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Wisdom of Solomon
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Translations |
Wis.1
[1] Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth,
think
of the Lord with uprightness,
and seek him with sincerity of
heart;
[2] because he is found by those who do not put him to the
test,
and manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.
[3]
For perverse thoughts separate men from God,
and when his power is tested, it
convicts the foolish;
[4] because wisdom will not enter a deceitful
soul,
nor dwell in a body enslaved to sin.
[5] For a holy and
disciplined spirit will flee from deceit,
and will rise and depart from
foolish thoughts,
and will be ashamed at the approach of
unrighteousness.
[6] For wisdom is a kindly spirit and
will not
free a blasphemer from the guilt of his words;
because God is witness of his
inmost feelings,
and a true observer of his heart, and a hearer of his
tongue.
[7] Because the Spirit of the Lord has filled the
world,
and that which holds all things together knows what is
said;
[8] therefore no one who utters unrighteous things
will
escape notice,
and justice, when it punishes, will not pass him
by.
[9] For inquiry will be made into the counsels of an ungodly
man,
and a report of his words will come to the Lord,
to convict him of
his lawless deeds;
[10] because a jealous ear hears all things,
and
the sound of murmurings does not go unheard.
[11] Beware then of
useless murmuring,
and keep your tongue from slander;
because no secret
word is without result,
and a lying mouth destroys the
soul.
[12] Do not invite death by the error of your life,
nor
bring on destruction by the works of your hands;
[13] because God did
not make death,
and he does not delight in the death of the
living.
[14] For he created all things that they might exist,
and
the generative forces of the world are wholesome,
and there is no destructive
poison in them;
and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
[15] For
righteousness is immortal.
[16] But ungodly men by their words and
deeds summoned death;
considering him a friend, they pined away,
and they
made a covenant with him,
because they are fit to belong to his
party.
Wis.2
[1] For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to
themselves,
"Short and sorrowful is our life,
and there is no remedy when
a man comes to his end,
and no one has been known to return from
Hades.
[2] Because we were born by mere chance,
and hereafter we
shall be as though we had never been;
because the breath in our nostrils is
smoke,
and reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our
hearts.
[3] When it is extinguished, the body will turn to
ashes,
and the spirit will dissolve like empty air.
[4] Our name
will be forgotten in time
and no one will remember our works;
our life
will pass away like the traces of a cloud,
and be scattered like mist
that
is chased by the rays of the sun
and overcome by its heat.
[5] For
our allotted time is the passing of a shadow,
and there is no return from our
death,
because it is sealed up and no one turns back.
[6]
"Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist,
and make use of
the creation to the full as in youth.
[7] Let us take our fill of
costly wine and perfumes,
and let no flower of spring pass by
us.
[8] Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they
wither.
[9] Let none of us fail to share in our revelry,
everywhere
let us leave signs of enjoyment,
because this is our portion, and this our
lot.
[10] Let us oppress the righteous poor man;
let us not spare
the widow
nor regard the gray hairs of the aged.
[11] But let our
might be our law of right,
for what is weak proves itself to be
useless.
[12] "Let us lie in wait for the righteous
man,
because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;
he
reproaches us for sins against the law,
and accuses us of sins against our
training.
[13] He professes to have knowledge of God,
and calls
himself a child of the Lord.
[14] He became to us a reproof of our
thoughts;
[15] the very sight of him is a burden to us,
because his
manner of life is unlike that of others,
and his ways are
strange.
[16] We are considered by him as something base,
and he
avoids our ways as unclean;
he calls the last end of the righteous
happy,
and boasts that God is his father.
[17] Let us see if his
words are true,
and let us test what will happen at the end of his
life;
[18] for if the righteous man is God's son, he will help
him,
and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.
[19]
Let us test him with insult and torture,
that we may find out how gentle he
is,
and make trial of his forbearance.
[20] Let us condemn him to a
shameful death,
for, according to what he says, he will be
protected."
[21] Thus they reasoned, but they were led
astray,
for their wickedness blinded them,
[22] and they did not
know the secret purposes of God,
nor hope for the wages of holiness,
nor
discern the prize for blameless souls;
[23] for God created man for
incorruption,
and made him in the image of his own eternity,
[24]
but through the devil's envy death entered the world,
and those who belong to
his party experience it.
Wis.3
[1] But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of
God,
and no torment will ever touch them.
[2] In the eyes of the
foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be an
affliction,
[3] and their going from us to be their
destruction;
but they are at peace.
[4] For though in the sight of
men they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
[5]
Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God
tested them and found them worthy of himself;
[6] like gold in the
furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted
them.
[7] In the time of their visitation they will shine
forth,
and will run like sparks through the stubble.
[8] They will
govern nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord will reign over them for
ever.
[9] Those who trust in him will understand truth,
and the
faithful will abide with him in love,
because grace and mercy are upon his
elect,
and he watches over his holy ones.
[10] But the ungodly
will be punished as their reasoning deserves,
who disregarded the righteous
man and rebelled
against the Lord;
[11] for whoever despises wisdom
and instruction is miserable.
Their hope is vain, their labors are
unprofitable,
and their works are useless.
[12] Their wives are
foolish, and their children evil;
[13] their offspring are
accursed.
For blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled,
who has not
entered into a sinful union;
she will have fruit when God examines
souls.
[14] Blessed also is the eunuch whose hands have
done no
lawless deed,
and who has not devised wicked things against the Lord;
for
special favor will be shown him for his faithfulness,
and a place of great
delight in the temple of the Lord.
[15] For the fruit of good labors
is renowned,
and the root of understanding does not fail.
[16] But
children of adulterers will not come to maturity,
and the offspring of an
unlawful union will perish.
[17] Even if they live long they will be
held of no account,
and finally their old age will be without
honor.
[18] If they die young, they will have no hope
and no
consolation in the day of decision.
[19] For the end of an unrighteous
generation is grievous.
Wis.4
[1] Better than this is childlessness with virtue,
for
in the memory of virtue is immortality,
because it is known both by God and
by men.
[2] When it is present, men imitate it,
and they long for
it when it has gone;
and throughout all time it marches crowned in
triumph,
victor in the contest for prizes that are undefiled.
[3]
But the prolific brood of the ungodly will be of no use,
and none of their
illegitimate seedlings will
strike a deep root
or take a firm
hold.
