Wisdom 17

Apo

1 For great are thy judgments, and cannot be expressed: therefore unnurtured souls have erred.

2 For when unrighteous men thought to oppress the holy nation; they being shut up in their houses, the prisoners of darkness, and fettered with the bonds of a long night, lay [there] exiled from the eternal providence.

3 For while they supposed to lie hid in their secret sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of forgetfulness, being horribly astonished, and troubled with [strange] apparitions.

4 For neither might the corner that held them keep them from fear: but noises [as of waters] falling down sounded about them, and sad visions appeared unto them with heavy countenances.

5 No power of the fire might give them light: neither could the bright flames of the stars endure to lighten that horrible night.

6 Only there appeared unto them a fire kindled of itself, very dreadful: for being much terrified, they thought the things which they saw to be worse than the sight they saw not.

7 As for the illusions of art magick, they were put down, and their vaunting in wisdom was reproved with disgrace.

8 For they, that promised to drive away terrors and troubles from a sick soul, were sick themselves of fear, worthy to be laughed at.

9 For though no terrible thing did fear them; yet being scared with beasts that passed by, and hissing of serpents,

10 They died for fear, denying that they saw the air, which could of no side be avoided.

11 For wickedness, condemned by her own witness, is very timorous, and being pressed with conscience, always forecasteth grievous things.

12 For fear is nothing else but a betraying of the succours which reason offereth.

13 And the expectation from within, being less, counteth the ignorance more than the cause which bringeth the torment.

14 But they sleeping the same sleep that night, which was indeed intolerable, and which came upon them out of the bottoms of inevitable hell,

15 Were partly vexed with monstrous apparitions, and partly fainted, their heart failing them: for a sudden fear, and not looked for, came upon them.

16 So then whosoever there fell down was straitly kept, shut up in a prison without iron bars,

17 For whether he were husbandman, or shepherd, or a labourer in the field, he was overtaken, and endured that necessity, which could not be avoided: for they were all bound with one chain of darkness.

18 Whether it were a whistling wind, or a melodious noise of birds among the spreading branches, or a pleasing fall of water running violently,

19 Or a terrible sound of stones cast down, or a running that could not be seen of skipping beasts, or a roaring voice of most savage wild beasts, or a rebounding echo from the hollow mountains; these things made them to swoon for fear.

20 For the whole world shined with clear light, and none were hindered in their labour:

21 Over them only was spread an heavy night, an image of that darkness which should afterward receive them: but yet were they unto themselves more grievous than the darkness.

Sep

1 μεγάλαι γάρ σου αἱ κρίσεις καὶ δυσδιήγητοι διὰ τοῦτο ἀπαίδευτοι ψυχαὶ ἐπλανήθησαν

2 ὑπειληφότες γὰρ καταδυναστεύειν ἔθνος ἅγιον ἄνομοι δέσμιοι σκότους καὶ μακρᾶς πεδῆται νυκτὸς κατακλεισθέντες ὀρόφοις φυγάδες τῆς αἰωνίου προνοίας ἔκειντο

3 λανθάνειν γὰρ νομίζοντες ἐπὶ κρυφαίοις ἁμαρτήμασιν ἀφεγγεῖ λήθης παρακαλύμματι ἐσκορπίσθησαν θαμβούμενοι δεινῶς καὶ ἰνδάλμασιν ἐκταρασσόμενοι

4 οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ κατέχων αὐτοὺς μυχὸς ἀφόβους διεφύλαττεν ἦχοι δ᾽ ἐκταράσσοντες αὐτοὺς περιεκόμπουν καὶ φάσματα ἀμειδήτοις κατηφῆ προσώποις ἐνεφανίζετο

5 καὶ πυρὸς μὲν οὐδεμία βία κατίσχυεν φωτίζειν οὔτε ἄστρων ἔκλαμπροι φλόγες καταυγάζειν ὑπέμενον τὴν στυγνὴν ἐκείνην νύκτα

6 διεφαίνετο δ᾽ αὐτοῖς μόνον αὐτομάτη πυρὰ φόβου πλήρης ἐκδειματούμενοι δὲ τῆς μὴ θεωρουμένης ἐκείνης ὄψεως ἡγοῦντο χείρω τὰ βλεπόμενα

7 μαγικῆς δὲ ἐμπαίγματα κατέκειτο τέχνης καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ φρονήσει ἀλαζονείας ἔλεγχος ἐφύβριστος

8 οἱ γὰρ ὑπισχνούμενοι δείματα καὶ ταραχὰς ἀπελαύνειν ψυχῆς νοσούσης οὗτοι καταγέλαστον εὐλάβειαν ἐνόσουν

9 καὶ γὰρ εἰ μηδὲν αὐτοὺς ταραχῶδες ἐφόβει κνωδάλων παρόδοις καὶ ἑρπετῶν συριγμοῖς ἐκσεσοβημένοι διώλλυντο ἔντρομοι καὶ τὸν μηδαμόθεν φευκτὸν ἀέρα προσιδεῖν ἀρνούμενοι

10 δειλὸν γὰρ ἰδίῳ πονηρία μάρτυρι καταδικαζομένη ἀεὶ δὲ προσείληφεν τὰ χαλεπὰ συνεχομένη τῇ συνειδήσει

11 οὐθὲν γάρ ἐστιν φόβος εἰ μὴ προδοσία τῶν ἀπὸ λογισμοῦ βοηθημάτων

12 ἔνδοθεν δὲ οὖσα ἥττων ἡ προσδοκία πλείονα λογίζεται τὴν ἄγνοιαν τῆς παρεχούσης τὴν βάσανον αἰτίας

