Wisdom 11

Apo

1 She prospered their works in the hand of the holy prophet.

2 They went through the wilderness that was not inhabited, and pitched tents in places where there lay no way.

3 They stood against their enemies, and were avenged of their adversaries.

4 When they were thirsty, they called upon thee, and water was given them out of the flinty rock, and their thirst was quenched out of the hard stone.

5 For by what things their enemies were punished, by the same they in their need were benefited.

6 For instead of of a perpetual running river troubled with foul blood,

7 For a manifest reproof of that commandment, whereby the infants were slain, thou gavest unto them abundance of water by a means which they hoped not for:

8 Declaring by that thirst then how thou hadst punished their adversaries.

9 For when they were tried albeit but in mercy chastised, they knew how the ungodly were judged in wrath and tormented, thirsting in another manner than the just.

10 For these thou didst admonish and try, as a father: but the other, as a severe king, thou didst condemn and punish.

11 Whether they were absent or present, they were vexed alike.

12 For a double grief came upon them, and a groaning for the remembrance of things past.

13 For when they heard by their own punishments the other to be benefited, they had some feeling of the Lord.

14 For whom they respected with scorn, when he was long before thrown out at the casting forth of the infants, him in the end, when they saw what came to pass, they admired.

15 But for the foolish devices of their wickedness, wherewith being deceived they worshipped serpents void of reason, and vile beasts, thou didst send a multitude of unreasonable beasts upon them for vengeance;

16 That they might know, that wherewithal a man sinneth, by the same also shall he be punished.

17 For thy Almighty hand, that made the world of matter without form, wanted not means to send among them a multitude of bears or fierce lions,

18 Or unknown wild beasts, full of rage, newly created, breathing out either a fiery vapour, or filthy scents of scattered smoke, or shooting horrible sparkles out of their eyes:

19 Whereof not only the harm might dispatch them at once, but also the terrible sight utterly destroy them.

20 Yea, and without these might they have fallen down with one blast, being persecuted of vengeance, and scattered abroad through the breath of thy power: but thou hast ordered all things in measure and number and weight.

21 For thou canst shew thy great strength at all times when thou wilt; and who may withstand the power of thine arm?

22 For the whole world before thee is as a little grain of the balance, yea, as a drop of the morning dew that falleth down upon the earth.

23 But thou hast mercy upon all; for thou canst do all things, and winkest at the sins of men, because they should amend.

24 For thou lovest all the things that are, and abhorrest nothing which thou hast made: for never wouldest thou have made any thing, if thou hadst hated it.

25 And how could any thing have endured, if it had not been thy will? or been preserved, if not called by thee?

26 But thou sparest all: for they are thine, O Lord, thou lover of souls.

Sep

1 εὐόδωσεν τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν ἐν χειρὶ προφήτου ἁγίου

2 διώδευσαν ἔρημον ἀοίκητον καὶ ἐν ἀβάτοις ἔπηξαν σκηνάς

3 ἀντέστησαν πολεμίοις καὶ ἐχθροὺς ἠμύναντο

4 ἐδίψησαν καὶ ἐπεκαλέσαντό σε καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐκ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου ὕδωρ καὶ ἴαμα δίψης ἐκ λίθου σκληροῦ

5 δι᾽ ὧν γὰρ ἐκολάσθησαν οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν διὰ τούτων αὐτοὶ ἀποροῦντες εὐεργετήθησαν

6 ἀντὶ μὲν πηγῆς ἀενάου ποταμοῦ αἵματι λυθρώδει ταραχθέντος

7 εἰς ἔλεγχον νηπιοκτόνου διατάγματος ἔδωκας αὐτοῖς δαψιλὲς ὕδωρ ἀνελπίστως

8 δείξας διὰ τοῦ τότε δίψους πῶς τοὺς ὑπεναντίους ἐκόλασας

9 ὅτε γὰρ ἐπειράσθησαν καίπερ ἐν ἐλέει παιδευόμενοι ἔγνωσαν πῶς μετ᾽ ὀργῆς κρινόμενοι ἀσεβεῖς ἐβασανίζοντο

10 τούτους μὲν γὰρ ὡς πατὴρ νουθετῶν ἐδοκίμασας ἐκείνους δὲ ὡς ἀπότομος βασιλεὺς καταδικάζων ἐξήτασας

11 καὶ ἀπόντες δὲ καὶ παρόντες ὁμοίως ἐτρύχοντο

12 διπλῆ γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἔλαβεν λύπη καὶ στεναγμὸς μνημῶν τῶν παρελθόντων

13 ὅτε γὰρ ἤκουσαν διὰ τῶν ἰδίων κολάσεων εὐεργετημένους αὐτούς ᾔσθοντο τοῦ κυρίου

14 ὃν γὰρ ἐν ἐκθέσει πάλαι ῥιφέντα ἀπεῖπον χλευάζοντες ἐπὶ τέλει τῶν ἐκβάσεων ἐθαύμασαν οὐχ ὅμοια δικαίοις διψήσαντες

15 ἀντὶ δὲ λογισμῶν ἀσυνέτων ἀδικίας αὐτῶν ἐν οἷς πλανηθέντες ἐθρήσκευον ἄλογα ἑρπετὰ καὶ κνώδαλα εὐτελῆ ἐπαπέστειλας αὐτοῖς πλῆθος ἀλόγων ζῴων εἰς ἐκδίκησιν