[4] For even if they put forth boughs for a while,
standing
insecurely they will be shaken by the wind,
and by the violence of the winds
they will be uprooted.
[5] The branches will be broken off before they
come to maturity,
and their fruit will be useless,
not ripe enough to eat,
and good for nothing.
[6] For children born of unlawful unions
are
witnesses of evil against their parents
when God examines them.
[7]
But the righteous man, though he die early, will be at rest.
[8] For
old age is not honored for length of time,
nor measured by number of
years;
[9] but understanding is gray hair for men,
and a blameless
life is ripe old age.
[10] There was one who pleased God and was
loved by him,
and while living among sinners he was taken up.
[11]
He was caught up lest evil change his understanding
or guile deceive his
soul.
[12] For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is
good,
and roving desire perverts the innocent mind.
[13] Being
perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long years;
[14] for his soul
was pleasing to the Lord,
therefore he took him quickly from the midst of
wickedness.
[15] Yet the peoples saw and did not understand,
nor
take such a thing to heart,
that God's grace and mercy are with his
elect,
and he watches over his holy ones.
[16] The righteous
man who had died will condemn
the ungodly who are living,
and youth that
is quickly perfected will condemn
the prolonged old age of the unrighteous
man.
[17] For they will see the end of the wise man,
and will not
understand what the Lord purposed for him,
and for what he kept him
safe.
[18] They will see, and will have contempt for him,
but the
Lord will laugh them to scorn.
After this they will become dishonored
corpses,
and an outrage among the dead for ever;
[19] because he
will dash them speechless to the ground,
and shake them from the
foundations;
they will be left utterly dry and barren,
and they will
suffer anguish,
and the memory of them will perish.
[20] They
will come with dread when their sins are reckoned up,
and their lawless deeds
will convict them to their face.
Wis.5
[1] Then the righteous man will stand with great
confidence
in the presence of those who have afflicted him,
and those who
make light of his labors.
[2] When they see him, they will be shaken
with dreadful fear,
and they will be amazed at his unexpected
salvation.
[3] They will speak to one another in repentance,
and in
anguish of spirit they will groan, and say,
[4] "This is the man whom
we once held in derision
and made a byword of reproach -- we fools!
We
thought that his life was madness
and that his end was without
honor.
[5] Why has he been numbered among the sons of God?
And why
is his lot among the saints?
[6] So it was we who strayed from the way
of truth,
and the light of righteousness did not shine on us,
and the sun
did not rise upon us.
[7] We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness
and destruction,
and we journeyed through trackless deserts,
but the way
of the Lord we have not known.
[8] What has our arrogance profited
us?
And what good has our boasted wealth brought us?
[9] "All
those things have vanished like a shadow,
and like a rumor that passes
by;
[10] like a ship that sails through the billowy water,
and when
it has passed no trace can be found,
nor track of its keel in the
waves;
[11] or as, when a bird flies through the air,
no evidence
of its passage is found;
the light air, lashed by the beat of its
pinions
and pierced by the force of its rushing flight,
is traversed by
the movement of its wings,
and afterward no sign of its coming is found
there;
[12] or as, when an arrow is shot at a target,
the air, thus
divided, comes together at once,
so that no one knows its
pathway.
[13] So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to
be,
and we had no sign of virtue to show,
but were consumed in our
wickedness."
[14] Because the hope of the ungodly man is like
chaff
carried by the wind,
and like a light hoarfrost driven away by a storm;
it
is dispersed like smoke before the wind,
and it passes like the remembrance
of a guest
who stays but a day.
[15] But the righteous live for
ever,
and their reward is with the Lord;
the Most High takes care of
them.
[16] Therefore they will receive a glorious crown
and a
beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord,
because with his right hand he
will cover them,
and with his arm he will shield them.
[17] The
Lord will take his zeal as his whole armor,
and will arm all creation to
repel his enemies;
[18] he will put on righteousness as a
breastplate,
and wear impartial justice as a helmet;
[19] he will
take holiness as an invincible shield,
[20] and sharpen stern wrath
for a sword,
and creation will join with him to fight against the
madmen.
[21] Shafts of lightning will fly with true aim,
and will
leap to the target as from a well-drawn bow of clouds,
[22] and
hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult;
the water of the
sea will rage against them,
and rivers will relentlessly overwhelm
them;
[23] a mighty wind will rise against them ,
and like a
tempest it will winnow them away.
Lawlessness will lay waste the whole
earth,
and evil-doing will overturn the thrones of rulers.
Wis.6
[1] Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;
learn, O
judges of the ends of the earth.
[2] Give ear, you that rule over
multitudes,
and boast of many nations.
[3] For your dominion was
given you from the Lord,
and your sovereignty from the Most High,
who will
search out your works and inquire into your plans.
[4] Because as
servants of his kingdom you did not rule rightly,
nor keep the law,
nor
walk according to the purpose of God,
[5] he will come upon you
terribly and swiftly,
because severe judgment falls on those in high
places.
[6] For the lowliest man may be pardoned in mercy,
but
mighty men will be mightily tested.
[7] For the Lord of all will not
stand in awe of any one,
nor show deference to greatness;
because he
himself made both small and great,
and he takes thought for all
alike.
[8] But a strict inquiry is in store for the
mighty.
[9] To you then, O monarchs, my words are directed,
that
you may learn wisdom and not transgress.
[10] For they will be made
holy who observe holy things in holiness,
and those who have been taught them
will find a defense.
[11] Therefore set your desire on my
words;
long for them, and you will be instructed.
[12] Wisdom
is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love
her,
and is found by those who seek her.
[13] She hastens to make
herself known to those who desire her.
[14] He who rises early to seek
her will have no difficulty,
for he will find her sitting at his
gates.
[15] To fix one's thought on her is perfect
understanding,
and he who is vigilant on her account will
soon be free
from care,
[16] because she goes about seeking those worthy of
her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths,
and meets them in
every thought.
[17] The beginning of wisdom is the most
sincere
desire for instruction,
and concern for instruction is love of
her,
[18] and love of her is the keeping of her laws,
and giving
heed to her laws is assurance of immortality,
[19] and immortality
brings one near to God;
[20] so the desire for wisdom leads to a
kingdom.
