Chapter 31, Section 1 (פֶּרֶק ל״א אוֹת א׳)

1. God says to His ministers, God says to His servants (א. אֵל מְשָׁרְתֵי אֵל עַבְדֵי אֵל), do not burden Me with this matter (אַל תַּטְרִיחוּ לְפָנַי בְּדָבָר זֶה). A secret goes forth from My treasury (רָז יוֹצֵא מִבֵּית גִּנְזַי), and the concealment of subtlety from My storehouses (וְסֵתֶר עָרְמָה מֵאוֹצְרוֹתַי), to a beloved people I reveal it (לְעַם אָהוּב אֲנִי מְגַלֶּה אוֹתָם). For them it has been hidden from the days of old and from the days of Creation (לָהֶם גָּנוּז מִימֵי עוֹלָם וּמִימֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית), for them it has been prepared (לָהֶם מְתוּקָן), and it never arose in My heart to recite it for all these generations (וְלֹא עָלָה עַל לִבִּי לְתַנוֹתָם לְכָל הַדּוֹרוֹת הָאֵלֶּה), from the days of old until now (מִימֵי עוֹלָם וְעַד עַכְשָׁו). For this generation it has been guarded (לְדוֹר זֶה הָיָה שָׁמוּר), to be preserved in it until the end of all generations (לְהִשָּׁמֵר בּוֹ עַד סוֹף כָּל הַדּוֹרוֹת). For from evil to evil they went out (כִּי מֵרָעָה אֶל רָעָה יָצָאוּ), and Me they have not known (Yirmeyahu 9:2) (וְאֹתִי לֹא יָדָעוּ). For the exiles slipped from their heart (שֶׁנִּשְׁמְטוּ מִלִּבָּם הַגָּלֻיּוֹת), and the words of Torah were hard for them like copper and like iron (וְהָיוּ דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה קָשִׁים כַּנְּחֹשֶׁת וּכְבַרְזֶל). For them it is proper to use it (לָהֶם רָאוּי לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בּוֹ), to bring Torah like water within you (לְהָבִיא תּוֹרָה כַּמַּיִם בְּקִרְבְּכֶם), and like oil in your bones (וּכַשֶּׁמֶן בְּעַצְמוֹתֵיכֶם). So were Israel (כָּךְ הָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל): My anger burned against them (שָׁחֲרָה אַפִּי בּוֹ), and I struck them down (וְהִכִּיתִיו), and the mountains quaked (וְרָגְזוּ הָרִים), and their corpses were as refuse in the open field (Yeshayahu 5:25) (וְהָיְתָה נִבְלָתָם כְּסוּחָה בְּאֶרֶץ חוּצוֹת).