Wisdom 19

Apo

1 As for the ungodly, wrath came upon them without mercy unto the end: for he knew before what they would do;

2 How that having given them leave to depart, and sent them hastily away, they would repent and pursue them.

3 For whilst they were yet mourning and making lamentation at the graves of the dead, they added another foolish device, and pursued them as fugitives, whom they had intreated to be gone.

4 For the destiny, whereof they were worthy, drew them unto this end, and made them forget the things that had already happened, that they might fulfil the punishment which was wanting to their torments:

5 And that thy people might pass a wonderful way: but they might find a strange death.

6 For the whole creature in his proper kind was fashioned again anew, serving the peculiar commandments that were given unto them, that thy children might be kept without hurt:

7 As namely, a cloud shadowing the camp; and where water stood before, dry land appeared; and out of the Red sea a way without impediment; and out of the violent stream a green field:

8 Wherethrough all the people went that were defended with thy hand, seeing thy marvellous strange wonders.

9 For they went at large like horses, and leaped like lambs, praising thee, O Lord, who hadst delivered them.

10 For they were yet mindful of the things that were done while they sojourned in the strange land, how the ground brought forth flies instead of cattle, and how the river cast up a multitude of frogs instead of fishes.

11 But afterwards they saw a new generation of fowls, when, being led with their appetite, they asked delicate meats.

12 For quails came up unto them from the sea for their contentment.

13 And punishments came upon the sinners not without former signs by the force of thunders: for they suffered justly according to their own wickedness, insomuch as they used a more hard and hateful behaviour toward strangers.

14 For the Sodomites did not receive those, whom they knew not when they came: but these brought friends into bondage, that had well deserved of them.

15 And not only so, but peradventure some respect shall be had of those, because they used strangers not friendly:

16 But these very grievously afflicted them, whom they had received with feastings, and were already made partakers of the same laws with them.

17 Therefore even with blindness were these stricken, as those were at the doors of the righteous man: when, being compassed about with horrible great darkness, every one sought the passage of his own doors.

18 For the elements were changed in themselves by a kind of harmony, like as in a psaltery notes change the name of the tune, and yet are always sounds; which may well be perceived by the sight of the things that have been done.

19 For earthly things were turned into watery, and the things, that before swam in the water, now went upon the ground.

20 The fire had power in the water, forgetting his own virtue: and the water forgat his own quenching nature.

21 On the other side, the flames wasted not the flesh of the corruptible living things, though they walked therein; neither melted they the icy kind of heavenly meat that was of nature apt to melt.

22 For in all things, O Lord, thou didst magnify thy people, and glorify them, neither didst thou lightly regard them: but didst assist them in every time and place.

Sep

1 τοῖς δὲ ἀσεβέσιν μέχρι τέλους ἀνελεήμων θυμὸς ἐπέστη προῄδει γὰρ αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα

2 ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐπιτρέψαντες τοῦ ἀπιέναι καὶ μετὰ σπουδῆς προπέμψαντες αὐτοὺς διώξουσιν μεταμεληθέντες

3 ἔτι γὰρ ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες τὰ πένθη καὶ προσοδυρόμενοι τάφοις νεκρῶν ἕτερον ἐπεσπάσαντο λογισμὸν ἀνοίας καὶ οὓς ἱκετεύοντες ἐξέβαλον τούτους ὡς φυγάδας ἐδίωκον

4 εἷλκεν γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἡ ἀξία ἐπὶ τοῦτο τὸ πέρας ἀνάγκη καὶ τῶν συμβεβηκότων ἀμνηστίαν ἐνέβαλεν ἵνα τὴν λείπουσαν ταῖς βασάνοις προσαναπληρώσωσιν κόλασιν

5 καὶ ὁ μὲν λαός σου παράδοξον ὁδοιπορίαν πειράσῃ ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ξένον εὕρωσι θάνατον