[21] Therefore if you delight in thrones and
scepters,
O monarchs over the peoples,
honor wisdom, that you may reign
for ever.
[22] I will tell you what wisdom is and how she came to
be,
and I will hide no secrets from you,
but I will trace her course from
the beginning of creation,
and make knowledge of her clear,
and I will not
pass by the truth;
[23] neither will I travel in the company of sickly
envy,
for envy does not associate with wisdom.
[24] A multitude of
wise men is the salvation of the world,
and a sensible king is the stability
of his people.
[25] Therefore be instructed by my words, and you will
profit.
Wis.7
[1] I also am mortal, like all men,
a descendant of the
first-formed child of earth;
and in the womb of a mother I was molded into
flesh,
[2] within the period of ten months, compacted with
blood,
from the seed of a man and the pleasure of marriage.
[3] And
when I was born, I began to breathe the common air,
and fell upon the kindred
earth,
and my first sound was a cry, like that of all.
[4] I was
nursed with care in swaddling cloths.
[5] For no king has had a
different beginning of existence;
[6] there is for all mankind one
entrance into
life, and a common departure.
[7] Therefore I
prayed, and understanding was given me;
I called upon God, and the spirit of
wisdom came to me.
[8] I preferred her to scepters and thrones,
and
I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her.
[9] Neither did
I liken to her any priceless gem,
because all gold is but a little sand in
her sight,
and silver will be accounted as clay before her.
[10] I
loved her more than health and beauty,
and I chose to have her rather than
light,
because her radiance never ceases.
[11] All good things came
to me along with her,
and in her hands uncounted wealth.
[12] I
rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them;
but I did not know that she
was their mother.
[13] I learned without guile and I impart without
grudging;
I do not hide her wealth,
[14] for it is an unfailing
treasure for men;
those who get it obtain friendship with God,
commended
for the gifts that come from instruction.
[15] May God grant that
I speak with judgment
and have thought worthy of what I have received,
for
he is the guide even of wisdom
and the corrector of the wise.
[16]
For both we and our words are in his hand,
as are all understanding and skill
in crafts.
[17] For it is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what
exists,
to know the structure of the world and the
activity of the
elements;
[18] the beginning and end and middle of times,
the
alternations of the solstices and the changes
of the seasons,
[19]
the cycles of the year and the constellations of the stars,
[20] the
natures of animals and the tempers of wild beasts,
the powers of spirits and
the reasonings of men,
the varieties of plants and the virtues of
roots;
[21] I learned both what is secret and what is
manifest,
[22] for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught
me.
For in her there is a spirit that is intelligent, holy,
unique,
manifold, subtle,
mobile, clear, unpolluted,
distinct, invulnerable,
loving the good, keen,
irresistible,
[23] beneficent, humane,
steadfast, sure, free from anxiety,
all-powerful, overseeing all,
and
penetrating through all spirits
that are intelligent and pure and most
subtle.
[24] For wisdom is more mobile than any motion;
because of
her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things.
[25] For she is a
breath of the power of God,
and a pure emanation of the glory of the
Almighty;
therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.
[26]
For she is a reflection of eternal light,
a spotless mirror of the working of
God,
and an image of his goodness.
[27] Though she is but one, she
can do all things,
and while remaining in herself, she renews all
things;
in every generation she passes into holy souls
and makes them
friends of God, and prophets;
[28] for God loves nothing so much as
the man who lives with wisdom.
[29] For she is more beautiful than the
sun,
and excels every constellation of the stars.
Compared with the light
she is found to be superior,
[30] for it is succeeded by the
night,
but against wisdom evil does not prevail.
Wis.8
[1] She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the
other,
and she orders all things well.
[2] I loved her and sought
her from my youth,
and I desired to take her for my bride,
and I became
enamored of her beauty.
[3] She glorifies her noble birth by living
with God,
and the Lord of all loves her.
[4] For she is an initiate
in the knowledge of God,
and an associate in his works.
[5] If
riches are a desirable possession in life,
what is richer than wisdom who
effects all things?
[6] And if understanding is effective,
who more
than she is fashioner of what exists?
[7] And if any one loves
righteousness,
her labors are virtues;
for she teaches self-control and
prudence,
justice and courage;
nothing in life is more profitable for men
than these.
[8] And if any one longs for wide experience,
she knows
the things of old, and infers the things to come;
she understands turns of
speech and the solutions of riddles;
she has foreknowledge of signs and
wonders
and of the outcome of seasons and times.
[9] Therefore I
determined to take her to live with me,
knowing that she would give me good
counsel
and encouragement in cares and grief.
[10] Because of her I
shall have glory among the multitudes
and honor in the presence of the
elders, though I am young.
[11] I shall be found keen in
judgment,
and in the sight of rulers I shall be admired.
[12] When
I am silent they will wait for me,
and when I speak they will give
heed;
and when I speak at greater length
they will put their hands on
their mouths.
[13] Because of her I shall have immortality,
and
leave an everlasting remembrance to those
who come after me.
[14] I
shall govern peoples,
and nations will be subject to me;
[15] dread
monarchs will be afraid of me when they hear of me;
among the people I shall
show myself capable,
and courageous in war.
[16] When I enter my
house, I shall find rest with her,
for companionship with her has no
bitterness,
and life with her has no pain, but gladness and
joy.
[17] When I considered these things inwardly,
and thought upon
them in my mind,
that in kinship with wisdom there is
immortality,
[18] and in friendship with her, pure delight,
and in
the labors of her hands, unfailing wealth,
and in the experience of her
company, understanding,
and renown in sharing her words,
I went about
seeking how to get her for myself.
[19] As a child I was by nature
well endowed,
and a good soul fell to my lot;
[20] or rather, being
good, I entered an undefiled body.
[21] But I perceived that I would
not possess wisdom
unless God gave her to me --
and it was a mark of
insight to know whose gift she was --
so I appealed to the Lord and besought
him,
and with my whole heart I said:
Wis.9
[1] "O God of my fathers and Lord of mercy,
who hast
made all things by thy word,
[2] and by thy wisdom hast formed
man,
to have dominion over the creatures thou hast made,
[3] and
rule the world in holiness and righteousness,
and pronounce judgment in
uprightness of soul,
[4] give me the wisdom that sits by thy
throne,
and do not reject me from among thy servants.
