Wisdom 5

1Then shall the just stand with great constancy against those that have afflicted them, and taken away their labours.

2These seeing it, shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed at the suddenness of their unexpected salvation,

3Saying within themselves, repenting, and groaning for anguish of spirit: These are they, whom we had sometime in derision, and for a parable of reproach.

4We fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honour.

5Behold, how they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints.

6Therefore we have erred from the way of truth, and the light of justice hath not shined unto us, and the sun of understanding hath not risen upon us.

7We wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity and destruction, and have walked through hard ways, but the way of the Lord we have not known.

8What hath pride profited us? or what advantage hath the boasting of riches brought us?

9All those things are passed away like a shadow, and like a post that runneth on,

10And as a ship, that passeth through the waves: whereof when it is gone by, the trace cannot be found nor the path of its keel in the waters:

11Or as when a bird flieth through the air, of the passage of which no mark can be found, but only the sound of the wings beating the light air, and parting it by the force of her flight: she moved her wings, and hath flown through, and there is no mark found afterwards of her way:

12Or as when an arrow is shot at a mark, the divided air quickly cometh together again, so that the passage thereof is not known:

13So we also being born, forthwith ceased to be: and have been able to show no mark of virtue: but are consumed in our wickedness.

14Such things as these the sinners said in hell:

15For the hope of the wicked is as dust, which is blown away with the wind, and as a thin froth which is dispersed by the storm: and a smoke that is scattered abroad by the wind: and as the remembrance of a guest of one day that passeth by.

16But the just shall live for evermore: and their reward is with the Lord, and the care of them with the most High.

17Therefore shall they receive a kingdom of glory, and a crown of beauty at the hand of the Lord: for with his right hand he will cover them, and with his holy arm he will defend them.

18And his zeal will take armour, and he will arm the creature for the revenge of his enemies.

19He will put on justice as a breastplate, and will take true judgment instead of a helmet:

20He will take equity for an invincible shield:

21And he will sharpen his severe wrath for a spear, and the whole world shall fight with him against the unwise.

22Then shafts of lightning shall go directly from the clouds, as from a bow well bent, they shall be shot out, and shall fly to the mark.

23And thick hail shall be cast upon them from the stone casting wrath: the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the rivers shall run together in a terrible manner.

24A mighty wind shall stand up against them, and as a whirlwind shall divide them: and their iniquity shall bring all the earth to a desert, and wickedness shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty.

1Tunc stabunt justi in magna constantia adversus eos qui se angustiaverunt, et qui abstulerunt labores eorum.

2Videntes turbabuntur timore horribili, et mirabuntur in subitatione insperatæ salutis;

3dicentes intra se, pœnitentiam agentes, et præ angustia spiritus gementes : Hi sunt quos habuimus aliquando in derisum, et in similitudinem improperii.

4Nos insensati, vitam illorum æstimabamus insaniam, et finem illorum sine honore;

5ecce quomodo computati sunt inter filios Dei, et inter sanctos sors illorum est.

6Ergo erravimus a via veritatis, et justitiæ lumen non luxit nobis, et sol intelligentiæ non est ortus nobis.

7Lassati sumus in via iniquitatis et perditionis, et ambulavimus vias difficiles : viam autem Domini ignoravimus.

8Quid nobis profuit superbia? aut divitiarum jactantia quid contulit nobis?

9Transierunt omnia illa tamquam umbra, et tamquam nuntius percurrens,

10et tamquam navis quæ pertransit fluctuantem aquam, cujus cum præterierit non est vestigium invenire, neque semitam carinæ illius in fluctibus;

11aut tamquam avis quæ transvolat in aëre, cujus nullum invenitur argumentum itineris, sed tantum sonitus alarum verberans levem ventum, et scindens per vim itineris aërem : commotis alis transvolavit, et post hoc nullum signum invenitur itineris illius;

12aut tamquam sagitta emissa in locum destinatum, divisus aër continuo in se reclusus est, ut ignoretur transitus illius :

13sic et nos nati continuo desivimus esse; et virtutis quidem nullum signum valuimus ostendere, in malignitate autem nostra consumpti sumus.

14Talia dixerunt in inferno hi qui peccaverunt :

15quoniam spes impii tamquam lanugo est quæ a vento tollitur, et tamquam spuma gracilis quæ a procella dispergitur, et tamquam fumus qui a vento diffusus est, et tamquam memoria hospitis unius diei prætereuntis.

16Justi autem in perpetuum vivent, et apud Dominum est merces eorum, et cogitatio illorum apud Altissimum.

17Ideo accipient regnum decoris, et diadema speciei de manu Domini : quoniam dextera sua teget eos, et brachio sancto suo defendet illos.

18Accipiet armaturam zelus illius, et armabit creaturam ad ultionem inimicorum.

19Induet pro thorace justitiam, et accipiet pro galea judicium certum;

20sumet scutum inexpugnabile æquitatem.

21Acuet autem duram iram in lanceam, et pugnabit cum illo orbis terrarum contra insensatos.

22Ibunt directe emissiones fulgurum, et tamquam a bene curvato arcu nubium exterminabuntur, et ad certum locum insilient.

23Et a petrosa ira plenæ mittentur grandines; excandescet in illos aqua maris, et flumina concurrent duriter.

24Contra illos stabit spiritus virtutis, et tamquam turbo venti dividet illos; et ad eremum perducet omnem terram iniquitas illorum, et malignitas evertet sedes potentium.