13 οἱ δὲ τὴν ἀδύνατον ὄντως νύκτα καὶ ἐξ ἀδυνάτου ᾅδου μυχῶν ἐπελθοῦσαν τὸν αὐτὸν ὕπνον κοιμώμενοι

14 τὰ μὲν τέρασιν ἠλαύνοντο φαντασμάτων τὰ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς παρελύοντο προδοσίᾳ αἰφνίδιος γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀπροσδόκητος φόβος ἐπεχύθη

15 εἶθ᾽ οὕτως ὃς δή ποτ᾽ οὖν ἦν ἐκεῖ καταπίπτων ἐφρουρεῖτο εἰς τὴν ἀσίδηρον εἱρκτὴν κατακλεισθείς

16 εἴ τε γὰρ γεωργὸς ἦν τις ἢ ποιμὴν ἢ τῶν κατ᾽ ἐρημίαν ἐργάτης μόχθων προλημφθεὶς τὴν δυσάλυκτον ἔμενεν ἀνάγκην μιᾷ γὰρ ἁλύσει σκότους πάντες ἐδέθησαν

17 εἴ τε πνεῦμα συρίζον ἢ περὶ ἀμφιλαφεῖς κλάδους ὀρνέων ἦχος εὐμελὴς ἢ ῥυθμὸς ὕδατος πορευομένου βίᾳ ἢ κτύπος ἀπηνὴς καταρριπτομένων πετρῶν

18 ἢ σκιρτώντων ζῴων δρόμος ἀθεώρητος ἢ ὠρυομένων ἀπηνεστάτων θηρίων φωνὴ ἢ ἀντανακλωμένη ἐκ κοιλότητος ὀρέων ἠχώ παρέλυεν αὐτοὺς ἐκφοβοῦντα

19 ὅλος γὰρ ὁ κόσμος λαμπρῷ κατελάμπετο φωτὶ καὶ ἀνεμποδίστοις συνείχετο ἔργοις

20 μόνοις δὲ ἐκείνοις ἐπετέτατο βαρεῖα νὺξ εἰκὼν τοῦ μέλλοντος αὐτοὺς διαδέχεσθαι σκότους ἑαυτοῖς δὲ ἦσαν βαρύτεροι σκότους

Vul

1 [Magna sunt enim judicia tua, Domine,
et inenarrabilia verba tua:
propter hoc indisciplinatæ animæ erraverunt.

2 Dum enim persuasum habent iniqui
posse dominari nationi sanctæ,
vinculis tenebrarum et longæ noctis compediti,
inclusi sub tectis,
fugitivi perpetuæ providentiæ jacuerunt.

3 Et dum putant se latere in obscuris peccatis,
tenebroso oblivionis velamento dispersi sunt,
paventes horrende,
et cum admiratione nimia perturbati.

4 Neque enim quæ continebat illos spelunca sine timore custodiebat,
quoniam sonitus descendens perturbabat illos,
et personæ tristes illis apparentes pavorem illis præstabant.

5 Et ignis quidem nulla vis poterat illis lumen præbere,
nec siderum limpidæ flammæ
illuminare poterant illam noctem horrendam.

6 Apparebat autem illis subitaneus ignis, timore plenus;
et timore perculsi illius quæ non videbatur faciei,
æstimabant deteriora esse quæ videbantur.

7 Et magicæ artis appositi erant derisus,
et sapientiæ gloriæ correptio cum contumelia.

8 Illi enim qui promittebant
timores et perturbationes expellere se ab anima languente,
hi cum derisu pleni timore languebant.

9 Nam etsi nihil illos ex monstris perturbabat,
transitu animalium et serpentium sibilatione commoti,
tremebundi peribant,
et aërem quem nulla ratione quis effugere posset, negantes se videre.

10 Cum sit enim timida nequitia,
dat testimonium condemnationis:
semper enim præsumit sæva,
perturbata conscientia:

11 nihil enim est timor nisi proditio cogitationis auxiliorum.

12 Et dum ab intus minor est exspectatio,
majorem computat inscientiam ejus causæ,
de qua tormentum præstat.

13 Illi autem qui impotentem vere noctem,
et ab infimis et ab altissimis inferis supervenientem,
eumdem somnum dormientes,

14 aliquando monstrorum exagitabantur timore,
aliquando animæ deficiebant traductione:
subitaneus enim illis et insperatus timor supervenerat.

15 Deinde si quisquam ex illis decidisset,
custodiebatur in carcere sine ferro reclusus.

16 Si enim rusticus quis erat, aut pastor,
aut agri laborum operarius præoccupatus esset,
ineffugibilem sustinebat necessitatem;

17 una enim catena tenebrarum omnes erant colligati.
Sive spiritus sibilans,
aut inter spissos arborum ramos avium sonus suavis,
aut vis aquæ decurrentis nimium,

18 aut sonus validus præcipitatarum petrarum,
aut ludentium animalium cursus invisus,
aut mugientium valida bestiarum vox,
aut resonans de altissimis montibus echo:
deficientes faciebant illos præ timore.

19 Omnis enim orbis terrarum limpido illuminabatur lumine,
et non impeditis operibus continebatur.

20 Solis autem illis superposita erat gravis nox,
imago tenebrarum quæ superventura illis erat:
ipsi ergo sibi erant graviores tenebris.]