[5] For I am
thy slave and the son of thy maidservant,
a man who is weak and
short-lived,
with little understanding of judgment and laws;
[6]
for even if one is perfect among the sons of men,
yet without the wisdom that
comes from thee
he will be regarded as nothing.
[7] Thou hast
chosen me to be king of thy people
and to be judge over thy sons and
daughters.
[8] Thou hast given command to build a temple on thy holy
mountain,
and an altar in the city of thy habitation,
a copy of the holy
tent which thou didst prepare
from the beginning.
[9] With thee is
wisdom, who knows thy works
and was present when thou didst make the
world,
and who understand what is pleasing in thy sight
and what is right
according to thy commandments.
[10] Send her forth from the holy
heavens,
and from the throne of thy glory send her,
that she may be with
me and toil,
and that I may learn what is pleasing to thee.
[11]
For she knows and understands all things,
and she will guide me wisely in my
actions
and guard me with her glory.
[12] Then my works will be
acceptable,
and I shall judge thy people justly,
and shall be worthy of
the throne of my father.
[13] For what man can learn the counsel of
God?
Or who can discern what the Lord wills?
[14] For the reasoning
of mortals is worthless,
and our designs are likely to fail,
[15]
for a perishable body weighs down the soul,
and this earthy tent burdens the
thoughtful mind.
[16] We can hardly guess at what is on earth,
and
what is at hand we find with labor;
but who has traced out what is in the
heavens?
[17] Who has learned thy counsel, unless thou hast given
wisdom
and sent thy holy Spirit from on high?
[18] And thus the
paths of those on earth were set right,
and men were taught what pleases
thee,
and were saved by wisdom."
Wis.10
[1] Wisdom protected the first-formed father of
the
world, when he alone had been created;
she delivered him from his
transgression,
[2] and gave him strength to rule all
things.
[3] But when an unrighteous man departed from her in his
anger,
he perished because in rage he slew his brother.
[4] When
the earth was flooded because of him,
wisdom again saved it,
steering the
righteous man by a paltry piece of wood.
[5] Wisdom also, when the
nations in wicked agreement
had been confounded,
recognized the righteous
man and preserved
him blameless before God,
and kept him strong in the
face of his compassion
for his child.
[6] Wisdom rescued a
righteous man when the ungodly were perishing;
he escaped the fire that
descended on the Five Cities.
[7] Evidence of their wickedness still
remains:
a continually smoking wasteland,
plants bearing fruit that does
not ripen,
and a pillar of salt standing as a monument
to an unbelieving
soul.
[8] For because they passed wisdom by,
they not only were
hindered from recognizing the good,
but also left for mankind a reminder of
their folly,
so that their failures could never go
unnoticed.
[9] Wisdom rescued from troubles those who served
her.
[10] When a righteous man fled from his brother's wrath,
she
guided him on straight paths;
she showed him the kingdom of God,
and gave
him knowledge of angels;
she prospered him in his labors,
and increased
the fruit of his toil.
[11] When his oppressors were covetous,
she
stood by him and made him rich.
[12] She protected him from his
enemies,
and kept him safe from those who lay in wait for him;
in his
arduous contest she gave him the victory,
so that he might learn that
godliness is more
powerful than anything.
[13] When a righteous
man was sold, wisdom did not desert him,
but delivered him from sin.
She
descended with him into the dungeon,
[14] and when he was in prison
she did not leave him,
until she brought him the scepter of a kingdom
and
authority over his masters.
Those who accused him she showed to be
false,
and she gave him everlasting honor.
[15] A holy people
and blameless race
wisdom delivered from a nation of
oppressors.
[16] She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord,
and
withstood dread kings with wonders and signs.
[17] She gave holy men
the reward of their labors;
she guided them along a marvelous way,
and
became a shelter to them by day,
and a starry flame through the
night.
[18] She brought them over the Red Sea,
and led them through
deep waters;
[19] but she drowned their enemies,
and cast them up
from the depth of the sea.
[20] Therefore the righteous plundered the
ungodly;
they sang hymns, O Lord, to thy holy name,
and praised with one
accord thy defending hand,
[21] because wisdom opened the mouth of the
dumb,
and made the tongues of babes speak clearly.
Wis.11
[1] Wisdom prospered their works by the hand of a holy
prophet.
[2] They journeyed through an uninhabited wilderness,
and
pitched their tents in untrodden places.
[3] They withstood their
enemies and fought off their foes.
[4] When they thirsted they called
upon thee,
and water was given them out of flinty rock,
and slaking of
thirst from hard stone.
[5] For through the very things by which
their
enemies were punished,
they themselves received benefit in their
need.
[6] Instead of the fountain of an ever-flowing river,
stirred
up and defiled with blood
[7] in rebuke for the decree to slay the
infants,
thou gavest them abundant water unexpectedly,
[8] showing
by their thirst at that time
how thou didst punish their
enemies.
[9] For when they were tried, though they were
being
disciplined in mercy,
they learned how the ungodly were tormented
when
judged in wrath.
[10] For thou didst test them as a father does in
warning,
but thou didst examine the ungodly as a stern
king does in
condemnation.
[11] Whether absent or present, they were equally
distressed,
[12] for a twofold grief possessed them,
and a groaning
at the memory of what had occurred.
[13] For when they heard that
through their own punishments
the righteous had received benefit, they
perceived
it was the Lord's doing.
[14] For though they had
mockingly rejected him
who long before had been cast out and exposed,
at
the end of the events they marveled at him,
for their thirst was not like
that of the righteous.
[15] In return for their foolish and wicked
thoughts,
which led them astray to worship irrational
serpents and
worthless animals,
thou didst send upon them a multitude of
irrational
creatures to punish them,
[16] that they might learn
that one is punished
by the very things by which he sins.
[17] For
thy all-powerful hand,
which created the world out of formless matter,
did
not lack the means to send upon them a
multitude of bears, or bold
lions,
[18] or newly created unknown beasts full of rage,
or such
as breathe out fiery breath,
or belch forth a thick pall of smoke,
or
flash terrible sparks from their eyes;
[19] not only could their
damage exterminate men,
but the mere sight of them could kill by
fright.
[20] Even apart from these, men could fall at a single
breath
when pursued by justice
and scattered by the breath of thy
power.
But thou hast arranged all things by measure
and number and
weight.