1τότε στήσεται ἐν παρρησίᾳ πολλῇ ὁ δίκαιος κατὰ πρόσωπον τῶν θλιψάντων αὐτὸν καὶ τῶν ἀθετούντων τοὺς πόνους αὐτοῦ

2ἰδόντες ταραχθήσονται φόβῳ δεινῷ καὶ ἐκστήσονται ἐπὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τῆς σωτηρίας

3ἐροῦσιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς μετανοοῦντες καὶ διὰ στενοχωρίαν πνεύματος στενάξονται καὶ ἐροῦσιν

4οὗτος ἦν ὃν ἔσχομέν ποτε εἰς γέλωτα καὶ εἰς παραβολὴν ὀνειδισμοῦ οἱ ἄφρονες τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ ἐλογισάμεθα μανίαν καὶ τὴν τελευτὴν αὐτοῦ ἄτιμον

5πῶς κατελογίσθη ἐν υἱοῖς θεοῦ καὶ ἐν ἁγίοις ὁ κλῆρος αὐτοῦ ἐστιν

6ἄρα ἐπλανήθημεν ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης φῶς οὐκ ἐπέλαμψεν ἡμῖν καὶ ὁ ἥλιος οὐκ ἀνέτειλεν ἡμῖν

7ἀνομίας ἐνεπλήσθημεν τρίβοις καὶ ἀπωλείας καὶ διωδεύσαμεν ἐρήμους ἀβάτους τὴν δὲ ὁδὸν κυρίου οὐκ ἐπέγνωμεν

8τί ὠφέλησεν ἡμᾶς ἡ ὑπερηφανία καὶ τί πλοῦτος μετὰ ἀλαζονείας συμβέβληται ἡμῖν

9παρῆλθεν ἐκεῖνα πάντα ὡς σκιὰ καὶ ὡς ἀγγελία παρατρέχουσα

10ὡς ναῦς διερχομένη κυμαινόμενον ὕδωρ ἧς διαβάσης οὐκ ἔστιν ἴχνος εὑρεῖν οὐδὲ ἀτραπὸν τρόπιος αὐτῆς ἐν κύμασιν

11ἢ ὡς ὀρνέου διιπτάντος ἀέρα οὐθὲν εὑρίσκεται τεκμήριον πορείας πληγῇ δὲ μαστιζόμενον ταρσῶν πνεῦμα κοῦφον καὶ σχιζόμενον βίᾳ ῥοίζου κινουμένων πτερύγων διωδεύθη καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο οὐχ εὑρέθη σημεῖον ἐπιβάσεως ἐν αὐτῷ

12ἢ ὡς βέλους βληθέντος ἐπὶ σκοπὸν τμηθεὶς ὁ ἀὴρ εὐθέως εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνελύθη ὡς ἀγνοῆσαι τὴν δίοδον αὐτοῦ

13οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς γεννηθέντες ἐξελίπομεν καὶ ἀρετῆς μὲν σημεῖον οὐδὲν ἔσχομεν δεῖξαι ἐν δὲ τῇ κακίᾳ ἡμῶν κατεδαπανήθημεν

15ὅτι ἐλπὶς ἀσεβοῦς ὡς φερόμενος χνοῦς ὑπὸ ἀνέμου καὶ ὡς πάχνη ὑπὸ λαίλαπος διωχθεῖσα λεπτὴ καὶ ὡς καπνὸς ὑπὸ ἀνέμου διεχύθη καὶ ὡς μνεία καταλύτου μονοημέρου παρώδευσεν

16δίκαιοι δὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ζῶσιν καὶ ἐν κυρίῳ ὁ μισθὸς αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ φροντὶς αὐτῶν παρὰ ὑψίστῳ

17διὰ τοῦτο λήμψονται τὸ βασίλειον τῆς εὐπρεπείας καὶ τὸ διάδημα τοῦ κάλλους ἐκ χειρὸς κυρίου ὅτι τῇ δεξιᾷ σκεπάσει αὐτοὺς καὶ τῷ βραχίονι ὑπερασπιεῖ αὐτῶν

18λήμψεται πανοπλίαν τὸν ζῆλον αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁπλοποιήσει τὴν κτίσιν εἰς ἄμυναν ἐχθρῶν

19ἐνδύσεται θώρακα δικαιοσύνην καὶ περιθήσεται κόρυθα κρίσιν ἀνυπόκριτον

20λήμψεται ἀσπίδα ἀκαταμάχητον ὁσιότητα

21ὀξυνεῖ δὲ ἀπότομον ὀργὴν εἰς ῥομφαίαν συνεκπολεμήσει δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ κόσμος ἐπὶ τοὺς παράφρονας

22πορεύσονται εὔστοχοι βολίδες ἀστραπῶν καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ εὐκύκλου τόξου τῶν νεφῶν ἐπὶ σκοπὸν ἁλοῦνται

23καὶ ἐκ πετροβόλου θυμοῦ πλήρεις ῥιφήσονται χάλαζαι ἀγανακτήσει κατ' αὐτῶν ὕδωρ θαλάσσης ποταμοὶ δὲ συγκλύσουσιν ἀποτόμως

24ἀντιστήσεται αὐτοῖς πνεῦμα δυνάμεως καὶ ὡς λαῖλαψ ἐκλικμήσει αὐτούς καὶ ἐρημώσει πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἀνομία καὶ ἡ κακοπραγία περιτρέψει θρόνους δυναστῶν