16 ἵνα γνῶσιν ὅτι δι᾽ ὧν τις ἁμαρτάνει διὰ τούτων κολάζεται

17 οὐ γὰρ ἠπόρει ἡ παντοδύναμός σου χεὶρ καὶ κτίσασα τὸν κόσμον ἐξ ἀμόρφου ὕλης ἐπιπέμψαι αὐτοῖς πλῆθος ἄρκων ἢ θρασεῖς λέοντας

18 ἢ νεοκτίστους θυμοῦ πλήρεις θῆρας ἀγνώστους ἤτοι πυρπνόον φυσῶντας ἄσθμα ἢ βρόμον λικμωμένους καπνοῦ ἢ δεινοὺς ἀπ᾽ ὀμμάτων σπινθῆρας ἀστράπτοντας

19 ὧν οὐ μόνον ἡ βλάβη ἠδύνατο συνεκτρῖψαι αὐτούς ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ὄψις ἐκφοβήσασα διολέσαι

20 καὶ χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ἑνὶ πνεύματι πεσεῖν ἐδύναντο ὑπὸ τῆς δίκης διωχθέντες καὶ λικμηθέντες ὑπὸ πνεύματος δυνάμεώς σου ἀλλὰ πάντα μέτρῳ καὶ ἀριθμῷ καὶ σταθμῷ διέταξας

21 τὸ γὰρ μεγάλως ἰσχύειν σοι πάρεστιν πάντοτε καὶ κράτει βραχίονός σου τίς ἀντιστήσεται

22 ὅτι ὡς ῥοπὴ ἐκ πλαστίγγων ὅλος ὁ κόσμος ἐναντίον σου καὶ ὡς ῥανὶς δρόσου ὀρθρινὴ κατελθοῦσα ἐπὶ γῆν

23 ἐλεεῖς δὲ πάντας ὅτι πάντα δύνασαι καὶ παρορᾷς ἁμαρτήματα ἀνθρώπων εἰς μετάνοιαν

24 ἀγαπᾷς γὰρ τὰ ὄντα πάντα καὶ οὐδὲν βδελύσσῃ ὧν ἐποίησας οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν μισῶν τι κατεσκεύασας

25 πῶς δὲ διέμεινεν ἄν τι εἰ μὴ σὺ ἠθέλησας ἢ τὸ μὴ κληθὲν ὑπὸ σοῦ διετηρήθη

26 φείδῃ δὲ πάντων ὅτι σά ἐστιν δέσποτα φιλόψυχε

Vul

1 [Direxit opera eorum in manibus prophetæ sancti.

2 Iter fecerunt per deserta quæ non habitabantur,
et in locis desertis fixerunt casas.

3 Steterunt contra hostes,
et de inimicis se vindicaverunt.

4 Sitierunt, et invocaverunt te,
et data est illis aqua de petra altissima,
et requies sitis de lapide duro.]

5 [Per quæ enim pœnas passi sunt inimici illorum
a defectione potus sui,
et in eis cum abundarent filii Israël lætati sunt:

6 per hæc, cum illis deessent, bene cum illis actum est.

7 Nam pro fonte quidem sempiterni fluminis,
humanum sanguinem dedisti injustis.

8 Qui cum minuerentur in traductione infantium occisorum,
dedisti illis abundantem aquam insperate,

9 ostendens per sitim quæ tunc fuit,
quemadmodum tuos exaltares,
et adversarios illorum necares.

10 Cum enim tentati sunt,
et quidem cum misericordia disciplinam accipientes,
scierunt quemadmodum cum ira judicati impii tormenta paterentur.

11 Hos quidem tamquam pater monens probasti;
illos autem tamquam durus rex interrogans condemnasti.

12 Absentes enim, et præsentes, similiter torquebantur.

13 Duplex enim illos acceperat tædium et gemitus,
cum memoria præteritorum.

14 Cum enim audirent per sua tormenta bene secum agi,
commemorati sunt Dominum, admirantes in finem exitus.

15 Quem enim in expositione prava projectum deriserunt,
in finem eventus mirati sunt,
non similiter justis sitientes.

16 Pro cogitationibus autem insensatis iniquitatis illorum,
quod quidam errantes colebant mutos serpentes
et bestias supervacuas,
immisisti illis multitudinem mutorum animalium in vindictam;

17 ut scirent quia per quæ peccat quis, per hæc et torquetur.

18 Non enim impossibilis erat omnipotens manus tua,
quæ creavit orbem terrarum ex materia invisa,
immittere illis multitudinem ursorum, aut audaces leones,

19 aut novi generis ira plenas ignotas bestias,
aut vaporem ignium spirantes,
aut fumi odorem proferentes,
aut horrendas ab oculis scintillas emittentes;

20 quarum non solum læsura poterat illos exterminare,
sed et aspectus per timorem occidere.

21 Sed et sine his uno spiritu poterant occidi,
persecutionem passi ab ipsis factis suis,
et dispersi per spiritum virtutis tuæ:
sed omnia in mensura, et numero et pondere disposuisti.

22 Multum enim valere, tibi soli supererat semper:
et virtuti brachii tui quis resistet?

23 Quoniam tamquam momentum stateræ,
sic est ante te orbis terrarum,
et tamquam gutta roris antelucani quæ descendit in terram.

24 Sed misereris omnium, quia omnia potes;
et dissimulas peccata hominum, propter pœnitentiam.

25 Diligis enim omnia quæ sunt,
et nihil odisti eorum quæ fecisti;
nec enim odiens aliquid constituisti aut fecisti.

26 Quomodo autem posset aliquid permanere, nisi tu voluisses?
aut quod a te vocatum non esset conservaretur?

27 Parcis autem omnibus, quoniam tua sunt, Domine,
qui amas animas.]