[21] For it is always in thy power to show great
strength,
and who can withstand the might of thy arm?
[22] Because
the whole world before thee is like
a speck that tips the scales,
and like
a drop of morning dew that falls upon the ground.
[23] But thou art
merciful to all, for thou canst do all things,
and thou dost overlook men's
sins, that they may repent.
[24] For thou lovest all things that
exist,
and hast loathing for none of the things which thou hast made,
for
thou wouldst not have made anything if thou hadst hated it.
[25] How
would anything have endured if thou hadst not willed it?
Or how would
anything not called forth by thee
have been preserved?
[26] Thou
sparest all things, for they are thine,
O Lord who lovest the living.
Wis.12
[1] For thy immortal spirit is in all
things.
[2] Therefore thou dost correct little by little
those who
trespass,
and dost remind and warn them of the things wherein they
sin,
that they may be freed from wickedness and
put their trust in thee, O
Lord.
[3] Those who dwelt of old in thy holy land
[4]
thou didst hate for their detestable practices,
their works of sorcery and
unholy rites,
[5] their merciless slaughter of children,
and their
sacrificial feasting on human flesh and blood.
These initiates from the midst
of a heathen cult,
[6] these parents who murder helpless
lives,
thou didst will to destroy by the hands of our fathers,
[7]
that the land most precious of all to thee
might receive a worthy colony of
the servants of God.
[8] But even these thou didst spare, since they
were but men,
and didst send wasps as forerunners of thy army,
to destroy
them little by little,
[9] though thou wast not unable to give the
ungodly
into the hands of the righteous in battle,
or to destroy them at
one blow by dread wild
beasts or thy stern word.
[10] But judging
them little by little thou gavest
them a chance to repent,
though thou
wast not unaware that their origin was evil
and their wickedness
inborn,
and that their way of thinking would never change.
[11] For
they were an accursed race from the beginning,
and it was not through fear of
any one that
thou didst leave them unpunished for their
sins.
[12] For who will say, "What hast thou done?"
Or will
resist thy judgment?
Who will accuse thee for the destruction of
nations
which thou didst make?
Or who will come before thee to plead as
an
advocate for unrighteous men?
[13] For neither is there any god
besides thee,
whose care is for all men,
to whom thou shouldst prove that
thou hast not judged unjustly;
[14] nor can any king or monarch
confront thee about
those whom thou hast punished.
[15] Thou art
righteous and rulest all things righteously,
deeming it alien to thy
power
to condemn him who does not deserve to be punished.
[16] For
thy strength is the source of righteousness,
and thy sovereignty over all
causes thee to spare all.
[17] For thou dost show thy strength when
men doubt
the completeness of thy power,
and dost rebuke any insolence
among those who know it.
[18] Thou who art sovereign in strength dost
judge with mildness,
and with great forbearance thou dost govern us;
for
thou hast power to act whenever thou dost choose.
[19] Through
such works thou has taught thy people
that the righteous man must be
kind,
and thou hast filled thy sons with good hope,
because thou givest
repentance for sins.
[20] For if thou didst punish with such great
care and indulgence
the enemies of thy servants and those deserving of
death,
granting them time and opportunity to give up their
wickedness,
[21] with what strictness thou hast judged thy sons,
to
whose fathers thou gavest oaths and covenants
full of good
promises!
[22] So while chastening us thou scourgest our
enemies
ten thousand times more,
so that we may meditate upon thy goodness
when we judge,
and when we are judged we may expect mercy.
[23]
Therefore those who in folly of life lived unrighteously
thou didst torment
through their own abominations.
[24] For they went far astray on the
paths of error,
accepting as gods those animals which even
their enemies
despised;
they were deceived like foolish babes.
[25] Therefore, as
to thoughtless children,
thou didst send thy judgment to mock
them.
[26] But those who have not heeded the warning of light
rebukes
will experience the deserved judgment of God.
[27] For when
in their suffering they became incensed
at those creatures which they had
thought to
be gods, being punished by means of them,
they saw and
recognized as the true God him
whom they had before refused to
know.
Therefore the utmost condemnation came upon them.
Wis.13
[1] For all men who were ignorant of God were foolish by
nature;
and they were unable from the good things that
are seen to know
him who exists,
nor did they recognize the craftsman while
paying heed to
his works;
[2] but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift
air,
or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water,
or the luminaries of
heaven were the gods that rule the world.
[3] If through delight in
the beauty of these things
men assumed them to be gods,
let them know how
much better than these is their Lord,
for the author of beauty created
them.
[4] And if men were amazed at their power and working,
let
them perceive from them
how much more powerful is he who formed
them.
[5] For from the greatness and beauty of created things
comes
a corresponding perception of their Creator.
[6] Yet these men are
little to be blamed,
for perhaps they go astray
while seeking God and
desiring to find him.
[7] For as they live among his works they keep
searching,
and they trust in what they see, because the
things that are
seen are beautiful.
[8] Yet again, not even they are to be
excused;
[9] for if they had the power to know so much
that they
could investigate the world,
how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of
these things?
[10] But miserable, with their hopes set on dead
things, are the men
who give the name "gods" to the works of men's
hands,
gold and silver fashioned with skill,
and likenesses of
animals,
or a useless stone, the work of an ancient hand.
[11] A
skilled woodcutter may saw down a tree easy to handle
and skilfully strip off
all its bark,
and then with pleasing workmanship
make a useful vessel that
serves life's needs,
[12] and burn the castoff pieces of his
work
to prepare his food, and eat his fill.
[13] But a castoff
piece from among them, useful for nothing,
a stick crooked and full of
knots,
he takes and carves with care in his leisure,
and shapes it with
skill gained in idleness;
he forms it like the image of a man,
[14]
or makes it like some worthless animal,
giving it a coat of red paint and
coloring its surface red
and covering every blemish in it with
paint;
[15] then he makes for it a niche that befits it,
and sets
it in the wall, and fastens it there with iron.
[16] So he takes
thought for it, that it may not fall,
because he knows that it cannot help
itself,
for it is only an image and has need of help.
[17] When he
prays about possessions and his marriage and children,
he is not ashamed to
address a lifeless thing.