6 ὅλη γὰρ ἡ κτίσις ἐν ἰδίῳ γένει πάλιν ἄνωθεν διετυποῦτο ὑπηρετοῦσα ταῖς σαῖς ἐπιταγαῖς ἵνα οἱ σοὶ παῖδες φυλαχθῶσιν ἀβλαβεῖς

7 ἡ τὴν παρεμβολὴν σκιάζουσα νεφέλη ἐκ δὲ προϋφεστῶτος ὕδατος ξηρᾶς ἀνάδυσις γῆς ἐθεωρήθη ἐξ ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης ὁδὸς ἀνεμπόδιστος καὶ χλοηφόρον πεδίον ἐκ κλύδωνος βιαίου

8 δι᾽ οὗ πανεθνεὶ διῆλθον οἱ τῇ σῇ σκεπαζόμενοι χειρὶ θεωρήσαντες θαυμαστὰ τέρατα

9 ὡς γὰρ ἵπποι ἐνεμήθησαν καὶ ὡς ἀμνοὶ διεσκίρτησαν αἰνοῦντές σε κύριε τὸν ῥυσάμενον αὐτούς

10 ἐμέμνηντο γὰρ ἔτι τῶν ἐν τῇ παροικίᾳ αὐτῶν πῶς ἀντὶ μὲν γενέσεως ζῴων ἐξήγαγεν ἡ γῆ σκνῖπα ἀντὶ δὲ ἐνύδρων ἐξηρεύξατο ὁ ποταμὸς πλῆθος βατράχων

11 ἐφ᾽ ὑστέρῳ δὲ εἶδον καὶ γένεσιν νέαν ὀρνέων ὅτε ἐπιθυμίᾳ προαχθέντες ᾐτήσαντο ἐδέσματα τρυφῆς

12 εἰς γὰρ παραμυθίαν ἐκ θαλάσσης ἀνέβη αὐτοῖς ὀρτυγομήτρα

13 καὶ αἱ τιμωρίαι τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς ἐπῆλθον οὐκ ἄνευ τῶν προγεγονότων τεκμηρίων τῇ βίᾳ τῶν κεραυνῶν δικαίως γὰρ ἔπασχον ταῖς ἰδίαις αὐτῶν πονηρίαις καὶ γὰρ χαλεπωτέραν μισοξενίαν ἐπετήδευσαν

14 οἱ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας οὐκ ἐδέχοντο παρόντας οὗτοι δὲ εὐεργέτας ξένους ἐδουλοῦντο

15 καὶ οὐ μόνον ἀλλ᾽ ἤ τις ἐπισκοπὴ ἔσται αὐτῶν ἐπεὶ ἀπεχθῶς προσεδέχοντο τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους

16 οἱ δὲ μετὰ ἑορτασμάτων εἰσδεξάμενοι τοὺς ἤδη τῶν αὐτῶν μετεσχηκότας δικαίων δεινοῖς ἐκάκωσαν πόνοις

17 ἐπλήγησαν δὲ καὶ ἀορασίᾳ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι ἐπὶ ταῖς τοῦ δικαίου θύραις ὅτε ἀχανεῖ περιβληθέντες σκότει ἕκαστος τῶν ἑαυτοῦ θυρῶν τὴν δίοδον ἐζήτει

18 δι᾽ ἑαυτῶν γὰρ τὰ στοιχεῖα μεθαρμοζόμενα ὥσπερ ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ φθόγγοι τοῦ ῥυθμοῦ τὸ ὄνομα διαλλάσσουσιν πάντοτε μένοντα ἤχῳ ὅπερ ἐστὶν εἰκάσαι ἐκ τῆς τῶν γεγονότων ὄψεως ἀκριβῶς

19 χερσαῖα γὰρ εἰς ἔνυδρα μετεβάλλετο καὶ νηκτὰ μετέβαινεν ἐπὶ γῆς

20 πῦρ ἴσχυεν ἐν ὕδατι τῆς ἰδίας δυνάμεως καὶ ὕδωρ τῆς σβεστικῆς φύσεως ἐπελανθάνετο

