of Ab, exactly five years after the Babylonians had captured and burned down Jerusalem.
3 I read the book to King Jehoiachin of Judah, son of Jehoiakim, and to everyone who came to listen:
4 the government officials and the religious leaders, together with all the people of Israel, both young and old, who lived in Babylon near the Sud River.
5 After they had listened to me read the book, everyone cried and prayed to the Lord, then went without eating to show their sorrow.