[18] For health he appeals to a thing that
is weak;
for life he prays to a thing that is dead;
for aid he entreats a
thing that is utterly inexperienced;
for a prosperous journey, a thing that
cannot take a step;
[19] for money-making and work and success with
his hands
he asks strength of a thing whose hands have no strength.
Wis.14
[1] Again, one preparing to sail and about to
voyage
over raging waves
calls upon a piece of wood more fragile
than
the ship which carries him.
[2] For it was desire for gain
that planned that vessel,
and wisdom was the craftsman who built
it;
[3] but it is thy providence, O Father, that steers its
course,
because thou hast given it a path in the sea,
and a safe way
through the waves,
[4] showing that thou canst save from every
danger,
so that even if a man lacks skill, he may put to sea.
[5]
It is thy will that works of thy wisdom should
not be without
effect;
therefore men trust their lives even to the
smallest piece of
wood,
and passing through the billows on a raft they
come safely to
land.
[6] For even in the beginning, when arrogant giants were
perishing,
the hope of the world took refuge on a raft,
and guided by thy
hand left to the world the
seed of a new generation.
[7] For
blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes.
[8] But the idol
made with hands is accursed, and
so is he who made it;
because he did the
work, and the perishable
thing was named a god.
[9] For equally
hateful to God are the ungodly
man and his ungodliness,
[10] for
what was done will be punished together
with him who did it.
[11]
Therefore there will be a visitation also upon
the heathen idols,
because,
though part of what God created, they
became an abomination,
and became
traps for the souls of men
and a snare to the feet of the
foolish.
[12] For the idea of making idols was the beginning of
fornication,
and the invention of them was the corruption of
life,
[13] for neither have they existed from the beginning
nor
will they exist for ever.
[14] For through the vanity of men they
entered the world,
and therefore their speedy end has been
planned.
[15] For a father, consumed with grief at an untimely
bereavement,
made an image of his child, who had been suddenly
taken from
him;
and he now honored as a god what was once a dead human being,
and
handed on to his dependents secret rites and initiations.
[16] Then
the ungodly custom, grown strong with
time, was kept as a law,
and at the
command of monarchs graven images were worshiped.
[17] When men could
not honor monarchs in their
presence, since they lived at a distance,
they
imagined their appearance far away,
and made a visible image of the king whom
they honored,
so that by their zeal they might flatter the
absent one as
though present.
[18] Then the ambition of the craftsman
impelled
even those who did not know the king to intensify
their
worship.
[19] For he, perhaps wishing to please his
ruler,
skilfully forced the likeness to take more beautiful
form,
[20] and the multitude, attracted by the charm of his
work,
now regarded as an object of worship the one
whom shortly before
they had honored as a man.
[21] And this became a hidden trap for
mankind,
because men, in bondage to misfortune or to royal
authority,
bestowed on objects of stone or wood the name
that ought not to
be shared.
[22] Afterward it was not enough for them to err
about
the knowledge of God,
but they live in great strife due to ignorance,
and
they call such great evils peace.
[23] For whether they kill children
in their initiations,
or celebrate secret mysteries,
or hold frenzied
revels with strange customs,
[24] they no longer keep either their
lives or their marriages pure,
but they either treacherously kill one
another,
or grieve one another by adultery,
[25] and all is a
raging riot of blood and murder,
theft and deceit, corruption, faithlessness,
tumult, perjury,
[26] confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of
favors,
pollution of souls, sex perversion,
disorder in marriage,
adultery, and debauchery.
[27] For the worship of idols not to be
named
is the beginning and cause and end of every evil.
[28] For
their worshipers either rave in exultation,
or prophesy lies,
or live
unrighteously, or readily commit perjury;
[29] for because they trust
in lifeless idols
they swear wicked oaths and expect to suffer no
harm.
[30] But just penalties will overtake them on two
counts:
because they thought wickedly of God in devoting
themselves to
idols,
and because in deceit they swore unrighteously
through contempt for
holiness.
[31] For it is not the power of the things by which men
swear,
but the just penalty for those who sin,
that always pursues the
transgression of the unrighteous.
Wis.15
[1] But thou, our God, art kind and true,
patient, and
ruling all things in mercy.
[2] For even if we sin we are thine,
knowing thy power;
but we will not sin, because we know that we
are
accounted thine.
[3] For to know thee is complete
righteousness,
and to know thy power is the root of
immortality.
[4] For neither has the evil intent of human art misled
us,
nor the fruitless toil of painters,
a figure stained with varied
colors,
[5] whose appearance arouses yearning in fools,
so that
they desire the lifeless form of a dead image.
[6] Lovers of evil
things and fit for such objects of hope
are those who either make or desire
or worship them.
[7] For when a potter kneads the soft
earth
and laboriously molds each vessel for our service,
he fashions out
of the same clay
both the vessels that serve clean uses
and those for
contrary uses, making all in like manner;
but which shall be the use of each
of these
the worker in clay decides.
[8] With misspent toil, he
forms a futile god from the same clay --
this man who was made of earth a
short time before
and after a little while goes to the earth
from which he
was taken,
when he is required to return the soul that was lent
him.
[9] But he is not concerned that he is destined to die
or that
his life is brief,
but he competes with workers in gold and silver,
and
imitates workers in copper;
and he counts it his glory that he molds
counterfeit gods.
[10] His heart is ashes, his hope is cheaper than
dirt,
and his life is of less worth than clay,
[11] because he
failed to know the one who formed him
and inspired him with an active
soul
and breathed into him a living spirit.
[12] But he considered
our existence an idle game,
and life a festival held for profit,
for he
says one must get money however one
can, even by base means.
[13]
For this man, more than all others, knows that he sins
when he makes from
earthy matter fragile vessels
and graven images.
[14] But most
foolish, and more miserable than an infant,
are all the enemies who oppressed
thy people.
[15] For they thought that all their heathen idols were
gods,
though these have neither the use of their eyes to see with,
nor
nostrils with which to draw breath,
nor ears with which to hear,
nor
fingers to feel with,
and their feet are of no use for
walking.
[16] For a man made them,
and one whose spirit is borrowed
formed them;
for no man can form a god which is like himself.
[17]
He is mortal, and what he makes with lawless hands is dead,
for he is better
than the objects he worships,
since he has life, but they never
have.