21 φλόγες ἀνάπαλιν εὐφθάρτων ζῴων οὐκ ἐμάραναν σάρκας ἐμπεριπατούντων οὐδὲ τηκτὸν κρυσταλλοειδὲς εὔτηκτον γένος ἀμβροσίας τροφῆς

22 κατὰ πάντα γάρ κύριε ἐμεγάλυνας τὸν λαόν σου καὶ ἐδόξασας καὶ οὐχ ὑπερεῖδες ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ καὶ τόπῳ παριστάμενος

Vul

1 [Impiis autem usque in novissimum
sine misericordia ira supervenit.
Præsciebat enim et futura illorum:

2 quoniam cum ipsi permisissent ut se educerent,
et cum magna sollicitudine præmisissent illos,
consequebantur illos, pœnitentia acti.

3 Adhuc enim inter manus habentes luctum,
et deplorantes ad monumenta mortuorum,
aliam sibi assumpserunt cogitationem inscientiæ,
et quos rogantes projecerant,
hos tamquam fugitivos persequebantur.

4 Ducebat enim illos ad hunc finem digna necessitas;
et horum quæ acciderant commemorationem amittebant,
ut quæ deerant tormentis repleret punitio:

5 et populus quidem tuus mirabiliter transiret,
illi autem novam mortem invenirent.

6 Omnis enim creatura ad suum genus ab initio refigurabatur,
deserviens tuis præceptis,
ut pueri tui custodirentur illæsi.

7 Nam nubes castra eorum obumbrabat,
et ex aqua quæ ante erat, terra arida apparuit,
et in mari Rubro via sine impedimento,
et campus germinans de profundo nimio:

8 per quem omnis natio transivit quæ tegebatur tua manu,
videntes tua mirabilia et monstra.

9 Tamquam enim equi depaverunt escam,
et tamquam agni exsultaverunt,
magnificantes te, Domine, qui liberasti illos.

10 Memores enim erant adhuc eorum
quæ in incolatu illorum facta fuerant:
quemadmodum pro natione animalium eduxit terra muscas,
et pro piscibus eructavit fluvius multitudinem ranarum.

11 Novissime autem viderunt novam creaturam avium,
cum, adducti concupiscentia, postulaverunt escas epulationis.

12 In allocutione enim desiderii ascendit illis de mari ortygometra:
et vexationes peccatoribus supervenerunt,
non sine illis quæ ante facta erant argumentis per vim fulminum:
juste enim patiebantur secundum suas nequitias.]

13 [Etenim detestabiliorem inhospitalitatem instituerunt:
alii quidem ignotos non recipiebant advenas;
alii autem bonos hospites in servitutem redigebant.

14 Et non solum hæc, sed et alius quidam respectus illorum erat,
quoniam inviti recipiebant extraneos.

15 Qui autem cum lætitia receperunt hos
qui eisdem usi erant justitiis,
sævissimis afflixerunt doloribus.

16 Percussi sunt autem cæcitate:
sicut illi in foribus justi,
cum subitaneis cooperti essent tenebris,
unusquisque transitum ostii sui quærebat.

17 In se enim elementa dum convertuntur,
sicut in organo qualitatis sonus immutatur,
et omnia suum sonum custodiunt:
unde æstimari ex ipso visu certo potest.

18 Agrestia enim in aquatica convertebantur,
et quæcumque erant natantia, in terram transibant.

19 Ignis in aqua valebat supra suam virtutem,
et aqua extinguentis naturæ obliviscebatur.

20 Flammæ e contrario corruptibilium animalium
non vexaverunt carnes coambulantium,
nec dissolvebant illam, quæ facile dissolvebatur sicut glacies, bonam escam.
In omnibus enim magnificasti populum tuum, Domine,
et honorasti, et non despexisti,
in omni tempore et in omni loco assistens eis.]