[18] The enemies of thy people worship even the
most
hateful animals,
which are worse than all others, when judged
by their
lack of intelligence;
[19] and even as animals they are not so
beautiful
in appearance that one would desire them,
but they have escaped
both the praise of God and his blessing.
Wis.16
[1] Therefore those men were deservedly
punished
through such creatures,
and were tormented by a multitude of
animals.
[2] Instead of this punishment thou didst show
kindness to
thy people,
and thou didst prepare quails to eat,
a delicacy to satisfy
the desire of appetite;
[3] in order that those men, when they desired
food,
might lose the least remnant of appetite
because of the odious
creatures sent to them,
while thy people, after suffering want a short
time,
might partake of delicacies.
[4] For it was necessary that
upon those oppressors
inexorable want should come,
while to these it was
merely shown how their
enemies were being tormented.
[5] For
when the terrible rage of wild beasts came upon thy people
and they were
being destroyed by the bites
of writhing serpents,
thy wrath did not
continue to the end;
[6] they were troubled for a little while as a
warning,
and received a token of deliverance to remind
them of thy law's
command.
[7] For he who turned toward it was saved, not by what he
saw,
but by thee, the Savior of all.
[8] And by this also thou
didst convince our enemies
that it is thou who deliverest from every
evil.
[9] For they were killed by the bites of locusts and
flies,
and no healing was found for them,
because they deserved to be
punished by such things;
[10] but thy sons were not conquered even by
the
teeth of venomous serpents,
for thy mercy came to their help and
healed them.
[11] To remind them of thy oracles they were
bitten,
and then were quickly delivered,
lest they should fall into deep
forgetfulness
and become unresponsive to thy kindness.
[12] For
neither herb nor poultice cured them,
but it was thy word, O Lord, which
heals all men.
[13] For thou hast power over life and death;
thou
dost lead men down to the gates of Hades and back again.
[14] A man in
his wickedness kills another,
but he cannot bring back the departed
spirit,
nor set free the imprisoned soul.
[15] To escape from
thy hand is impossible;
[16] for the ungodly, refusing to know
thee,
were scourged by the strength of thy arm,
pursued by unusual rains
and hail and relentless storms,
and utterly consumed by fire.
[17]
For -- most incredible of all -- in the water,
which quenches all
things,
the fire had still greater effect,
for the universe defends the
righteous.
[18] At one time the flame was restrained,
so that it
might not consume the creatures
sent against the ungodly,
but that seeing
this they might know
that they were being pursued by the judgment of
God;
[19] and at another time even in the midst of water
it burned
more intensely than fire,
to destroy the crops of the unrighteous
land.
[20] Instead of these things thou didst give thy
people food
of angels,
and without their toil thou didst supply them
from heaven with
bread ready to eat,
providing every pleasure and suited to every
taste.
[21] For thy sustenance manifested thy sweetness
toward thy
children;
and the bread, ministering to the desire of
the one who took
it,
was changed to suit every one's liking.
[22] Snow and ice
withstood fire without melting,
so that they might know that the crops of
their enemies
were being destroyed by the fire that blazed in the hail
and
flashed in the showers of rain;
[23] whereas the fire, in order that
the righteous might be fed,
even forgot its native power.
[24]
For creation, serving thee who hast made it,
exerts itself to punish the
unrighteous,
and in kindness relaxes on behalf of those who trust in
thee.
[25] Therefore at that time also, changed into all forms,
it
served thy all-nourishing bounty,
according to the desire of those who had
need,
[26] so that thy sons, whom thou didst love, O Lord, might
learn
that it is not the production of crops that feeds man,
but that thy
word preserves those who trust in thee.
[27] For what was not
destroyed by fire
was melted when simply warmed by a fleeting ray of the
sun,
[28] to make it known that one must rise before
the sun to
give thee thanks,
and must pray to thee at the dawning of the
light;
[29] for the hope of an ungrateful man will melt like wintry
frost,
and flow away like waste water.
Wis.17
[1] Great are thy judgments and hard to
describe;
therefore unintructed souls have gone astray.
[2] For
when lawless men supposed that they held
the holy nation in their
power,
they themselves lay as captives of darkness
and prisoners of long
night,
shut in under their roofs, exiles from eternal
providence.
[3] For thinking that in their secret sins they were
unobserved
behind a dark curtain of forgetfulness,
they were scattered,
terribly alarmed,
and appalled by specters.
[4] For not even the
inner chamber that held them
protected them from fear,
but terrifying
sounds rang out around them,
and dismal phantoms with gloomy faces
appeared.
[5] And no power of fire was able to give light,
nor did
the brilliant flames of the stars
avail to illumine that hateful
night.
[6] Nothing was shining through to them
except a dreadful,
self-kindled fire,
and in terror they deemed the things which they saw
to
be worse than that unseen appearance.
[7] The delusions of their magic
art lay humbled,
and their boasted wisdom was scornfully
rebuked.
[8] For those who promised to drive off the fears
and
disorders of a sick soul
were sick themselves with ridiculous
fear.
[9] For even if nothing disturbing frightened them,
yet,
scared by the passing of beasts and the
hissing of serpents,
[10]
they perished in trembling fear,
refusing to look even at the air, though
it
nowhere could be avoided.
[11] For wickedness is a cowardly
thing, condemned
by its own testimony;
distressed by conscience, it has
always exaggerated
the difficulties.
[12] For fear is nothing but
surrender of the helps
that come from reason;
[13] and the inner
expectation of help, being weak,
prefers ignorance of what causes the
torment.
[14] But throughout the night, which was really
powerless,
and which beset them from the recesses of powerless Hades,
they
all slept the same sleep,
[15] and now were driven by monstrous
specters,
and now were paralyzed by their souls' surrender,
for sudden and
unexpected fear overwhelmed them.
[16] And whoever was there fell
down,
and thus was kept shut up in a prison not made of iron;
[17]
for whether he was a farmer or a shepherd
or a workman who toiled in the
wilderness,
he was seized, and endured the inescapable fate;
for with one
chain of darkness they all were bound.
[18] Whether there came a
whistling wind,
or a melodious sound of birds in wide-spreading
branches,
or the rhythm of violently rushing water,
[19] or the
harsh crash of rocks hurled down,
or the unseen running of leaping
animals,
or the sound of the most savage roaring beasts,
or an echo thrown
back from a hollow of the mountains,
it paralyzed them with
terror.
[20] For the whole world was illumined with brilliant
light,
and was engaged in unhindered work,
[21] while over those
men alone heavy night was spread,
an image of the darkness that was destined
to receive them;
but still heavier than darkness were they to
themselves.
Wis.18
[1] But for thy holy ones there was very great
light.
Their enemies heard their voices but did not see their forms,
and
counted them happy for not having suffered,
[2] and were thankful that
thy holy ones, though
previously wronged, were doing them no injury;
and
they begged their pardon for having been
at variance with them.
[3]
Therefore thou didst provide a flaming pillar of fire
as a guide for thy
people's unknown journey,
and a harmless sun for their glorious
wandering.
[4] For their enemies deserved to be deprived of
light
and imprisoned in darkness,
those who had kept thy sons
imprisoned,
through whom the imperishable light of the
law was to be given
to the world.
[5] When they had resolved to kill the babes of thy
holy ones,
and one child had been exposed and rescued,
thou didst in
punishment take away a multitude
of their children;
and thou didst destroy
them all together by a mighty flood.
[6] That night was made known
beforehand to our fathers,
so that they might rejoice in sure knowledge
of
the oaths in which they trusted.
[7] The deliverance of the righteous
and the destruction
of their enemies
were expected by thy
people.
[8] For by the same means by which thou didst punish our
enemies
thou didst call us to thyself and glorify us.
[9] For in
secret the holy children of good men offered sacrifices,
and with one accord
agreed to the divine law,
that the saints would share alike the same
things,
both blessings and dangers;
and already they were singing the
praises of the fathers.
[10] But the discordant cry of their enemies
echoed back,
and their piteous lament for their children was spread
abroad.
[11] The slave was punished with the same penalty as the
master,
and the common man suffered the same loss as the king;
[12]
and they all together, by the one form of death,
had corpses too many to
count.
For the living were not sufficient even to bury them,
since in one
instant their most valued children
had been destroyed.
[13] For
though they had disbelieved everything
because of their magic arts,
yet,
when their first-born were destroyed,
they acknowledged thy people to be
God's son.
[14] For while gentle silence enveloped all things,
and
night in its swift course was now half gone,
[15] thy all-powerful
word leaped from heaven, from
the royal throne,
into the midst of the land
that was doomed,
a stern warrior
[16] carrying the sharp sword of
thy authentic command, and stood and filled all things with death,
and
touched heaven while standing on the earth.
[17] Then at once
apparitions in dreadful dreams
greatly troubled them,
and unexpected fears
assailed them;
[18] and one here and another there, hurled down half
dead,
made known why they were dying;
[19] for the dreams which
disturbed them forewarned them of this,
so that they might not perish without
knowing
why they suffered.
[20] The experience of death touched
also the righteous,
and a plague came upon the multitude in the
desert,
but the wrath did not long continue.
[21] For a blameless
man was quick to act as their champion;
he brought forward the shield of his
ministry,
prayer and propitiation by incense;
he withstood the anger and
put an end to the disaster,
showing that he was thy servant.
[22]
He conquered the wrath not by strength of body,
and not by force of
arms,
but by his word he subdued the punisher,
appealing to the oaths and
covenants given to our fathers.
[23] For when the dead had already
fallen on one another in heaps,
he intervened and held back the wrath,
and
cut off its way to the living.
[24] For upon his long robe the whole
world was depicted,
and the glories of the fathers were engraved
on the
four rows of stones,
and thy majesty on the diadem upon his
head.
[25] To these the destroyer yielded, these he feared;
for
merely to test the wrath was enough.
Wis.19
[1] But the ungodly were assailed to the end by pitiless
anger,
for God knew in advance even their future actions,
[2] that,
though they themselves had permitted thy people to depart
and hastily sent
them forth,
they would change their minds and pursue them.
[3] For
while they were still busy at mourning,
and were lamenting at the graves of
their dead,
they reached another foolish decision,
and pursued as
fugitives those whom they had
begged and compelled to depart.
[4]
For the fate they deserved drew them on to this end,
and made them forget
what had happened,
in order that they might fill up the punishment
which
their torments still lacked,
[5] and that thy people might experience
an incredible journey,
but they themselves might meet a strange
death.
[6] For the whole creation in its nature was fashioned
anew,
complying with thy commands,
that thy children might be kept
unharmed.
[7] The cloud was seen overshadowing the camp,
and dry
land emerging where water had stood before,
an unhindered way out of the Red
Sea,
and a grassy plain out of the raging waves,
[8] where those
protected by thy hand passed through as one nation,
after gazing on marvelous
wonders.
[9] For they ranged like horses,
and leaped like
lambs,
praising thee, O Lord, who didst deliver them.
[10] For they
still recalled the events of their sojourn,
how instead of producing animals
the earth brought forth gnats,
and instead of fish the river spewed out vast
numbers of frogs.
[11] Afterward they saw also a new kind of
birds,
when desire led them to ask for luxurious food;
[12] for, to
give them relief, quails came up from the sea.
[13] The
punishments did not come upon the sinners
without prior signs in the violence
of thunder,
for they justly suffered because of their wicked acts;
for
they practiced a more bitter hatred of strangers.
[14] Others had
refused to receive strangers when they came to them,
but these made slaves of
guests who were their benefactors.
[15] And not only so, but
punishment of some sort
will come upon the former
for their hostile
reception of the aliens;
[16] but the latter, after receiving them
with festal celebrations,
afflicted with terrible sufferings
those who had
already shared the same rights.
[17] They were stricken also with loss
of sight --
just as were those at the door of the righteous man --
when,
surrounded by yawning darkness,
each tried to find the way through his own
door.
[18] For the elements changed places with one another,
as
on a harp the notes vary the nature of the rhythm,
while each note remains
the same.
This may be clearly inferred from the sight of what took
place.
[19] For land animals were transformed into water
creatures,
and creatures that swim moved over to the land.
[20]
Fire even in water retained its normal power,
and water forgot its
fire-quenching nature.
[21] Flames, on the contrary, failed to
consume
the flesh of perishable creatures that walked among them,
nor did
they melt the crystalline, easily melted
kind of heavenly
food.
[22] For in everything, O Lord, thou hast exalted
and
glorified thy people;
and thou hast not neglected to help them at
all
times and in all places.